Doha, 10 January 2024 – In the second round of the men's singles qualifying round of the Doha Stars Tournament, Japanese men's table tennis world champion Maharu Yoshimura was eliminated in a high-profile matchup to Iran's Alamian 1-3. This match not only shocked the fans, but also meant that Yoshimura Maharu did not qualify for the main event, becoming the first player of the Japanese team to lose.
Alamian counterattacked, and Yoshimura Maharu was embarrassed.
Facing the experienced Alamian, Yoshimura Maharu was originally highly anticipated by fans. However, at the start of the game, Alamian showed a great performance. In the first game, Yoshimura took the lead with a varied pace, but Alamian gradually found his groove in the rest of the game and pulled one back 11-3. In the third game, Alamian won another game 11-8. Entering the fourth game, Yoshimura's form declined, and Alamian ended the game 11-4, and finally reversed Yoshimura Maharu 3-1 and eliminated the world champion in an upset.
Yoshimura Maharu's good journey.
Yoshimura has already made a name for himself, having partnered with Kasumi Ishikawa to win a mixed doubles championship at the World Table Tennis Championships and two runners-up. Despite his low ranking, he is known for his unique serve and strong holding ability, making him a player to be reckoned with. Last year, Yoshimura showed great strength by defeating Ma Long in the singles match. However, due to the low ranking, he needs to start playing from the qualifying rounds.
Alamean's brilliant play.
Opposite Yoshimura is Iran's Alamian, who is only ranked 208th in the world but has a strong performance against Japan. Alamian showed a strong serve and a simple but effective style of play in the match, successfully counterattacking and defeating Yoshimura Maharu. His level has already been recognized in the qualifying stages, and there will be an even tougher challenge ahead.
Doha Stars Match: It's not just Yoshimura's embarrassment.
Yoshimura isn't the only World Champion to suffer an accident. In the doubles event, Zhuang Zhiyuan and Gao Chengrui lost to India's Takar Manash, and Mladenovic Ni Xialian also lost to Takar Kamath, showing the fierce competition and high level of this tournament.
The Japanese men's team was defeated across the board, and the young players of the Chinese team emerged.
In last year's Asian Games, the Japanese men's team was swept 3-0 by Iran, and Yoshimura lost to Iran's Alamian again, which reminds people of this history. At present, four of the five Japanese men's singles players have been defeated, and the situation is grim. Next, Xu Yingbin, a young player of the Chinese team, made a move with Wang Chuqin, and the Chinese team fought for more victories.
Yoshimura counterattacked to keep hope.
Of the four losers in the Japanese men's team, Yoshimura Maharu became the most eye-catching one after losing in the singles match. However, he didn't give up easily. In the fourth game, although Yoshimura Maharu fell behind for a while, he finally won with a narrow 13-11 counterattack and successfully maintained the hope of advancing to the first line. His comeback made the match even more exciting, and fans are looking forward to another great performance in the upcoming matches.
The young players of the Chinese team are emerging, and Lin Gaoyuan is sure to win.
In another key match of the game, the young players of the Chinese team emerged. Xu Yingbin showed excellent strength in the duel with the eliminated Wang Chuqin, giving the Chinese team a glimmer of hope for victory. At the same time, Lin Gaoyuan won the doubles event, taking the lead in two games in a row, showing strong strength and psychological quality, and successfully defeated Yoshimura Maharu.
Summary and expectations.
The men's singles qualifying stage of the Doha Stars Tournament not only saw a miserable situation for Yoshimura, but also a series of surprising matches. The young players of the Chinese team have emerged and brought new expectations. Next, the climax of the match will be in the main match, and the fans are full of expectations for the performance of the Chinese team, and also look forward to more exciting matches from other players.