On January 10, 2024, there was a surprise upset at the Doha Stars Tournament, when the men's table tennis world champion was unexpectedly eliminated in the first round. Chinese Taipei's Chuang Chih-yuan lost 2-3 to Denmark's Linde, winning a game only to be reversed, and the men's doubles defeat meant that his campaign was over. The 42-year-old Zhuang Zhiyuan has already made a name for himself and is currently ranked second in the Chinese Taipei team, behind Lin Yunru. For a long time, he has been competing with the players of the Chinese national table tennis team, and has achieved certain results, and his strength is extraordinary. He has defeated players such as Liang Jingkun and left a deep impression. In this competition, he signed up for two events, and the Men's Doubles partner was Ko Seung-rui, but unfortunately lost to India's Takar Manash in the qualifying round.
In the men's singles, he faced Denmark's Linde in the first round, an opponent who is not the top player in European table tennis, but is still at a good level, and has the experience of the quarterfinals of the World Table Tennis Championships. From a technical and tactical point of view, Linde has a strong mid-to-far platform confrontation ability, but the first three boards are particularly rough and likes to fight for points by pulling the ball hard. In contrast, Zhuang Zhiyuan has rich experience and has won the men's doubles championship at the World Table Tennis Championships, occupying a certain advantage in all aspects. After the start of the game, Linde made many mistakes in the first game and was eager to find scoring opportunities, but Zhuang Zhiyuan was prepared. He had a quick connection on the first three boards and excellent matchup ability to take an 11-6 lead. The pace of Zhuang's game made it difficult for his opponent to deal with, which also highlighted the importance of mentality in the game. In stark contrast to Linde, Zhuang Zhiyuan appeared more calm. However, in the second game, Zhuang Zhiyuan's concentration decreased, which is also a common problem for many veterans.
The inconsistency of his on-court performance made it difficult for him to maintain his good form, and he eventually lost 8-11. In the next third game, the two sides went back and forth, and the key point Zhuang Zhiyuan failed to withstand the pressure, and Linde seized the opportunity to win 13-11. Linde continued to improve the quality of the board in the fourth game, while Zhuang Zhiyuan chose to look for opportunities rather than fight hard. Linde hesitated due to lack of preparation, and Zhuang Zhiyuan pulled back a game 11-5. In the deciding game, Zhuang Zhiyuan's fitness could not keep up, while Linde was young and full of energy, and finally ended the match 11-7, winning 3-2. Linde's upset knockout of the World Champion was a surprise. Chinese Taipei suffered a first-round defeat from fifth seeds in the Mixed Doubles, with Lin Yunru and Chen Siyu losing 2-3 to Korea's Chang Woo-jin and Tian Chi-hee. Overall, Chinese Taipei did not perform well in this match, with Zhuang Zhiyuan losing one round in the Men's Singles and failing to win in the Men's Doubles qualifying round.
Such results are worrying, especially for Lin Yunru and Chen Siyu, who seem to have a hard time reaching their expected goals and getting the points they expect.