On the evening of February 25, the men's team final of the Busan World Table Tennis Championships was fiercely fought between the Chinese team and the French team. Compared to the thrilling semi-final against South Korea, the Chinese team showed strong momentum in the final and won the game in one go. The Chinese ** team composed of Chinese table tennis players Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin and Ma Long defeated the French team composed of the Lebrun brothers Felix and Alex and Simon 3-0, and successfully achieved the feat of 11 consecutive championships of the men's team at the World Table Tennis Championships.
In the first game, Wang Chuqin faced off against 17-year-old straight shot star Felix Lebrun, the world's sixth-ranked rookie who was close behind five national table tennis players. Wang Chuqin quickly got into the groove, suppressed his opponent throughout the whole process, and won a landslide 3-0 victory in just 18 minutes.
In the second set, Fan Zhendong faced his brother Alex Lebrun, who showed no weakness against the world No. 1 player, and launched a series of fierce attacks, at one point leading 2-1. However, Fan Zhendong showed perseverance in the face of adversity, and maintained a high-intensity confrontation in the protracted battle with his opponent through precise control and decisive attack, and finally won 3-2. So far in this World Table Tennis Championships, Fan Zhendong has won all 8 matches and is the only player in the team who has not tasted defeat.
In the third game, Malone and Simon staged a duel between veterans. Although Ma Long had a bad start and lost the first game, he quickly adjusted his tactics and defeated his opponent 3-1 to seal the victory for the Chinese team.
Ma Long lifted the Swaythling Cup, the symbol of the men's team championship, for the ninth time after this final, and shared how he came out of the shadow of the semi-final defeat: "After a long and hesitant day yesterday, with the trust and support of my team and teammates, I was able to stand in the final again. At the same time, I am grateful for my perseverance, as my last race at the World Championships, to end this World Championship journey in such a perfect way. ”
For Wang Chuqin, who has experienced the baptism of the team competitions of the two World Table Tennis Championships in Busan and Chengdu, this experience has given him a deeper understanding: "No matter what difficulties I encounter, I am firm in my belief because I have two teammates and the whole team behind me. Compared to the youth when I competed in Chengdu, I have higher expectations when I come to Busan this time. Although the result was not entirely as expected, many things were unexpected, especially the night from the semi-final to the final, which was the most painful and the longest time I have ever had. But in the end, all the efforts are worth it, both regrets and gains. ”
As the core figure of men's table tennis, Fan Zhendong shoulders the heavy responsibility of leading the team. He said frankly after the game: "Judging from the results, my performance is not bad, and the biggest gain is that my heart has been greatly tempered and tested." I was in good form in the semi-finals, but when the team was behind, the pressure increased. In today's final, although I faced many difficulties, the strength of our team allowed me to persevere to the end, not give up, and finally win the victory. ”