WTT Finals Hong Kong: Wang Chuqin on track for fourth consecutive title after smooth win
On the women’s side, Chen Yi reaches semi-finals in her first Finals appearance after upsetting Chen Xingtong in comeback
Wang Chuqin credited his mindset with keeping alive his hopes for a fourth straight men’s singles WTT Finals title after beating France’s Alexis Lebrun at Hong Kong Coliseum on Friday.
The world No 1 advanced to the final four with a 4-1 quarter-final victory, but gave credit to his opponent, whom he described as “very creative, with high-quality attacks”.
“My mindset was good today,” the world No 1 player said after a 11-6, 11-4, 11-9, 8-11, 11-4 win. “I wasn’t thinking about winning or losing, just trying to play my best on court.”
In the semi-finals of the sport’s season finale, Wang will face the winner of the match between Lin Yun-Ju from Taiwan and Sweden’s fourth-seeded Truls Moregard, the Paris Olympic silver medallist.
Wang, who beat Moregard in the quarter-finals in Fukuoka last year, said every opponent was very strong and, for him, “every match is a new start – you can’t use last year’s results to represent now”.
“That’s the uncertainty of competitive sport,” he said, “and I hope I can have a good start.”
