In early April, he won at the Lion 32nd ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup in Yokohama but in a period of almost one year; that was his only title.

At the end of the first week in November, he had struck gold at the 2018 ITTF World Tour Swedish Open; however, in 2019 by his standards the outcomes were not good, more than acceptable for 99.99 per cent of all mortals but not for Fan Zhendong.

Semi-final exits had been the order of the day on the ITTF World Tour in Hungary, Japan and Sweden, a quarter-final farewell on home soil in China and in the Korea Republic, a second round goodbye in Australia. Equally at the Liebherr 2019 World Championships in Budapest, he had departed in round four, later in the year, he was the runner up at the T2 Diamond in Johor Bahru and a semi-finalist in Yogyakarta at the ITTF-ATTU Asian Championships.

Changed in Bremen

On Sunday 13th October all changed; in Bremen on the ITTF World Tour he won in Germany, the following month in Austria. Sandwiched in between he was a member of the successful Chinese outfit at the Zen-Noh 2019 Team World Cup, before at the end of the month succeeding at the Chengdu Airlines Men’s World Cup.

In the first nine months of the year, Fan Zhendong struggled to put a foot right; in the last three months he cannot put a foot wrong!

Success in Zhengzhou meant he avenged the previous defeats again Ma Long when they had met in the title deciding contest at the Grand Finals; runners up spot against his illustrious adversary had been his lot in 2015 in Lisbon and one year later in Doha.

Never extended full distance

Moreover, Fan Zhendong secured the title in Zhengzhou without ever being extended the full distance. In the opening round he beat Germany’s Timo Boll, the no.9 seed (11-5, 18-16, 12-10, 11-7), prior to overcoming Brazil’s Hugo Calderano, the no.8 seed (12-10, 11-5, 11-7, 5-11, 11-9) and colleague, Lin Gaoyuan, the no.3 seed (11-7, 11-13, 11-3, 11-3, 9-11, 11-3) to reach the final.

A series of fine performances but without doubt he saved his best for the final. The manner in which, especially from the backhand, he controlled the fearsome attacks of Ma Long and then turned matters to his advantage was simply mind blowing,

He adapted, adjusted, anticipated, creating angles that more than once left Ma Long gasping for air as the ball travelled with bullet precision wide to the Olympic and World champion’s forehand.

Likewise, the same scenario applied when Fan Zhendong directed missiles wide to the backhand, at 10-5 in arrears in the opening game, Ma Long was forced to switch hands, use his left hand in order to make a return. It didn’t work, the ball finished in the base of the net.

Crucial game

A vital first game to Fan Zhendong; then came what was to prove the crucial second game. Ma Long led 10-8, two game points for parity but it was Fan Zhendong to serve. He made full use of the advantage, levelled and then won the next two points.

Increasingly confident, Fan Zhendong established an 8-3 lead in the third, he never looked back; in the fourth Ma Long went ahead 7-6, eventually finding ways to penetrate the blocking and counter top spin skills of his in-form adversary.

Ma Long won the next four points but it was only a respite; in the fifth game Fan Zhendong repeated the form of the first three games, he forced Ma Long to innovate, to try chop blocks. Nothing was stopping the Fan Zhendong express, at 10-7 he held three match points; at the second attempt he converted.

It was the fourth contest of the year between Fan Zhendong and Ma Long; the third win for Fan Zhendong. Previously he had succeeded in the ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup and ITTF World Tour Lion Japan Open; Ma Long had won at the ITTF World Tour China Open.

Big three

Now are we not looking towards their next encounter with great eagerness and anticipation?

In years gone by I heard the phrase “not two Chinese again, not interesting”; now times have totally changed. “Interesting” the contests are “enthralling”!

Add to the equation Xu Xin and just as in the 1960s in the golfing world there was Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player, named the “Big Three” it is the same now in table tennis.

The three legendary golfers set new standards for their sport; Fan Zhendong, Ma Long and Xu Xin are doing the same for table tennis.

China’s Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng ended the year in style, winning the men’s singles and women’s singles titles respectively on Sunday 15^th December at the Agricultural Bank of China 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals.

Fan defeated Ma Long (11-6, 12-10, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8) to reclaim the crown he first won in 2017 after Chen Meng overcame Wang Manyu (11-9, 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6) to seal a record-equalling third straight women’s singles title at a Grand Finals. Both Fan and Chen have made sure that they will end 2019 on top of the world rankings.

Japanese teenagers Miyuu Kihara and Miyu Nagasaki scooped women’s doubles gold medals, as Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin claimed the men’s doubles crown. World Champions Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen reigned supreme in the mixed doubles.

The four-day event held in Zhengzhou, China, brings the curtain down on the 2019 international table tennis calendar. The annual showpiece marks one of the sport’s most prestigious tournaments, offering prize money of up to $1,001,000.

Fan Zhendong finishes year on high

Fan Zhendong was crowned the 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals men’s singles champion after he defeated Ma Long with a first-class performance in the final between two of China’s undisputed heavyweights, a result that ensures the 22-year-old will overtake compatriot Xu Xin at the top of the world ranking heading into 2020.

In what was anticipated to be perhaps a closer contest, given Ma’s pedigree as the most decorated male player in table tennis history, second seed Fan took less than 53 minutes to finish off the battle over five games.

31-year-old Ma had missed a golden opportunity to level the scores, when he led 12-10 in the second game, but Fan roared back to win four points in a row to take control of the match – a position of strength that he never looked likely to surrender, especially when you consider his almighty form leading up to the final.

Fan had won the two most recent men’s singles titles on the ITTF World Tour at October’s German Open and November’s Austrian Open, before landing his third career Men’s World Cup crown at the start of December.

With victory today in Zhengzhou, he has doubled his tally of Grand Finals men’s singles successes, reclaiming the title he first won in 2017 in Astana. His quarter-final exit at last year’s event in Incheon at the hands of Brazil’s Hugo Calderano and his 343-day wait for an ITTF World Tour singles title until the 2019 German Open seem a distant memory indeed.

Fan exacted his revenge on Calderano at the same stage of this year’s competition, winning in five games (12-10, 11-5, 11-7, 5-11, 11-9) in between his opening day 4-0 victory over Germany’s Timo Boll and a 4-2 win against compatriot Lin Gaoyuan in the semi-final, before his imperious display against Ma Long in the final.

“It is never easy to play against Ma Long. As you saw, he played at a very high level on Saturday. I just focused on myself and played very patiently. I gave my best. As you know, I have experienced a lot of ups and downs this year. I learnt a lot of lessons from this period and I hope I can turn these lessons to my fortune.” – Fan Zhendong

Despite missing out on what would have been his sixth Grand Finals men’s singles title, this has been a week that Ma Long will remember fondly in the main. “The Dragon” put world no.1 and top seed Xu Xin to the sword in Saturday’s epic semi-final (11-7, 16-14, 11-7, 4-11, 4-11, 11-6) after clawing his way back from the precipice of defeat against another compatriot Liang Jingkun in one of the event’s most gripping clashes (9-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-9, 11-8).

The spirit and quality shown by Ma over the course of the weekend provided a timely reminder of why the reigning World Champion and record holder in terms of ITTF World Tour men’s singles titles (28) had been voted 2019 Male Table Tennis Star at Wednesday night’s ITTF Star Awards ceremony in Zhengzhou.

“As you know, I have been recovering from injury for some months. I have been through a lot this year, but this event was very encouraging for me back on court.” – Ma Long

Chen Meng makes history

Chen Meng celebrated her third consecutive ITTF World Tour Grand Finals women’s singles title, beating her Chinese compatriot Wang Manyu 4-1 in Sunday’s final (11-9, 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6).

Success in Zhengzhou followed Chen’s triumphs in Astana in 2017 and Incheon in 2018, thus equalling the feat achieved only once before in the history of the competition, by Liu Shiwen (2011, 2012, 2013). This also rounds off an extremely impressive year for the 25-year-old, who collected four women’s singles gold medals on the 2019 ITTF World Tour, winning the Hungarian, China, Korea and Swedish Opens.

World no.1 Chen incidentally defeated Liu in an epic quarter-final clash on Friday that went the full seven-game distance, having survived the scare of a first-round exit to Qian Tianyi, recovering from 1-3 down by winning the next three games.

Chen, seeded third in Zhengzhou, also eliminated the second seed, Japan’s Mima Ito, in Saturday’s semi-final (10-12, 11-8, 11-5, 13-11, 13-11) to set up her showdown with Wang Manyu.

Wang had enjoyed an impressive run to her debut Grand Finals women’s singles final, dropping just one game across victories over 2016 champion Zhu Yuling (4-0), Chen Xingtong (4-1) and Wang Yidi (4-1).

“I have not played against her (Wang Manyu) for the past half year. It was a tough match. We are both in good condition. After a tricky first game, I managed to adjust myself and settle into the match. I am happy to win three consecutive Grand Finals titles. I experienced some ups and downs in the last six months. This title for sure will give me more confidence towards next season. I will fight really hard hopefully to get qualified for Tokyo 2020.” – Chen Meng

Japanese teenage duo crowned women’s doubles champions

Miyuu Kihara and Miyu Nagasaki won the 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals women’s doubles title after the Japanese top seeded pair struck a comprehensive, straight games victory over second seeds Jeon Jihee and Yang Haeun of Korea Republic in Sunday’s final (12-10, 11-6, 11-6).

The victory continues the remarkable success story of Kihara and Nagasaki, aged only 15 and 17 respectively, who were crowned World Junior Champions only two weeks ago after claiming gold medals at November’s Austrian Open.

The dynamic duo stole headlines on Friday when they staged an incredible fightback to inflict defeat on the reigning World Champions, Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu (3-11, 4-11, 11-3, 14-12, 14-12). That had followed yet another spirited showing to come back from 1-2 down to beat Barbora Balazova and Hana Matelova over five games in the opening round.

“I did not expect that we could win here. We performed well today. We really focused on the match and played with great concentration on every ball.” – Miyuu Kihara

“We won the World Junior Championships and now we have won the World Tour Grand Finals. I am so happy. I hope I can play better in the future so everyone can know and remember my name.” – Miyu Nagasaki

No match for men’s doubles champions Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin

The top two ranked players in the men’s singles competition, Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin’s impressive doubles partnership yielded gold in the 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals men’s doubles competition.

The Chinese duo, second seeds, defeated seventh seeds Liao Cheng-Ting and Lin Yun-Ju of Chinese Taipei in Sunday’s final (11-7, 11-6, 11-13, 11-3), having recorded straight games victories over compatriots, Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan, and Ho Kwan Kit and Wong Chun Ting of Hong Kong, China.

Silver medallists in Zhengzhou, Liao and Lin enjoyed a fine run themselves after eliminating the top seeds, Korea Republic’s Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu, in the first round.

“Our opponents were very strong. They beat top pairs in the previous rounds, so we were fully prepared for this tough match. I am happy that we won.” – Fan Zhendong

Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen lead mixed doubles entries for Tokyo 2020

World Champions, Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen of China sealed mixed doubles gold at the 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals after fighting back from 0-2 down to defeat Japan’s Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito in Saturday’s thrilling final (9-11, 6-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-9).

“We didn’t find our rhythm at the beginning of the match and that is why we were 0-2 down. My partner (Xu Xin) was not in the best condition, as he finished his match very late last night.” – Liu Shiwen

“They (Mizutani and Ito) are very strong. They played really well today. We feel lucky to win this title. It gives us more confidence about Tokyo 2020. We need to keep making progress and try to widen our advantage.” – Xu Xin

The four semi-finalists in this year’s Grand Finals mixed doubles competition had the added incentive of qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The other two pairs to book their tickets to Tokyo were Lin Yun-Ju and Cheng I-Ching of Chinese Taipei alongside Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem of Hong Kong China, both of whose journeys in Zhengzhou ended with straight games semi-final defeats, but they can look forward to taking part in next summer’s showpiece in the Japanese capital.

Quick Links

by Ian Marshall, Editor

The no.2 seed, at the final hurdle Fan Zhendong beat compatriot Ma Long, the no.4 seed, in five games (11-7, 16-14, 11-7, 4-11, 4-11, 11-6) to regain the title won in 2017 when the tournament was staged in Astana.

Furthermore, there was a degree of revenge for Fan Zhendong, at the Grand Finals in 2015 in Lisbon and the following year in Doha, he had been beaten by Ma Long in the final.

Success for Fan Zhendong came after earlier in the day he had partnered Xu Xin to men’s doubles gold  in opposition to Chinese Taipei’s Liao Cheng-Ting and Lin Yun-Ju, the no.7 seeds (11-7, 11-6, 11-13, 11-2).

Perhaps somewhat surprisingly for Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin, the no.2 seeds, especially having been crowned world champions in 2017 in Düsseldorf, it was the first team either together or apart they had ever appeared in an ITTF World Tour Grand Finals men’s doubles gold medal contest.

Three in a row

Impressive from Fan Zhendong, it was the same from Chen Meng; the no.3 seed, she beat compatriot Wang Manyu, the no.4 seed, to don the women’s singles crown. She prevailed in five games (11-9, 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6) and thus won the title for the third consecutive year.

Previously she had won in 2017 in Astana and last year in Incheon; it means that she matches the record of team mate, Liu Shiwen, who succeeded in London in 2011, in 2012 in Hangzhou and in 2013 in Dubai.

Both Chen Meng and Liu Shiwen are now just one short of the overall most successful; also from China, Zhang Yining won in 1999 in Kobe, in 2002 in Stockholm; then later in 2005 in Fuzhou and the following year in Hong Kong.

Youngest pair

Gold for players with experience; there was also gold for the youngest players on duty in Zhengzhou.

Japan’s Miyuu Kihara, 15 years old and Miyu Nagasaki, 17 years of age, the top seeds, won the women’s doubles title. At the final hurdle they beat Korea Republic’s Jeon Jihee and Yang Haeun, the no.2 seeds (12-10, 11-6, 11-6).

Comprehensive from Miyuu Kihara and Miyu Nagasaki, it was their fourth major title in a period of less than four months. In early September they won at the Asian Junior Championships in Ulaanbaator, in November on the ITTF World Tour in Austria; then on the first day of December at the NSDF World Junior Championships in Korat.

The 2020 ITTF World Tour commences in the German city of Magdeburg with qualification on Tuesday 28th January, the main draw on Thursday 30th January.