WTT Hong Kong Finals Report: Two Women’s Singles Semifinalists Emerge, World Champion Suffers Upset, Wang Manyu Dominates

On December 12th Beijing time, the women’s singles quarterfinals at the WTT Hong Kong Finals saw two matches finish first. Chen Yi overturned expectations by defeating Chen Xingtong 4-1, and Wang Manyu smashed Korean newcomer Joo Chae-hui 4-1. Thus, two semifinalists in this tournament's women’s singles have been decided: Chen Yi and Wang Manyu!

Chen Yi versus Chen Xingtong. As a young talent, Chen Yi has begun to emerge this season, climbing into the top ten world rankings at ninth. In this round, she faced off against the third-ranked player Chen Xingtong in a fierce domestic battle for a semifinal spot. The match started with Chen Xingtong taking the initiative, winning the first game 11-7. In the second game, Chen Yi showed great composure, erasing a 5-8 deficit with a 6-0 scoring run to claim it 11-8 in a major comeback. In the third game, Chen Yi launched a strong attack early to build a big lead, but Chen Xingtong fought back to level the score. In the crucial points, Chen Yi steadied herself to win 11-9, taking a 2-1 lead. After a tough start in the fourth game, Chen Yi surged ahead to win 11-7, reaching match point at 3-1. In the fifth game, Chen Xingtong lost her composure completely, while Chen Yi unleashed a furious offense to dominate 11-2, sealing a 4-1 upset victory and advancing to the semifinals!

Wang Manyu against Joo Chae-hui. Ranked second in the world, Wang Manyu is the most consistent player for China in international matches. In the quarterfinals, she faced a challenge from Korean rising star Joo Chae-hui. Wang Manyu quickly launched an attack to open a gap, and although Joo fought back, Wang took the first game 11-7. In the second game, Wang fell behind 3-8 but then exploded with an 8-0 run to complete a stunning 11-8 comeback. In the third game, Wang was leading by a large margin but was caught up and lost 9-11. In the fourth game, Wang turned on the power and crushed Joo 11-5. In the fifth game, Wang maintained her dominance, overwhelming Joo 11-4, and won the match 4-1 to eliminate her opponent!

With that, we have secured two semifinal spots in this tournament, held by Chen Yi and Wang Manyu. There are still two quarterfinal matches left: Kuai Man versus Mima Ito, and Sun Yingsha against Miyu Nagasaki. The biggest goal is to sweep all four semifinal places and lock in the championship and runner-up spots early. The chances are very high, so let’s wait and see!

Written by / Sports Fiction