WTT Hong Kong Finals: Two Men’s Singles Semifinalists Confirmed, Olympic Silver Medalist Stages Major Comeback, Wang Chuqin to Face Tough Opponent

On December 13 Beijing time, the men’s singles quarterfinals of the WTT Hong Kong Finals saw two matches completed yesterday: Wang Chuqin’s commanding 4-1 win over Lebrun, and Olympic silver medalist Moregard’s remarkable comeback from 0-2 down to beat Lin Yun-Ju 4-2. Thus, Wang Chuqin and Moregard have earned two of the four semifinal spots. Wang Chuqin now faces a tough semifinal clash against Moregard, who previously defeated him at the Olympics, making the path to the final challenging. Meanwhile, two more quarterfinal matches remain, including a derby between Lin Shidong and Xiang Peng, and Harimoto facing off against the younger Lebrun, where elimination is a real possibility!

Wang Chuqin versus Lebrun. Wang Chuqin, the world number one from China’s national team, met French rising star Lebrun in the quarterfinals. Lebrun’s level was below Wang’s, so this match posed little threat to Wang. From the start, Wang quickly took an aggressive stance, unleashing full power to dominate his opponent, winning the first two games 11-6 and 11-4 for a dream start at 2-0. Although the third game became tense with critical points, Wang’s control over these moments secured an 11-9 win, reaching match point at 3-0. In the fourth game, Wang played more defensively, allowing Lebrun to stage a comeback and take it 11-8. However, Wang responded with a powerful offense in the fifth game, winning decisively 11-4 to close out the match 4-1 and storm into the semifinals!

Moregard versus Lin Yun-Ju. Moregard, the Swedish star and Paris Olympic silver medalist, has had a breakout season, winning the Swedish Grand Slam on home soil and then the Montpellier championship, currently ranked fourth worldwide. In the quarterfinals, he faced Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju, who has dropped to 13th in the world rankings. Both are world-class champions. Early on, Moregard struggled, overwhelmed by Lin’s powerful offense, losing the first two games 6-11 and 7-11 to trail 0-2. Crucially, Moregard adjusted in the third game, playing aggressively and maintaining a lead despite Lin leveling at 10-all, ultimately winning 12-10 to narrow the gap to 1-2. The remainder of the match became one-sided as Lin suddenly collapsed, faltering in attack and defense with frequent errors. Moregard unleashed full power to crush the next three games 11-4, 11-2, and 11-5, completing a stunning 4-2 comeback to eliminate Lin!

With that, two semifinalists in the men’s singles are confirmed: Wang Chuqin and Moregard. The remaining two semifinal spots are still to be decided—let’s stay tuned!

Written by / Sports Fiction