On the evening of August 19 Beijing time, the WTT European Grand Smash in Sweden continued as Chinese world champion Lin Shidong took on Egypt’s Omar Assar, one of the tallest players on the professional circuit at 1.94m. Lin delivered a commanding 3-0 victory, becoming the first Chinese men’s singles player to secure a spot in the Round of 16. (Earlier, Lin Gaoyuan, Xiang Peng, and Liang Jingkun were eliminated, while Chen Yuanyu and Wen Ruibo are yet to play their second-round matches.)
Match Highlights
Player Backgrounds:
Lin Shidong, born in 2005, currently holds the World No. 1 ranking. Despite his status, his recent singles form has been inconsistent — struggling in internal clashes against teammates Wang Chuqin and Liang Jingkun, and losing internationally to Hugo Calderano (Brazil), Tomokazu Harimoto (Japan), and most recently Patrick Franziska (Germany) at the WTT Yokohama Champions where he exited in the Round of 16.
Omar Assar, ranked World No. 33, is a veteran competitor with two Olympic men’s singles quarterfinal finishes. Known for his long reach and defensive coverage, Assar has beaten several top players in his career, making him a dangerous opponent despite his lower ranking.
Sanweisport-Professional Table Tennis Equipment Provider
Only 11.9 USD
- Taiji 210 bat is an allround premade high quality table tennis bat for the starters, it’s the best seller and the most popular bat of the Taiji Bat series.
- The blade is made by 7 layers of decent pure wood, coated by two sides of ITTF approved rubber makes it useable for competition, with a comfortable flared handle.
- It saves your time for selecting from thousands of combinations and just gives you the right one with great quality/price ratio.
- 2-Stars Table Tennis Bat is perfect for amateur gamers !
- If you are interested in table tennis equipment, you can visit our Sanweisport homepage to select the most professional table tennis equipment. We will provide you with the best table tennis blades, rubbers, bat, and other products!
Match Recap
Game 1: Lin imposed his trademark speed near the table, targeting Assar’s forehand gaps. Although Assar’s wingspan allowed him to rally back to 4-4, Lin regained control and closed the game 11-5.
Game 2: Lin fell behind 0-2 but reeled off six straight points to seize momentum, racing to an 8-3 lead. He wrapped up the game 11-6, extending his dominance.
Game 3: Assar mounted a strong challenge, going up 4-1 before Lin countered to level 5-5. After another brief deficit, Lin surged ahead to 10-8 and sealed the match 11-8, completing the sweep.
Looking Ahead
Since climbing to World No. 1 in February, Lin Shidong has not captured another international singles title and showed vulnerabilities in Yokohama. With half of the Chinese men’s singles squad already eliminated (Lin Gaoyuan to Simon Gauzy, Xiang Peng to Dimitrij Ovtcharov, Liang Jingkun to Martin Allegro), Lin now shoulders the heavy responsibility of leading the men’s team forward.
Can Lin Shidong carry the torch for the Chinese Table Tennis Team in Sweden? Fans will be watching closely.
