On September 30 (Beijing Time), the WTT China Grand Smash continued, where two important rivals of the Chinese Table Tennis Team—Bernadette Szőcs (Romania) and Lin Yun-Ju (Chinese Taipei)—both suffered heavy blows. Szőcs lost 0-3 to Li Yuzhun (Chinese Taipei) and was knocked out in the women’s singles round of 32, while Lin Yun-Ju, after trailing 0-2, fought back to level the score but was ultimately edged out in the deciding game 2-3 by Yuta Uda (Japan), ending his run in the men’s singles round of 32.
【Background】
Both Szőcs and Lin Yun-Ju have previously ranked inside the world’s top 10. Szőcs once defeated top Chinese stars Chen Meng and Chen Xingtong, while Lin has victories over Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin, and Lin Gaoyuan. Their strength made them key threats to the Chinese Table Tennis Team at this tournament, with realistic chances of reaching the semifinals.
By contrast, Li Yuzhun and Yuta Uda had far less impressive records. Although Uda was once the men’s singles champion at the Japanese National Championships, his performances against international opponents were generally modest, so most expected he would struggle against Lin Yun-Ju. But the actual matches turned out to be far more dramatic than many imagined.
【Match 1: Szőcs vs. Li Yuzhun】
In the women’s singles clash that finished first, Szőcs trailed throughout the opening game but managed to earn game point at 10-8. However, she was quickly caught at 10-10, regained a lead at 11-10, but was again overturned, losing the game 11-13.
In the second game, Li Yuzhun’s form clearly improved. Though Szőcs caught up to 5-5, she failed to seize the momentum. Falling behind 5-9 and facing game points at 6-10, she eventually lost 6-11.
The third game saw Szőcs unable to mount an effective response, trailing from start to finish and conceding 8-11. Thus, she was eliminated in straight games, missing out on further advancement.
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【Match 2: Lin Yun-Ju vs. Yuta Uda】
Lin’s battle against Uda was equally challenging. The first game went down to the wire, but Lin lost narrowly 9-11.
In the second game, Lin was thrown off rhythm by Uda’s aggressive attacks. Midway through, his resistance collapsed, and he lost 6-11, falling into a 0-2 deficit.
In the third game, facing elimination, Lin gradually found his footing. He relied on his precise short game to neutralize Uda’s attacks while increasing the quality of his counters to regain control, ultimately winning 11-8 to pull one back.
In the fourth game, Lin’s confidence grew as he surged ahead early. Leading 10-6, he squandered four game points and was pulled level, but steadied himself at the critical moment to edge it 12-10, forcing a deciding fifth game.
In the decider, Lin carried his momentum forward with aggressive play, racing to 3-0 and 5-1 leads. Yet Uda fought back doggedly to tie at 6-6. Lin regained a slim edge at 8-7 but was then overtaken. Consecutive errors from Lin gave away four points in a row, and he ultimately fell 8-11, losing the match 2-3 and exiting the tournament.
