(by Steve Hopkins)

After starting with sixteen of the best players in the world, the field was narrowed to just the Final Four by Saturday at the WTT Finals in Kitakyusha – the 2024 tour finale.  Forty thousand dollars and 1,500 ranking points are waiting for the first place finisher.  Added pressure as Wang Chuqin topped Darko Jorgic in one Semifinal, and Tomokazu Harimoto overcame an 0-2 start to outlast Lin Shidong 4-3 in the other Semifinal.

For World No. 1 Wang Chuqin, this event has been a bounce-back.  Obviously when you are No. 1, every loss is an upset and every other player gives you their best game.  But Chuqin has had a series of early exits from big events since losing to Moregard in the Olympics.  In this event, Chuqin has sliced through three of the top European players, defeating Franziska 3-1, Moregard 3-1, and Jorgic 3-1.  In the Final, he will face Harimoto – the top non-Chinese Asian player.

For Harimoto’s part, he defeated Liang Jingkun in their opening round match.  He then blanked Jan Woojin 3-0 before knocking off World No. 2 Lin Shidong 4-3.  A win in the Final would mean Harimoto defeated three Chinese team members including the top two ranked players in the world – he’s one match away from what could be the best performance of his career.

Some interested notes from the event:  Lin Gaoyuan and Liang Jingkun both lost in the first round – half of China’s players don’t often fall early.  Germany’s Duda fell in the second round, but not before logging yet another big upset win – a 3-2 victory over Felix Lebrun.  Duda continues to rise in the rankings as he heads for the Top 15.  Despite all of the star power from Europe, only Darko Jorgic reached the Semifinals.  And Calderano’s inconsistency on the biggest stage was apparent again – with the World No. 6 player falling to Jang Woojin in their opening round match-up.  When Calderano is “on”, he is dangerous and capable of beating anyone in the world – but just as often the streaky Calderano doesn’t reach the later rounds.

The Final will be played on Sunday.  Regardless of the outcome, Wang Chuqin will finish this year in the No. 1 position.

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