Site Products
World Championships Day 6: Down to the Final Four

World Championships Day 6: Down to the Final Four

(By Steve Hopkins/Photo courtesy of ITTF)

The Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships is in Budapest, Hungary this week (April 21-28).  Events include Singles (Men’s, Women’s) and Doubles (Men’s, Women’s, Mixed).  The tournament began with Doubles and Singles preliminary group rounds.  Singles knock-out rounds that began on Tuesday have now narrowed to the final 4 players. 

As the field narrows, invariably well-known top-seeded players are eliminated.  This year, that elimination process was faster than most.  Six of the top eight seeds were eliminated before the Quarterfinals, and as those matches played out today, neither of the two top seeds left were able to advance today. 

The match between two Chinese champions Ma Long and Lin Gaoyuan was not the tight clash the many were expecting.  Ma Long pulled ahead late in the first game to take the early lead and never looked back.  He managed narrow victories in each of the first three games, and then closed out the match in the fourth.  Ma Long over Lin Gaoyuan 4-0 (8, 9, 8, 4).

Liang Jingkun and Koki Niwa found themselves tied 10-10 in their first two games, and each won one game.  Liang dominated the action in the next two games to take a 3-1 lead.  Niwa then won two close games to tie the match.  In the end, Liang Jingkun outdistanced his opponent, winning the decisive seventh game 11-5. 

Liang Jingkun will now face Ma Long in one semifinal tomorrow.  Ma Long is on a hot streak, not just in this tournament, but by making the finals in the last two tour events.  But the last time these two players faced each other was in the Marvellous Twelve, and Jingkun won that match.  The winner will be favored in the Final as these are the top two seeds remaining.

The other half of the draw has been full of upsets. This is the half of the draw where Xu Xin fell early to Gauzy.  It is also the half of the draw where Harimoto and Boll and Sangsu Lee all fell in major upsets in the Round of 16.  The highest seed of the four players remaining in this half of the draw was Woojin Jang of Korea and today he was slotted to face teammate Jaehyun An, the lowest seed remaining (World No. 157).   Jaehyun An has really made a name for himself in this tournament, logging upsets over Hong Kong’s Wong Chun Ting (World No. 14), and Austria’s Daniel Habesohn (World No. 29) and Tomokazu Harimoto (World No. 4).  It was a tight battle that culminated in a 12-10 victory in the seventh game, but upstart Jaehyun An can add a win over World No. 10 Woojin Jang to his amazing tournament.

The other two players to emerge in the bottom half of the draw, Mattias Falck and Simon Gauzy, can each point to an amazing tournament with unexpected results.  Gauzy’s win over Xu Xin was the biggest upset of the tournament and Falck’s win over Sangsu Lee was dominating.  Gauzy’s string of upsets ended today, with Falck starting strong and closing out the match quickly.  Gauzy stayed close in a first game loss, and managed a 13-11 win in the second game.  However, Falck was too strong in the final three games sealing a 4-1 victory.  

The final four in Men’s Singles is Liang Jingkun versus Ma Long (seeds 9 and 11), and Mattias Falck and Jaehyun An (seed 16 versus an unseeded qualifier).  What a great tournament for competition and parity – a tour event entering the Semifinals stage where all eight of the top seeds have already been eliminated due to upsets.  The Semifinal matches will be played Saturday evening.

In stark contrast to the Men, the Women’s Singles have had fewer surprises.  The top four women each advanced to the Final 8, and each of those top seeds won their match.  These final four, all Chinese, were Ding Ning, Chen Meng, Wang Manyu, and Liu Shiwen.  The Women’s Semifinal matches were played today, and there was one small upset.  Liu Shiwen, the fourth seed, toppled Ding Ning to advance.  Chen Meng prevailed easily over Wang Manyu.  The Shiwen/Meng final will be on Saturday.

Check in with ButterflyOnline.com for updates throughout the weekend.

Latest News

What is a Spin Block?

May 21, 2025
Backhand spin block – robot plays spinny shots deep SET TO RING 1 Fethomania Session 3 / Drill… Read More

Jessie Xu Named 2025 Table Tennis Canada Athlete of the Year

May 20, 2025
(by Bowmar Sports) Recognizing Leadership, Excellence, and Sportsmanship On and Off the Table Bowmar is proud to celebrate the… Read More

World Championships Update: Jarvis Powers Through to Round of 32

May 20, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) A few surprises in the early rounds of the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals… Read More

Apply Finger Pressure With Your Thumb!

May 19, 2025
Backhand block (regular block and no spin block) – robot plays very spinny shots deep SET TO RING… Read More

Bowmar Sports Tournament Highlights – Kef Noorani Tournament Highlights

May 19, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) Bowmar Sports Tournament Highlights, Kef Noorani https://youtu.be/68Or5s_S2yg Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment,… Read More

Learn from Students of the Game, Crafty Veterans, and Hedgehogs

May 19, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) You should always be learning in table tennis, or in any serious activity. I’m always… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Atlanta International Table Tennis Academy

May 18, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) With their location just North of Atlanta in Suwanee, Atlanta International Table Tennis Academy has… Read More

MLTT Team Feature: East Division Expansion Team the Atlanta Blazers

May 18, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) Major League Table Tennis (MLTT) continues to grow, and the Atlanta Blazers are one of… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.