Sports Bulletin

Sports Bulletin ReportDurban (South Africa):-Chinese duo Chen Meng and Wang Yidi claimed the W.J. Pope Trophy for Women’s Doubles after winning the final in three straight sets (11-8, 11-7, 12-10) over Republic of Korea's Shin Yubin and Jeon Jihee in Durban South Africa on Saturday.Despite the strong start by Shin and Jeon, the Chinese pair’s relentless attacks proved too much for their Korean opponents to handle. In the wake of their triumph, Chen Meng and Wang Yidi expressed their gratitude to their travelling supporters and dedicated the win to them. Chen Meng said, "I honestly did not expect to win this title, but Yidi and myself worked very hard together with the coaches and we are very happy to have won. We would like to thank all our fans who were present to cheer us on today.”  China continued its dominance at the World Championships Finals as top seeds Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin lifted the Iran Cup Men’s Doubles Trophy after the Chinese pair successfully overcame a slow start to chalk up three games without response against Republic of Korea’s Jang Woojin and Lim Jonghoon (13-11, 11-6, 11-5). Jang and Lim, who had narrowly missed out on the title at the 2021 World Championships Finals in Houston, could not one up their performance in the current instalment and succumbed to the top seeds. The Korean duo had the upper hand going into the first game, racing to a 7-3 lead, but eventually succumbed to the top seeds. On their win, Wang Chuqin said, "I felt that Fan Zhendong and I played very well in the Men's Doubles final. In the first set, we had a nice comeback after a very difficult situation. At this World Championships, Fan Zhendong and I have gradually found our own style in cooperating with each other, and I could feel our understanding and communication improve with each game." 

Sports Bulletin ReportDurban (South Africa):-As many as 128 players will take part in the singles event, as the draw for the prestigious ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals Durban 2023 took place today, marking a historic moment as the event returns to African soil for the first time in 84 years.The draw, held at a local hotel, unveiled the paths that 128 players in Men's and Women's singles, along with 64 pairs in each of the doubles categories, will navigate in their pursuit of glory. The straight knockout format also promises exciting match ups from the opening day on 20 May till 28 May. For the Men’s singles, there could an early rematch of the 2021 final as defending champion Fan Zhendong (CHN) and Truls Moregard (SWE) were seeded in the same side of the draw. Continental hopes for Africa will rest on top players Quadri Aruna (NGR) and Omar Assad (EGY). Aruna has a potential matchup with Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN) in the quarter-finals; while he dispatched the fourth seed with ease at the Singapore Smash 2023, all eyes will be on him to pull off another upset in Durban to bring glory to Africa. Host nation South Africa champion Theo Cogill will start his campaign against Kao Cheng–Jui from Chinese Taipei while the youngest member of the South African team, 18-year-old Dean Levy, will take on another African star, Senegalese Ibrahima Diaw in the first round of the men’s singles.  Dean Levy, who was present at the seeds draw, said:“I am excited to attend my first World Championships in my country, especially in the presence of top-class players. Witnessing the draw was an interesting experience for me and I hope I can set a record as the first South African to go beyond the first round of the World Championships. It is indeed a privilege for me to represent my country in such a big tournament and I look forward to giving my best.”