The men's singles final on the morning of 14/7 wasn't as competitive as expected. Wang Chuqin swept Tomokazu Harimoto 11-3, 11-6, 12-10, 11-8 in just 36 minutes.

In the first game, the Japanese player led 3-2, but the Chinese representative scored 9 consecutive points to finish the game. The third game was the most intense, with Harimoto leading 10-8 before Wang scored 4 straight points to win 12-10.

Wang Chuqin during his victory over Tomokazu Harimoto in the final of the US Smash table tennis tournament at the Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, 10/7/2025. Photo: Xinhua

Wang's left-handed playing style seems to be Harimoto's kryptonite. In 14 encounters, the Chinese number two player has won 12 matches, losing only two. Earlier, in the semifinals, Japan's top player caused an upset by defeating world number one Lin Shidong 4-3.

The women's singles final was more dramatic. Chen Yi led Zhu Yuling by two games but lost 2-4. Zhu, competing for Macau but originally from China, showed the resilience of a former world number one against the dark horse, Chen.

The victories of Wang and Zhu demonstrate the continued dominance of Chinese players in table tennis Grand Slams, also known as the US Smash. Since these tournaments began in 2022, no non-Chinese player has won the singles titles.

In the doubles events, China didn't sweep all the titles for the first time. The South Korean men's doubles pair, Lim Jong-hoon and An Jae-hyung, won the championship after defeating the LeBrun brothers (Alexis and Felix) in the final.

The US Smash is among the top 4 tournaments of the WTT Tour, along with tournaments in China, Singapore, and Europe. Chinese media refer to these tournaments as table tennis Grand Slams. This year's tournament took place from 3/7 to 13/7 in a knockout format with 64 players in each singles event.

Xuan Binh