Five days after his semi-final defeat in men's singles to Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin faced the reigning Olympic champion again in the second match of the men's team final between Beijing and Shanghai. Beijing had taken an early lead in the first match, thanks to the victory of the duo Ma Long and Huang Youzheng over Xu Xin and Zhou Kai.

Wang Chuqin during his loss to Fan Zhendong in the men's team table tennis final at the Chinese National Games, held at Galaxy Arena, Macau on 20/11. Photo: Baidu

Wang, representing Beijing, took an early lead against Fan in the first game of the second match, winning 11-8. However, the world number one player lost the next two games with scores of 7-11 and 3-11. The fourth game proved decisive for Fan, with the Shanghai representative at one point scoring five consecutive points to lead 8-5. When the score reached 6-10, Wang rallied to score three straight points, narrowing the gap to 9-10. On the decisive point, the 25-year-old player executed his signature forehand loop, but the ball went long, meaning Fan won the match with scores of 8-11, 11-7, 11-3, and 11-9.

Immediately after the ball went out, Wang slammed his head forcefully onto the table, visibly frustrated with himself. A win in that game would have pushed the match to a decisive fifth game. Wang's defeat allowed Shanghai to level the team score at 1-1. Despite the loss, the reigning world champion shook hands with his senior opponent after the match.

Fan appears to be Wang's nemesis, with their head-to-head record now standing at 27-7 in favor of the former world number one. Two consecutive defeats to the same opponent in a major competition like the Chinese National Games clearly tested the composure of the player born in 2000.

Nevertheless, Beijing ultimately triumphed in the team final on the evening of 20/11. In the third match, Ma Long delivered a stellar performance, defeating Zhou Kai to give Beijing a 2-1 lead. In the fourth match, Wang redeemed himself by beating Xu Xin 11-8, 12-10, 11-8, securing a 3-1 victory for Beijing. This marked the first time the capital city's team had won a men's team table tennis gold medal at the Games since 1995.

Xuan Binh