The match garnered significant attention from Chinese media. Fan Zhendong is the reigning Olympic men's singles champion, while Wang Chuqin holds the world number one ranking and is the reigning world men's singles champion.

Fan Zhendong during the men's singles table tennis semifinal at the China National Games, held at Galaxy Arena, Macau on 15/11/2025. Photo: Baidu.

Fan Zhendong during the men's singles table tennis semifinal at the China National Games, held at Galaxy Arena, Macau on 15/11/2025. Photo: Baidu.

Fan, 28, withdrew from the World Table Tennis (WTT) system late last year due to disagreements over new formats. He recently joined Germany's Bundesliga table tennis league. Wang, meanwhile, established dominance in the WTT circuit following the absence of veteran players like Ma Long and Fan. At the China National Games, Fan represented Shanghai, and Wang competed for Beijing.

As the world number one, Wang started confidently, taking the initiative with powerful forehands to win the first game 11-7. Fan quickly responded with speed and varied serves, leveling the score at 1-1. With the players tied 2-2 after four games, the intense back-and-forth left spectators on the edge of their seats.

The turning point came in the fifth game. Fan built a 6-2 lead, prompting Wang to call a timeout to disrupt his opponent's momentum. However, the adjustments made by the Beijing player proved insufficient, as Fan swiftly won 11-5 and maintained a high tempo into the sixth game.

Despite Wang's perfect 4-0 start in this game, Fan displayed the resilience of an Olympic champion. He launched a series of relentless attacks, closing out the game 11-7 and securing a 4-2 match victory.

Wang faced a challenging path to the semifinals. He defeated Vi The Hao 4-1, overcame Wong Chun-ting in a tense seven-game match, and then beat Lin Gaoyuan in a six-game quarterfinal. Despite his strong performance, he could not replicate his Super League final victory against Fan from late last year.

Wang acknowledged Fan's performance, stating he played with the demeanor of a true world number one. "I want to learn from him," the 25-year-old said.

Fan, conversely, entered the semifinals with a distinct advantage, having played a less physically demanding series of matches. This allowed him to maintain his rhythm and calmly secure victory at crucial moments. In the final, Fan will face world number two Lin Shidong from the Hainan team.