On June 19, 2022, the table tennis Croatia competition came to an end. The men's singles final was finally held. Xiang Peng challenged Chinese Taipei player Lin Yunru . In the end, Xiang Peng lost four consecutive games and lost to Lin Yunru to win the runner-up. 17 Chinese table tennis players participated and finally ended with 1 Asian.
Xiang Peng is 19 years old and ranked 65th in the world. He is the only national table tennis player to reach the final. He has won the men's singles championship of the World Youth Championship twice and was mainly trained by the national table tennis coaching team. Originally, Xiang Peng was eliminated in the qualifying round and lost to South Korean player Zhao Shengmin. Later, a seed player temporarily withdrew from the competition. Xiang Peng was shortlisted for the substitute and defeated Japanese star Zhang Benzhihe in the second round, and finally reached the men's singles final.
Lin Yunru is 20 years old and ranked 8th in the world. This young player is very talented. He has won the bronze medal in the men's table tennis World Cup and the third place in the mixed doubles of the Olympics. He has defeated the main players of the national table tennis team such as Ma Long and Fan Zhendong . Lin Yunru has a very high ball quotient. He is good at limiting his opponents through changes in rhythm and landing points. The two have the first time they fight. Whether it is their experience in the competition or their comprehensive strength, Lin Yunru has an advantage.
Xiang Peng was a little slow to heat up in the first game. Lin Yunru took a 6-2 lead. Xiang Peng improved the quality of the board and chased 3 points in a row. Lin Yunru changed the line through a backhand, widening the score difference to 8-5, and then took the lead with 11-8. Lin Yunru's playing style is very smart. Xiang Peng has a good forehand and has strong stalemate ability in China and Far Eastern. He did not fight hard with Xiang Peng. Instead, he gradually grasped the initiative of the game through changes in rhythm, and was very flexible.
Lin Yunru's backhand twist pulling quality is extremely high, and Xiang Peng is difficult to find an opportunity to take the initiative. He cannot play his strengths and has been retreating. The two sides fell into a fierce battle in the second game, and the scores rose alternately. Lin Yunru got the game point 10-8, and Xiang Peng recovered 1 point. Lin Yunru scored directly and won another game 11-9. The last goal Lin Yunru took the initiative to change the landing point, but Xiang Peng did not count.
Xiang Peng strengthened his offensive in the third game and took a 3-1 lead for the first time. Lin Yunru scored 3 points in a row. Xiang Peng called for a timeout adjustment. It was really uncomfortable to play with Lin Yunru. Xiang Peng wanted to seize the lead with forehand, but the opponent did not give him this opportunity at all. After returning, Lin Yunru widened the score difference to 7-4, and Xiang Peng chose to fight hard, but there were more unnecessary mistakes. Lin Yunru scored consecutively and then won the game 11-5.
Next, Lin Yunru took a 4-1 lead, Xiang Peng chased 2 points in a row, Lin Yunru stabilized his position and always maintained his advantage, and continued to attack Xiang Peng continuously, Lin Yunru locked in the victory 11-8, and finally swept Xiang Peng 4-0, winning the men's singles championship. 17 Chinese table tennis players participated in the competition and finally ended with 1 apart. Through this game, we can see that it is indeed difficult for young players to win the championship after the main players are absent.
