On December 16, 2024, in the 9th round of the first stage of the Men's Team event in the Chinese Table Tennis Super League (CTTSL), Shanghai Realty will face Shandong Weiqiao. In the second singles match, Fan Zhendong will compete against Wang Chuqin!
Fan Zhendong, the men's singles champion at the Paris Olympics, is the second male athlete after Ma Long to achieve the "Super Grand Slam." Wang Chuqin, on the other hand, is the current world No. 1 in men's singles, an Olympic mixed doubles champion, and the year-end finals champion.
According to statistics, the two have faced each other 30 times so far, with Fan Zhendong winning 24 and Wang Chuqin winning 6, giving Fan a dominant edge. However, in the men's singles final at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, Wang Chuqin defeated Fan Zhendong 4-3 to claim the gold medal. Meanwhile, in this year's Chongqing Championship, Fan Zhendong triumphed over Wang Chuqin 4-3 to win the title.
In the new season of the CTTSL, Wang Chuqin has won all 6 of his matches: 3-0 against Matsushima Keiko, 3-1 against Xu Yingbin, 3-1 against An Zaiyan, 3-1 against Xu Haidong, 3-2 against Lin Gaoyuan, and 3-1 against Sun Wen. On the other hand, Fan Zhendong, after winning 4 consecutive matches, has suffered his first defeat, with a record of 4 wins and 1 loss: 3-0 against Hou Yingchao, 3-1 against Sun Wen, 3-0 against Matsushima Keiko, 3-1 against Lin Shidong, and 0-3 against Xu Yingbin.
On the final match day of the first stage, fans were initially concerned that both teams had already qualified, and the star players might not compete. However, the much-anticipated showdown between Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin is still on! Let's wait and see!