Top seed Sun Yingsha of China showcased her dominance at the ITTF World Championships in Doha on Wednesday, defeating France’s Charlotte Lutz in straight sets. The 24-year-old cruised to an 11-4, 11-6, 11-6, 11-1 victory over the 20-year-old World No. 92 in just 29 minutes.
“This was our first meeting, and I had studied her match videos,” Sun said after the match. “She is young and promising.”
Sun will face South Korea’s Shin Yu-bin in the women’s singles round of 16. Shin advanced after a hard-fought win against Italy’s Gaia Monfardini, with scores of 11-5, 8-11, 11-9, 14-12, 16-14.
Meanwhile, China’s Wang Manyu also secured her spot in the last 16 by defeating Germany’s Ying Han 12-10, 12-10, 9-11, 11-4, 13-11. Despite facing one of the sport’s top defensive players, Wang managed to close out the victory. She will next compete against Romania’s Bernadette Szocs for a place in the quarterfinals.
In men’s singles action, China’s Lin Shidong overcame a slow start to defeat Sweden’s Kristian Karlsson. After dropping the first game 8-11, Lin rallied to take the next four games 11-1, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9, securing his spot in the round of 16.
