World No.1s FAN Zhendong and SUN Yingsha have emerged champions of the Men’s and Women’s Singles categories of the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals Durban 2023 respectively.   In the Men’s Singles final FAN Zhendong successfully defended his title after facing off against his fellow countryman World No.2 WANG Chuqin. FAN who currently holds the top spot in the World ranking displayed nerves of steel after WANG saved six match points and eventually won the game 8-11 11-9 11-7 12-10 11-13 11-3 to maintain his status as the reigning World No.1.   After the win FAN Zhendong remarked “I did feel the pressure leading up to the match but managed to hold my nerve for the win. This is my first time in Durban and I am happy that there are many fans supporting me in person and from the TV as I would not have been able to do so well without their support.”   In the Women’s Singles final SUN Yingsha took on World No.4 CHEN Meng. After a closely contested battle SUN Yingsha emerged victorious with a hard-fought victory (5-11 11-8 11-7 11-7 7-11 11-6) over her compatriot. This would be the 22-year-old’s maiden World Championships title after falling short at the 2021 instalment in Houston.   To commemorate the end of the tournament two other special awards were given out. The Fair Play Award went to WANG Yidi of China for her demonstration of good sporting spirit. In a fiercely contested quarter-final match against Hina Hayata of Japan WANG showcased tremendous poise and professionalism. Despite facing the Disappointment of having nine match points saved by her opponent WANG graciously congratulated Hayata exemplifying the true essence of fair play and respect.   MA Long widely regarded as one of the sport’s greatest was honoured with a prestigious accolade in recognition of his extraordinary achievement of winning the Men’s Singles event three consecutive times in 2015 2017 and 2019. He was awarded a half-size replica of the historical St. Bride Vase Trophy by ITTF Deputy President LIU Guoliang.   To mark the end of the historic tournament held on African soil for the first time in 84 years ITTF President Petra SÖRLING expressed her appreciation to individuals who have helped make the event possible saying “As we approach the culmination of the event I would like to show my deepest gratitude to the Local Organising Committee the South Africa Table Tennis Board the city of Durban the province of KwaZulu-Natal the Government of South Africa dedicated volunteers our esteemed partners and our team for their invaluable contributions in making this event a resounding success.”   She added “Here we witnessed exceptional performances promoting the sport and inspiring the future generation especially on the African continent. Together let us continue to elevate the sport and create lasting legacies that will resonate throughout the world.”   As the curtains close on a special and historic World Championships the table tennis community can look forward to the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Busan 2024 from 16 to 25 February next year.  

On the penultimate day of the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals Durban 2023 the Women’s Doubles and Men’s Doubles champions were crowned. CHEN Meng and WANG Yidi clinched the title and lifted the W.J. Pope Trophy for Women’s Doubles. The Chinese duo triumphed in three straight sets (11-8 11-7 12-10) over Republic of Korea’s SHIN Yubin and JEON Jihee in a thrilling final securing yet another title for their country. Despite the strong start by Shin and Jeon the Chinese pair’s relentless attacks proved too much for their Korean opponents to handle.  CHEN Meng said “I honestly did not expect to win this title but Yidi and myself worked very hard together with the coaches and we are very happy to have won. We would like to thank all our fans who were present to cheer us on today.”   China continued its dominance at the World Championships Finals as top seeds FAN Zhendong and WANG Chuqin lifted the Iran Cup Men’s Doubles Trophy after the Chinese pair successfully overcame a slow start to chalk up three games without response against Republic of Korea’s JANG Woojin and LIM Jonghoon (13-11 11-6 11-5). Jang and Lim who had narrowly missed out on the title at the 2021 World Championships Finals in Houston could not one up their performance in the current instalment and succumbed to the top seeds. The Korean duo had the upper hand going into the first game racing to a 7-3 lead but eventually succumbed to the top seeds. FAN and WANG have now successfully wrested the Men’s Doubles title back for China succeeding to Mattias Falck and Kristian Karlsson (SWE). On their win WANG Chuqin said “I felt that FAN Zhendong and I played very well in the Men’s Doubles final. In the first set we had a nice comeback after a very difficult situation. At this World Championships Fan Zhendong and I have gradually found our own style in cooperating with each other and I could feel our understanding and communication improve with each game.” The result means the prospect of a triple crown title win is still on for Wang Chuqin who now holds two of the three trophies he is competing for in Durban adding the Men’s Doubles title to the Mixed Doubles gold medal he won alongside SUN Yingsha on Friday. In an interesting chain of events he will next face compatriot doubles partner and defending champion FAN Zhendong to battle it out for the coveted Men’s Singles title. 

Germany’s Dimitrij OVTCHAROV and Patrick FRANZISKA won bronze medal at the World Championships Finals in Durban. In the semi final of the Men’s Doubles Event they lost to JANG Woojin and LIM Jonghoon of Korea 2:3 (7-11 11-5 11-8 9-11 5-11). “We are very disappointed because the opportunity to reach the final was huge. After leading 2-1 they played a few more balls on the table. It’s as simple as that. We had a few key moments: in the first game I played 0-6 against LIM’S banana flick which surprised us. At 9-10 in the fourth game Dima missed a ball that he hits 99 out of 100 times. Then there was my service error in the last game. These three things are bitter against an outstanding world-class duo. Overall we played a great doubles competition at the World Championships and today we had another excellent match ” said Patrick FRANZISKA. “It’s great for us and for Germany to have won a doubles medal. Nobody expected that. But we are really disappointed now. We played our best doubles today delivered our best performance and were better than our opponents at times who are incredibly strong. In the fourth set we made a strong comeback. I felt they were really nervous. LIM flicked the ball slightly high with a lot of spin like a grazing shot. That’s when I made the frustrating mistake. In the final game at 4-3 I put a counter-spin just two millimeters out and at 4-4 my flip was a bit too cautious. Then at 4-5 came the service error. So three of our points slipped away. Then I made two poor returns and suddenly it was 4-8 – that was the frustrating midpoint of the fifth set. We gave them those points without them doing much. After that we lost our momentum which is really unfortunate because we played very strongly otherwise. We deserved to win today ” added Dimitrij OVTCHAROV. It is the only meadl for Europeans at this World Championships and first for German pairings. FRANZISKA: “We will definitely celebrate tonight. Neither of us has won a doubles medal before. It’s been a long time since the German Table Tennis Association has had one as well. We are both really disappointed right now but we will shake it off tonight and raise a cold drink to the bronze.” In Women’s Singles quarterfinal HAN Ying of Germany lost to China’s SUNG Yingsha 0-4 (6-11 8-11 6-11 5-11). Anders LIND’s sensationl run in Durban was halted in Men’s singles quarterfinal. China’s WANG Chuqin World’s no. 2 prevailed against player ranked at the position no. 180 in the World in five games (12-10 11-6 11-8 10-12 11-8).  

In a stunning upset Danish player Anders LIND secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the Men’s Singles at the Durban World Championships by defeating Korea’s JANG Woojin. Despite a significant 167-position difference in the World Ranking LIND prevailed in a thrilling five-game match winning 4-1 (11-7 7-11 11-9 11-5 11-6). LIND’S remarkable journey in the tournament has seen him take down formidable opponents such as Joao MONTEIRO of Portugal and Noshad ALAMIYAN of Iran. “It is unbelievable. I am proud and very happy about my performance. I found the right mood stayed calm followed my tactics and fought for every point. I will try to replicate the same level of play in the quarterfinals.” Anders LIND’S remarkable feat marks a significant milestone for Danish table tennis. The only Danish player to achieve a similar milestone in a World Championships thus far is Michael MAZE. In 2005 Maze claimed the bronze medal and in 2009 he reached the quarterfinals before narrowly losing to MA Long.  

Prior to their departure to Durban German table tennis players won a total of 56 medals since the championships began in 1926. Today Patrick FRANZISKA and Dimitrij OVTCHAROV added another medal the 57th for Germany in the Men’s Doubles event. The color of the medal is yet to be determined. In the doubles category this is only the third time Germany has reached the podium. In 1989 Jörg ROSSKOPF the current Men’s National Team coach and Steffen FETZNER clinched historic gold in Dortmund. In 2005 Timo BOLL and Christian SUSS secured silver in Shanghai China. This afternoon Patrick FRANZISKA and Dimitrij OVTCHAROV triumphed over the strong English pair Liam PITCHFORD and Paul DRINKHALL in an emotional quarterfinal match winning in four sets. They will now face South Koreans LIM Jonghoon and JANG Woojin in the semifinals on Friday at 14:40. In the other semifinal match Chinese players FAN Zhendong and WANG Chuqin will take on CHO Daeseong and LEE Sang Su of South Korea. LIM Jonghoon and JANG Woojin dashed the hopes of Swedish players Mattias FALCK and Kristian KARLSSON of a successful title defense. Trailing 0-1 in sets and 4-8 in the second game the German duo found their rhythm in this high-quality match to secure a medal. After losing 7-11 to the strong English pair FRANZISKA and OVTCHAROV rallied back to win the crucial second set with a score of 11-9. In the third and fourth sets they displayed a dominant performance leaving their opponents with little chance of a comeback. The combination of Patrick FRANZISKA who possesses winning shots and also plays the role of a playmaker and the ruthless executioner Dimitrij OVTCHAROV has grown stronger with each round in Durban. This doubles partnership which was not originally planned and came about due to Timo BOLL’S injury surprised and deservedly earned their place among the top four pairs in the world by defeating world-class combinations such as WONG Chun Ting and HO Kwan Kit from Hong Kong as well as Yukiya UDA and Shunsuke TOGAMI from Japan. Patrick Franziska commented “We feel comfortable being the underdogs.” Now they are just one victory away from securing at least a silver medal. However their opponents in the semifinals are of high caliber. LIM Jonghoon and JANG Woojin ranked 11th and 13th in the world in singles respectively are a well-established pair who reached the World Championship final in Houston in 2021. Franziska embraces the underdog role saying “Against the runners-up we will give it our all just like we have been doing all along. So far almost everyone has been the favorite against us. We feel comfortable being a bit unorthodox and the underdogs. The two Koreans have been playing together for many years and have always been very aggressive and strong in doubles. But both of us are improving from one doubles match to another.” “Liam PITCHFORD and Paul DRINKHALL initially overwhelmed us being incredibly aggressive in serves and returns and playing with great variation. We didn’t know where the ball would land next. At 0-1 and 4-8 we took a timeout and told each other ‘We need to stay focused. They surely can’t keep up this level of play. And if they do then it’s just outstanding from them.’ And that’s exactly what happened: We stayed in the game which is our greatest strength. Dima is extremely good at that and I can witness it up close in doubles. We maintained a high quality in our shots ” said FRANZISKA. Dimitrij Ovtcharov breathed a sigh of relief after securing a spot in the medal rounds: “Winning my first medal at an individual World Championships somehow feels unreal. I haven’t trained properly for doubles in many years and then to win a medal here… I think I’m playing well in doubles and Franz prepares the balls incredibly well for me. We have great synergy and I feel like we already understand each other’s moves. It’s a lot of fun and I’m naturally proud of us.” Yesterday the Olympic bronze medalist suffered a bitter defeat against Croatian player Tomislav PUCAR unexpectedly missing the anticipated Round of 16:  “Shaking off the singles loss from yesterday was extremely difficult. The defeat hurt a lot. I had set high expectations for myself and had ambitious goals so when you deliver such a performance far below your potential… I only fell asleep at 6:30 AM this morning and woke up at 10:30. There wasn’t much happening before that. Hence I was a bit tired in the morning and took a cold shower. But you don’t play a quarterfinal at an individual World Championships every day at least I never have before. That’s why I gave it my all in the doubles today and with ‘Franz’ as my partner it’s not too difficult either.”    

In a captivating display of table tennis prowess Croatia’s Tomislav PUCAR currently ranked 45th in the world pulled off a remarkable upset by defeating Germany’s Dimitrij OVTCHAROV ranked 14th in the Round of 32 of the Men’s Singles Event at the World Championships Finals in Durban. The intense match went the distance with PUCAR emerging victorious with a final score of 4-3 (11-9 8-11 0-11 11-9 11-7 6-11 11-6). “It was very close encounter. We tried to outplay each other tactically and played game by game. What prevailed was that I played boldly in the last game and I managed to break away from the very beginning of the set. Then he chased me but I kept my focus played calmly and brought the match to an end ” said PUCAR. PUCAR leveled his best ever result at he World Championships. He Reached Round of 16 in Budapest in 2019 when ke lost to Koki NIWA. Looking ahead to the next round PUCAR is set to face Omar ASSAR of Egypt who is currently ranked 30th in the world. ASSAR secured his spot in the Round of 16 by defeating Swede Truls MOREGARD 4-2 (11-6 3-11 4-11 11-9 11-7 11-9). “I already play that match tomorrow. I have some time to set the right tactics with my coach and of course I will try to give the best of me ” said PUCAR. Another notable upset occurred on the same day as Portugal’s Joa GERALDO ranked 47th caused a stir by overcoming the challenge of Patrick FRANZISKA from Germany currently ranked 17th in the world. GERALDO’s perseverance paid off as he secured a hard-fought victory triumphing 4-3 (4-11 11-7 17-15 11-8 10-12 7-11 11-6).In other matches Darko JORGIC from Slovenia emerged victorious with a convincing 4-0 win (11-8 11-7 11-4 12-10) against Alexis LEBRUN of France. Italy’s Mihai BOBOCICA also continued his impressive performance overcoming Alvaro ROBLES of Spain 4-2 (11-9 3-11 4-11 11-9 11-7 16-14). Anders LIND of Denmark displayed his skill by defeating Noshad ALAMIYAN of Iran 4-1 (12-10 11-5 10-12 11-5 11-9). In the Women’s Singles event Tatiana KUKULKOVA of Slovakia ranked 107th in the world defied the odds to advance to the Round of 16 where she will face Germany’s HAN Ying currently ranked 9th. KUKULKOVA’s impressive journey continued with a 4-1 victory (11-5 8-11 11-5 11-3 11-9) over Gaia MONFARDINI of Italy. Meanwhile HAN displayed her dominance by comfortably defeating Romania’s Andreea DRAGOMAN in straight games (11-5 11-3 11-3 11-6). Adding to the excitement Germany’s Nina MITTELHAM secured her spot in the Round of 16 with a commanding 4-0 win (11-7 11-7 11-9 11-4) over Taipei’s LI Yu-Jhun.

Mihai BOBOCICA of Italy currently ranked No. 174 in the world achieved a remarkable win in the Round of 64 at the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Durban. He faced off against France’s Simon GAUZY ranked at No. 36 and emerged victorious with a score of 4-3 (9-11 11-8 5-11 7-11 11-8 14-12 11-9). Prior to this encounter BOBOCICA and GAUZY had a head-to-head record of one win each. However GAUZY had previously defeated BOBOCICA in straight games at the WTT Feeder Fort Lauderdale in December. The match in Durban seemed to be following a similar trajectory as Gauzy took a commanding 3-1 lead. Undeterred BOBOCICA displayed unwavering resolve and chose to adopt an aggressive approach to turn the tide in his favor. BOBOCICA spoke about his mindset during the match saying “It was 3-1 to him but I felt I was in the game. I kept playing point by point and I had a little luck. In the fifth set I had match point against me but I managed to win it by serving long and fast. At 3-3 everything is possible so I kept being aggressive and I did it!” His hyper-aggressive strategy paid off enabling him to secure a remarkable comeback victory. This win holds great significance for BOBOCICA as he aims to qualify for the Olympic Games. Although he represented Italy in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics he narrowly missed out on qualifying for the previous two Games. With his hunger to step back into the Olympic arena Bobocica sees this victory as a crucial starting point for his Olympic campaign in Paris 2024. In another notable match Dane Andreas LIND ranked at No. 180 in the World exceeded expectations by defeating Brian Afanador of Puerto Rico who holds a world ranking of No. 71. LIND emerged victorious with a score of 4-1 (11-9 11-7 6-11 11-5 11-6) showcasing his skills and resilience on the table.