Teams secured their spots in the semifinals after actions of day 9. A dramatic women's team showdown between Liaoning and Heilongjiang was played in the quarterfinals, and the latter made to the semifinals by upsetting the defending champion with a 3-1 win. On the other hand, Beijing celebrated another straightforward 3-0 victory in the quarterfinals over a very strong team, Shandong Luneng. Shandong, Hebei, PLA 1 women's team and Sichuan, PLA, Guangdong have also made to the semifinals.
The opening round of the team events contributed a day of exciting actions. The newly crowned men's singles national champion Hou Yingchao leading Team Shaanxi was eliminated in the opening hurdle. So did the 3-time men's team champion (2014, 2015, 2016) Shanghai. While strong contenders of the women's team podium, Hebei and Shandong survived the 3-2 nailbiter and advanced to the quarterfinals.
It's not about the age nor is it the playing style. The prowess of an athlete said it all. Sun Yingsha topples 3-time women's singles national champion Zhu Yuling to win her first women's singles national title. Whereas Hou Yingchao ends 19-year wait and wins his second men's singles national title.
Disappointments for defending champions as Wang Manyu and Liang Jingkun, both seeded for respective women's and men's singles events, were knocked out in the singles semifinals. Defenders Hou Yingchao and Ma Te break into mix in the men's singles semifinals.
Day 5 at the 2019 Chinese National Championships, Hou Yingchao proves he's still very competitive as he makes the top 8 at the men's singles of the Chinese Nationals. In the mixed doubles final, Lin Gaoyuan and Wang Manyu crowned mixed doubles national champion with a 4-1 victory over Zhou Qihao and Chen Xingtong.
Day 4 of the Nationals was not perfect but the crowd would not be disappointed with all the enthralling mixed doubles and singles matches.
Notable names fell on the third day of qualification at the 2019 Chinese Nationals. Underdogs challenged mixed doubles top seeds and young players overthrew big names in singles qualification round.
The withdrawal of top seeds, Ma Long, Xu Xin, Fan Zhendong, Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen hit the headline of day 2 of qualification action. While some strong contenders in mixed doubles almost fell short from making the main draw, some 'lucky loser' received a second chance.
Women's team draws and results from the 2019 Chinese National Championships held from 23 July to 2 August in Tianjin, China.
Men's team draws and results from the 2019 Chinese National Championships held from 23 July to 2 August in Tianjin, China.
The 2019 Chinese National Championships commenced in Tianjin on 23 July. With over 100 pairs of mixed doubles contested in the qualification rounds, it was an action-packed opening day.
Men's singles draws and results from the 2019 Chinese Nationals held from 23 July to 2 August in Tianjin, China.
Women's singles draws and results from the 2019 Chinese Nationals held from 23 July to 2 August in Tianjin, China.
Mixed doubles draws and results from the 2019 Chinese Nationals, held from 23 July to 2 August in Tianjin, China.
While we all think athletes and fans can finally take a break from a series of World Tours and T2 Diamond competitions, the Chinese have one more to go and it is going to be a tough one. The 2019 Chinese National Championships will take place from 23 July to 2 August, in Tianjin, China. Top Chinese paddlers will gather in Tianjin in the coming 11 days, vying for 5 national titles. How to watch, schedule, seeding lists, competition format and related links are included in this article. We will be reporting all the action as well, so check back at competition time to follow along.
Table tennis dates back to England in the 1800s but the Chinese are truly the ones who take the sport to the next level. Now, they are not just focusing on honing their craft and winning more medals but bringing the sport to a wider audience. Marvellous 12 the Chinese selection meet for World Championships first launched in 2017, has incited a new wave of table tennis boom in China. Could this be the future of table tennis?
