China has secured a full double quota in the WTTC finals

Chinese paddlers secured their full quota in the doubles of the World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) finals after winning their second round group match at the Asian continental stage in Doha on Monday.

in the capital of Qatar from 7 to 13 to be held in January, it will be the first Asian continental stage in the history of the WTTC.

The group stage of the tournament used a knock-out format, as most Chinese paddlers received a first-round bye due to their higher world rankings.

In the second round of men’s doubles, veteran Ma Long and Yuan Licen recovered from 1-3 from the Indian pair of Sharath Kamal Achanta and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran in full set.

“We didn’t do so well in our first match here. It’s unlikely that you play at your best every match. We fought point by point today, and that’s the most important thing for us,” commented Ma.

China’s Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin beat Singapore’s Pang Yew En Koen and Quek Izaac in straight sets.

Reigning world women’s doubles champions Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu defeated Zauresh Akasheva and Sarvinoz Mirkadirova of Kazakhstan 4-0, while their teammates Chen Meng and Wang Yidi beat Hong Kong’s Lee Hoi Man Karen and Ng Wing Lam 4-2.

Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha won their mixed doubles second round encounter with Singapore’s Pang Yew En Koen and Wong Xin Ru 4-2.

“The opponent showed their qualities and they had quality hits. We had our ups and downs today, while playing better and better as the match went on. It’s great that we can find problems through this game,” Wang stated.

Lin Gaoyuan and Wang Manyu beat Hong Kong’s Lam Siu Hang and Ng Wing Lam 4-2.

The men’s and women’s singles second-round matches will be played on Tuesday, with five Chinese paddlers in each category.

The 2023 WTTC finals will be held in Durban, South Africa, from the 20th to the 28th. May.