TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Lin Yun-Ju (林昀儒), Taiwan's top male table tennis player, narrowly defeated Hong Kong's rising star Chan Ho Wah (陳顥樺) in a thrilling 3-2 match during the World Table Tennis (WTT) USA Grand Smash round of 32 on Thursday (July 10). This victory propels Lin into the round of 16, where he may face China's No. 10 seed Xiang Peng (向鵬), against whom he holds a perfect 3-0 record.
Lin, ranked eighth globally, had previously bested Chan, ranked 83rd, with a 3-1 victory at last year's Asian Championships. Lin dominated the initial two sets, securing leads of 12-10 and 11-4. However, Chan mounted a comeback, leveling the match by winning the third and fourth sets 11-5 and 11-3, respectively. In the decisive fifth set, Lin launched a 6-1 run from a 4-4 tie, ultimately clinching the set 11-6.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's top female player Cheng I-Ching (鄭怡靜) and partner Li Yu-Jun (李昱諄) advanced to the women's doubles quarterfinals. They triumphed over the Chilean duo of Paulina Vega and Daniela Ortega with a 3-2 victory in the round of 16.