Chinese pairs win two golds at WTT Star Contender Doha

DOHA -- Chinese pairs clinched men's and women's doubles titles at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Star Contender Doha 2024 on Friday, as two singles and mixed doubles events of the tournament will feature all-Chinese finals.

In the women's doubles final, China's Qian Tianyi/Chen Xingtong, who edged top seed Wang Manyu/Chen Meng earlier, encountered a bit of challenge in the third set in their convincing win over Adina Diaconu/Maria Xiao 11-3, 11-1, 11-9.

"We are glad to win our first gold in 2024, but we still must concentrate on the following singles match. We played our style smoothly in the first two sets, but our opponents made some changes during the third set, which did give us some trouble," said Chen.

"I think the key point for us to win is good teamwork; we have been cooperating for years and understand each other very well. We also fully prepared for any difficulty before this match," added Qian.

Later on Friday, China's Liang Jingkun/Yuan Licen secured a 3-1 win over compatriots Wang Chuqin/Ma Long in the men's doubles final.

"I'm so happy to win the trophy. We fought hard and tried our best," said Liang.

Chinese paddlers secured all berths in the men's and women's singles semifinals. For the men's side, Lin Shidong will face Liang Jingkun, Lin Gaoyuan will meet Wang Chuqin. Sun Yingsha will face Wang Manyu, and Chen Meng will play against Qian Tianyi in women's singles.

Elsewhere, Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha will face Lin Shidong/Kuai Man in the mixed doubles final.

The semifinals and finals for the men's and women's singles and mixed doubles will take place on Saturday.