Lin Shidong stuns Ma Long to claim China Smash 2024 crown after Sun Yingsha wins women's title

Teenage star Lin Shidong came back from 3-1 down to defeat six-time Olympic table tennis gold medalist Ma Long in the final of the inaugural China Smash on Sunday (6 October).

The 19-year-old reeled off the last three games to win 11-4, 7-11, 5-11, 13-15, 11-4, 11-5, 11-8 and claim his first WTT Grand Smash title in what was dubbed an intergenerational final at a packed Infinity Arena in Beijing.

This was Lin's third consecutive tour title after victories in the WTT Contender Almaty and WTT Champions Macao last month. Afterwards, he said, “I just focused on coming back point by point, and I wasn’t giving in to pressure.We presented an excellent game and Ma Long deserves all the applause.

Two-time Olympic singles champion Ma, who turns 36 later this month, helped the People's Republic of China to men's team gold at Paris 2024.

The veteran avoided answering questions about his retirement, saying, "I do not consider the final today a failure for me.This moment right now is pretty impressive and memorable for me.

"When I was in my 20s, I dreamed of winning the title in every tournament that I participated in. But this time, as long as I could stand on the stage, it's already a success and achievement for me and making it to the finals has already exceeded my imagination."

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