JEDDAH: The top contenders in the Saudi Smash 2024 tournament are starting to emerge after day five saw Germany’s Patrick Franziska steal the show at King Abdullah Sports City with a sensational comeback against the more favored Fan Zhendong of China in the men’s singles.
There are a series of Saudi Smash quarterfinal showdowns locked in for Thursday’s day six after some exceptional matches on day five, which included the conclusion of the mixed doubles semifinals.
Organized by the Saudi Table Tennis Federation and World Table Tennis in collaboration with the Ministry of Sport, Saudi Smash is the newest WTT Grand Smash event and one of three major WTT Series tournaments.
It was a particularly memorable day for Franziska. Down 2-0 following a relentless start from the Chinese second seed in game three, the German world No. 16 stunned his opponent to level the match 2-2.
A back-and-forth battle then commenced in the fifth and final game. With Zhendong 9-10 up and one shot from victory, Franziska reeled off three successive points to take the last 12-10 and seal a first win over his opponent in five years.
“It feels pretty amazing to get through. Fan crushed me the last time we played and I didn’t have much chance against him,” Franziska said. “He was well-prepared heading into today and was very powerful in the first two sets — his forehand was destroying me. But in the end, I played more aggressively and kept going. That’s the thing against the top Chinese players; you always have to believe, keep fighting, and take your chance when it comes.”
There were 26 matches on day five across all sub-events as world No. 1 Wang Chuqin remained on course for back-to-back Grand Smash titles by booking his place in the men’s singles quarterfinals.
Competition is intense for the men’s singles championship with French fifth seed Felix Lebron and Germany’s Dang Qiu amongst those in flying form.
There are also some big encounters in the women’s singles with six of the world’s top 10 players featuring in Thursday’s day six quarterfinals. Among those in contention are China’s Sun Yingsha, Wang Yidi and Chen Meng, as well as Japan’s Hina Hayata, Miwa Harimoto and Mima Ito.
World No. 10 Ito reached the quarterfinals after her showdown with fellow Japanese star and 23 seed Miyuu Kihara.
Speaking after the most eagerly anticipated last-16 match in the women’s singles, Ito revealed: “I’ve been playing with Miyuu for years although it’s been a long time since we played against each other. We were both nervous out there because it was a big match and we know one another so well. For me, my decision-making at key moments led to winning points. It was a hard match, but I was able to calm myself down and make it through. I’m looking forward to the next round and I believe I’m getting stronger and stronger.”
India’s Manika Batra also continued her sensational Saudi Smash run on Wednesday. Having knocked out the women’s world No. 2 and reigning Singapore Smash champion on Monday, she continued her blistering form with a 3-0 win against German 14th seed Nina Mittelham to reach the last eight.
“I’m really proud that I played my best after beating Wang Manyu in the previous round,” said Batra, who had never won a WTT Grand Smash match until Saudi Smash. “That match was really important for me and I was so elated afterwards that I really had to ground myself and regain full focus. The experience I’ve built so far in this tournament allowed me to produce once again today. Everything is going so well. I love this country and I’m so grateful for the support I’ve received.”
Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha sealed their place in the mixed doubles final with a 3-0 win against Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto and Hina Hayata. They face China’s Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem in Thursday’s final — the first of five finals across the weekend schedule.
