Fan Zhendong hits a shot against Darko Jorgic.
Doha, Qatar: World No.1 Fan Zhendong was tested to his limits by Slovakian underdog Darko Jorgic yesterday before the Chinese star secured a nail-biting Round of 16 win on the opening day of the WTT Finals Men Doha 2023.
At the Lusail Multipurpose Hall, World No.14 Jorgic impressively secured the first game with an 11-7 score, capitalising on rare errors from the top-ranked Zhendong. The reigning Olympic champion Zhendong then fought back to secure back to back games with identical scorelines of 11-7.
Despite Zhendong’s resurgence, Jorgic displayed resilience in the fourth game. Saving two match points and pushing the score to an electrifying 19:17, he forced the match into a deciding fifth game. However, the Chinese star went on to disappoint the Slovak World No.14 to seal the victory 3:2 (7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 17-19, 11-8) to secure a spot in the quarter-finals where he is scheduled to face Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna.
“I didn’t get in the zone very quickly in the first game. My performance after that is normal. The scores are very close and I’ve been trying to pull ahead. He did very well in aspects I didn’t expect today, which gave me quite some pressure,” Zhendong said after the match.
“In the fourth game, I had my opportunities, and I got the match point several times. However, a shout (from the crowd) at a key moment affected me. There was one point where I had taken the upper hand, but my tempo was messed up and I missed that only chance,” he said.
Wang Chuqin in action against Felix Lebrun.
Zhendong also expressed his determination for the upcoming rounds, saying, “I’ll do my best to prepare…hope that I can perform better next.”
Meanwhile, Aruna enjoyed one of the biggest wins of his career as he stormed to comeback victory over Brazil’s World No.5 Hugo Calderano.
Trailing for most the time out yesterday, Aruna was able save a match point and post a monumental 3-2 (7-11, 2-11, 11-9, 12-10, 12-10) win to book his match against Zhendong.
“I cannot describe how it feels, but I’m very happy and excited,” Aruna said.
“My coach was telling don’t give up and keep fighting; one set could actually make a difference and it did make a big difference. I listen to him very much. I believe so much in him and I was just doing what he told me to do,” Aruna said.
Meanwhile, China’s Wang Chuqin got his campaign for a title defence underway with a win over debutant Felix Lebrun 3-1 (11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8).
"I have been focusing on Felix for a long time, watching him progress step by step, making it to Top 10, showing stable performance every time and standout moments every match. I think his strength and raking are well matched, or he should be ranked higher," Chuqin said after booking his place in the quarter-finals where he will meet Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto.
Harimoto beat Dimitrij Ovtcharov 3:2 (8-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-4, 11-7) to advance.
In other Round of 16 matches, Lin Gaoyuan beat Anton Kallberg 3:1 (14-12, 11-7, 8-11, 12-10, Ma Long blanked Jang Woojin 3:0 (12-10, 11-8, 11-7), Lin Shidong won against Dang Qiu 3:2 (11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 2-11, 11-8) and Lin Yun-Ju defeated Liang Jingkun 3:1 (11-6, 17-15, 3-11, 11-5) to advance.
