Inspired Yuling and Yun-ju lift Doha crowns

Zhu Yuling’s comeback story has added its latest inspirational chapter, with the former World No.1 laying claim to her first purple winner’s trophy.

The former World No.1, who only made her return in September 2024 after four years away from the international spotlight, claimed her first purple winner’s trophy thanks to an impressive 5-11, 13-11, 3-11, 11-7, 11-8, 13-11 victory over No.3 seed Chen Xingtong in the women’s singles final at WTT Champions Doha.

Meanwhile, 798 days on from his last title success on the WTT Series, Lin Yun-Ju finally got his hands on another men’s singles trophy, lighting up Infinity ∞ Arena with a ruthless display to down surprise finalist Jang Woojin 11-7, 11-9, 11-9, 13-11 in the final.

A player who only made her return in September 2024 after four years away from the international spotlight, Yuling made worldwide headlines last season with her magical run to the United States Smash 2025 title, and now she’s added another huge trophy to her list of accolades.

Fast out of the starting blocks, it was Xingtong who laid down the early marker, imposing her authority early on to put Yuling under the cosh. The latter player would show some resolve in the closing stages of game one, but ultimately, it was Xingtong who struck first.

It was nip and tuck in the second game as both players upped the intensity in the fast exchanges. The backhand-to-backhand rallies were explosive, wowing spectators at Lusail Sports Arena as the two finalists traded fierce blows. Yuling would see two game points come and go, but with Xingtong blasting her finisher into the net at 12-11, the final was level once again.

Xingtong appeared to take that setback personally, unleashing her ferocious best in the third to quickly retake the lead. 

With momentum switching back the other way in game four, we were no closer to discovering who would leave Doha as champion. But there was a feeling in the air that game five would play a pivotal role in deciding the overall outcome of the final, as both players looked to throw down the gauntlet.

After seeing her 7-4 lead in the fifth whittled down to 7-6, Yuling went for the time-out in a bid to dampen her opponent’s resurgence. That attempt initially looked futile as Xingtong pulled level at 8-8, but the decision ultimately proved a masterstroke, as Yuling locked up all of the following three points to lead for the first time in the final.

Failing to pounce on an audacious lob shot early in the sixth, a rue smile appeared on Xingtong’s face, standing in disbelief. A time-out quickly followed as Xingtong looked to put that miss behind her, and she recovered well, moving 9-10 ahead to threaten a deciding game. But when your luck is out, it really is out, and as Yuling clipped the edge of the table to level it 10-10, the result looked inevitable.

Xingtong would have another chance to take it to a seventh, but again she was denied. Sending it long off the table at 12-11, the contest was officially over..

“I am feeling relatively calm since I haven’t come out of the match yet. I played two matches today, which is the first time after I came back. It’s a big test for my physical and mental strength. I told Tong Tong that after finishing the match with Ying Han this morning, I had reached my limit.”

“She said that she reached her limit last night after the seven-seesaw battle with Miwa with a smile. Even though we were opponents on court, we are very good friends off court. We always bring our A-game to the table and play at our best.  As I said before, I don’t know whether I am already reaching the end of my table tennis career. I don’t know when it will end. If I want to carry on, I’d treat every match, every day and every experience as the last one to compete and leave no regrets. I will train hard and fight harder in my life to establish a great future,” said Yuling.

For Chen Xingtong, her wait for that second WTT Champions success goes on. The winner last season in Yokohama, the Chinese superstar appeared to have one hand on the trophy after a bright start to the Doha final, but now she must wait for her next opportunity to strike.

Last holding aloft a winner’s trophy at WTT Champions Frankfurt 2023, in the 26 months following that title, Yun-Ju had come close to ending the drought multiple times, reaching the latter stages at numerous events. Last night, he wasn’t prepared to let this opportunity pass him by.

For a match that finished with a dominant 4-0 scoreline, the wide margin between the two players wasn’t reflected in the individual games themselves, with Woojin coming close in all four games.

In fact, in game one, it was Woojon who looked the more likely halfway through the game, putting together a 3-5 lead. But that’s when Yun-Ju began to enter his groove, firing up the cylinders to claim eight of the next 10 points.

Again, Woojin looked pumped up in the second game, cheering loudly as he unleashed his trademark celebration, raising his fist out in front. But his opponent quietly went about his business, silent but deadly, as he worked his way back to 8-8. Yun-Ju would soon move into Game Point territory at 10-8, and while Woojin salvaged one, he sent the next one long.

While the deficit was only two games, it really started to feel like Woojin now had a mountain to climb. He quite simply couldn’t afford to drop the third game, a fact he recognised, calling time-out after seeing his 4-6 lead slide to 7-6. The World No.18 kept things tight, but was ultimately undone 11-9.

Woojin would have one more opportunity to extend the match, saving Championship Point before taking a 10-11 lead. However, it quite simply wasn’t the Korean’s day. Fate had conspired against him one final time, as Yun-Ju put the result beyond doubt at the second time of asking.

“It’s been more than two years since I claimed a WTT Champions title, so I am indeed very happy. I did not expect such a great result and hope to be able to continue. I don’t want to delve into this too much even though I just claimed the title. I will focus on preparing each match well and give it my all every single time,” said Yun-Ju.

Adding to his title success from WTT Champions Frankfurt 2023, Yun-Ju now holds four WTT Series singles trophies with previous wins at WTT Contender Zagreb 2022 and WTT Contender Almaty 2023. But this one feels extra special.

This win marks a timely return to form for the ‘Silent Assassin’, who signals his intent with an immediate impact in 2026.