Zhu Yuling\u2019s comeback story has added its latest inspirational chapter, with the former World No.1 laying claim to her first purple winner\u2019s trophy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 \u221e Arena with a ruthless display to down surprise finalist Jang Woojin 11-7, 11-9, 11-9, 13-11 in the final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s added another huge trophy to her list of accolades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xingtong appeared to take that setback personally, unleashing her ferocious best in the third to quickly retake the lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Failing to pounce on an audacious lob shot early in the sixth, a rue smile appeared on Xingtong\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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..<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am feeling\u00a0relatively calm\u00a0since I\u00a0haven\u2019t\u00a0come out of the match\u00a0yet. I played two matches\u00a0today, which is the first time after I came back.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0a big test for my physical and mental strength.\u00a0I told Tong\u00a0Tong\u00a0that after finishing the match with Ying Han this morning, I had reached my limit.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n “She\u00a0said\u00a0that she reached her limit last night after the seven-seesaw battle with Miwa\u00a0with a smile. Even\u00a0though we were opponents on court, we are\u00a0very good\u00a0friends off court. We always bring our A-game to the table and play at our best.\u00a0\u00a0As I said before, I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know whether I am already reaching the end of my table tennis career. I\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0know when it will end. If I want to carry on,\u00a0I\u2019d\u00a0treat every match, every\u00a0day\u00a0and every experience\u00a0as the last one to compete and leave no regrets.\u00a0I will train hard and fight harder in my life to\u00a0establish\u00a0a great future,\u201d said Yuling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n