As soon as the 2025 WTT Macau Championship reached the second day, such an accident happened. Zheng Yijing, a veteran, originally had a fight against Wang Manyu in the first round of the women's singles, but she withdrew directly due to injury. Wang Manyu did nothing and went straight to the top 16. This is not only a small change in the schedule, but also involves the rhythm of the entire event and the players' preparation status.
Let's talk about withdrawal from the competition first. On September 10, Beijing time, the match schedule was originally full. In the women's singles 1/16 final, Wang Manyu and Zheng Yijing were scheduled to play at 8:50 pm. Zheng Yijing is the pillar of the Chinese Taipei team, ranking 14th in the world. She has been in the international arena for many years and has experienced experience. But this time she suffered ankle ligament injury. I didn’t explain the specific details. Maybe she accidentally twisted during training before the game. WTT official quickly sent a message to confirm that he withdrew from the competition and Wang Manyu automatically advanced. Zheng Yijing also issued a statement on the social platform, saying that she regretted that she could not fight and thanked her fans for her support, she would recover and try to come back early. This sounds quite realistic. After all, she is not young and it takes time to recover.
For Wang Manyu, this withdrawal is definitely a bargain. Originally, Wang Manyu, as the second-ranked seed player in the world, had the advantage in strength, and most of the records of the two in the past were Wang Manyu. But Zheng Yijing's long rubber defense is not a vegetarian. She can always delay the pace of the game and make the opponent more effort. Now, Wang Manyu saved his energy and directly faced the winners of Hayata Shina and Huang Yihua in the next round. As a result, Huang Yihua failed to withstand, and Shina Hayata won 3-0 quickly, and it took only 20 minutes to get it done. In this state, Shina Hayata happened to recover from her wrist injury after the Olympics. She defeated Mika Kazumoto in the last two matches, and her ball speed and landing point were stable. Wang Manyu's bye match is equivalent to facing the Japanese strong opponents in the first game. He has to adjust his condition quickly and not let the lack of warm-up affect his performance.
Turn to the competition of other Chinese table tennis players, five Chinese table tennis players played in this day, and four women's singles passed the level. Xiang Peng was a little regretful. Kuai Man lost one game against Zhu Qianxi, and won three consecutive games in the next three games, and advanced 3-1. After Kuaiman equalized in the second game, he led 6-4 in the third game, and ended 11-6 in the fourth game, with both the steps and the ball pulling. Chen Xingtong was even more neat and neat against Zhang An of the United States, and went straight to the front 3-0, with a big victory in the first game of 11-1, and Zhang An was in a mess of his job extensions. Sun Yingsha passed the 3-1 against Wales Anna Hershey and lost the second game, but she stabilized in the third and fourth game and crushed 11-3 and 11-4. Xiang Peng fought against Germany Francesca in men's singles, lost 2-3 in five games, won 11-9 in the first game, lost 9-11 in the second game, tied 11-8 in the third game, lost 8-11 in the fourth game, lost 10-12 in the final game. In this result, the women's singles wins 4 and men's singles lose 1. Overall, the Chinese table tennis team still has the advantage.
This is not the first time Zheng Yijing withdrew from the competition. She had previously complained that the use of Olympic gold cards was unreasonable, saying that this would easily allow non-seeded players to meet the main players of China early, which was not conducive to achieving results. In this Macau game, she originally wanted to take advantage of her home court to protect her points, but she was injured and lost. She is ranked 14th in the world and has a lot of pressure to get points. Withdrawal is equivalent to losing opportunities in vain. In contrast, Wang Manyu was in a stable state after the Olympics, and Paris won the women's singles bronze medal and the women's team gold medal. This round of bye match gave her more rest. The next game against Shina Hayata will probably become the focus. Shina Hayata was injured for a while after the Olympics. Now she has come back and won several games in a row. The ball path has changed a lot, and Wang Manyu has to pay attention to her backhand.
Overall, the Macau Championship is in a high specification and generous bonus, and the players are all working hard. After Zheng Yijing withdrew from the game, the lottery table was adjusted quickly, and the WTT official website was updated soon, and Wang Manyu's position was locked in the top 16. The other games were not delayed, and the women's singles arena continued to advance. The four men of the national table tennis women's team advanced, and Kuai Man reversed that game, which reflected the tenacity of the young players. Chen Xing was as stable as an old dog, Sun Yingsha lost a game but made quick adjustments, and Xiang Peng was still honored even though he lost. The five-game battle exposed the shortcomings of men's singles. Germany's Frenchisca player has a strong defensive counterattack, and Xiang Peng made multiple mistakes in the decisive game and just slipped over.
When talking about Zheng Yijing's injury, the ankle ligament is the most afraid of table tennis players. The training intensity is high, and you will be injured if you are not careful. The recovery period is at least a few weeks. In her statement, she emphasized that she was recuperating and left a lot of messages from fans, hoping that she would return soon. The Chinese Taipei team has lost its main players now, and the women's singles lineup is a little weaker. Huang Yihua is also eliminated early, losing to Hayata Shina 3-0, and fell behind 4-11 in the first game. The Japanese team, Shina Hayata, has adjusted quickly after the Olympics, and has now become a roadblock for Wang Manyu. When the two of them fought, Wang Manyu won a lot, but Hayta's progress was obvious and he had to be very energetic.
Wang Manyu won without a fight, saving energy, but also had to prevent his condition from declining. At the end of the Olympic cycle, points and confidence are important in competitions like the championship. She would probably be a tug-of-war against Hayata in the next round. Hayata's long-term attack was sharp, and Wang Manyu pulled the ball accurately with his forehand. After Kuaiman advanced, the next opponent was unknown, but her reversal proved that she was very adaptable. Chen Xingtong won 3-0, but it was basically no trouble, and Zhang An's strength was very different. Sun Yingsha lost 3-1. The second game showed that the opponent had two tricks, but she opened 11-3 in the third game and had a comprehensive skill.
Xiang Peng's defeat, the men's singles national table tennis team needs to reflect on. The five-game battle was a big physical effort, and a small mistake in the decisive game was fatal. Francesca, the European players defended well, and Xiang Peng's attacking even harder might turn the tables. The game ended on that day, four Chinese women's singles players entered the top 16, making them strong overall. Zheng Yijing withdrew from the competition, which made the event less interesting. Originally, Wang Zheng had a duel, and he could see the collision between long rubber and forehand, but now it is gone, and the fans are a little regretful.
