SHANGHAI, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Shandong Luneng and Shandong Weiqiao emerged as winners in the respective women's and men's team events in the 2024 China Table Tennis Super League on Wednesday.
In the women's team final, Shandong Luneng withstood Olympic champion Sun Yingsha's two points to edge out Shenzhen University 3-2, with Chen Xingtong and Qian Tianyi being awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in the singles and doubles events, respectively.
Shandong and Shenzhen, the top two sides after the round-robin first stage, lived up to expectations, putting on their title showdown on the first day of 2025.
Chen and Qian gifted Shandong a winning start, rallying from one game down to defeat Qin Yuxuan and Kuai Man 5-11, 11-7, 11-5, 13-11.
In a highly-anticipated duel, Sun helped Shenzhen restore parity with a full-game victory over her Olympic title-winning teammate Wang Manyu.
Shandong went ahead again as Chen outplayed Kuai 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-7, while Sun kept Shenzhen's title hopes alive with another 3-2 win over Qian.
The decider between Wang and Qin was also dragged into the fifth game, where Wang prevailed 11-7 to seal the deal.
"Both teams went all out," said Wang. "I'm worthy of recognition for winning the deciding match."
After collecting two points in a losing cause, Sun complimented every player for their efforts. "Everyone did her best, though Qin came up short in the fifth set, she also displayed the vitality of a young player."
In the men's team final, Shandong Weiqiao swept past Huangshi Base 3-0.
After Lin Yun-Ju and Liang Jingkun squeaked by Xiang Peng and Xue Fei in full games, Olympic champion Wang Chuqin put Shandong further ahead by getting past Lin Shidong with the same score.
Liang outlasted Xue 3-1 to secure the championship for Shandong.
Lin Shidong was awarded the singles MVP, while the doubles MVP award went to Lin Gaoyuan representing Shantou Mingrun. ■
