WTT Hong Kong Finals Report: Men’s Singles Semifinalists Decided, Two Spots for China, Lin Shidong to Face Harimoto Again

On December 13th Beijing time, the men’s singles quarterfinals at the WTT Hong Kong Finals wrapped up. In the final two contests, Harimoto Tomokazu fought hard over seven sets to overturn and beat his big rival Lebrun 4-3, while the internal Chinese clash was dominated by Lin Shidong who powered through Xiang Peng 4-0. Thus, the men’s singles semifinalists are finalized with two Chinese players advancing. The semifinal pairings are decided: Wang Chuqin versus Moregard, and Lin Shidong will face Harimoto again!

Harimoto Tomokazu faced Lebrun. Both players are very strong and closely ranked, making the outcome uncertain. Against Lebrun, who had defeated him multiple times before, Harimoto came well-prepared. Although he lost the first set, he quickly intensified his offense, scoring consistently on both forehand and backhand, winning three consecutive sets to push Lebrun into a corner. Lebrun refused to give up, fighting back to tie 3-3 and force a deciding set. However, in the final set, Harimoto narrowly edged out Lebrun 11-9, a tough loss for Lebrun who fell 3-4 overall, suffering revenge from his opponent. This result means a clean sweep against French men’s singles players. The third set was pivotal, where Harimoto overturned a 5-10 deficit to win 12-10, breaking Lebrun’s spirit!

Lin Shidong competed against Xiang Peng in an all-Chinese clash that lacked suspense. The match turned into a one-sided domination as Lin’s superior strength overwhelmed Xiang. Lin launched relentless attacks, swiftly defeating Xiang with a 4-0 scoreline. The four sets ended 11-3, 11-7, 11-5, and 11-3 respectively. This was an absolute display of dominance, winning effortlessly and decisively with unstoppable momentum!

With that, the semifinal matchups are fully set, and China claims two spots, emerging as the big winner. Both semifinals are revenge battles: Wang Chuqin faces Moregard, who had previously defeated him, but Wang is stronger now and favored to advance. Lin Shidong will meet Harimoto again, who has beaten him multiple times before. Both matches present challenges for China, but recently Lin defeated Harimoto at the Mixed Team World Cup. Hopefully, he can withstand the pressure again, allowing China to aim for an all-Chinese final. Let’s wait and see!

Written by / Sports Novels