China’s top paddler Wang Chuqin, an Olympic gold medalist, just avoided a huge shock on Friday from Germany’s Benedikt Duda to guarantee his place in the ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup Macao 2025 quarterfinals.

In a thrilling match between left-handed players, Wang defeated Duda 4-3. Duda gained match point in the final after swapping the first six games, but Wang remained composed and won 12–10 with three consecutive points.

“I was clearly at a disadvantage from the very first game. During rallies, my opponent’s consistency and shot quality surpassed my expectations. After the game, Wang said, “His placement shut down and blocked even my excellent shots.” “I had to fight for every point, just trying to hang in there.”

Another matchup pitted Sweden’s great Truls Moregard against China’s Lin Shidong. To get to the semifinals, Lin defeated Olympic singles silver medalist Liang Jingkun 4-0 (11-7, 11-9, 20-18, 11-6). According to Xinhua, Liang previously beat Darko Jorgic of Slovenia 4-2.

The reigning champion Sun Yingsha of China easily defeated Cheng I-Ching of Chinese Taipei by the same score in the women’s singles, while Chen Xingtong of China defeated Bruna Takahashi of Brazil 4-1. On Saturday, the two will compete in the semifinals.

Kuai Man, a bright star from China, defeated her colleague Wang Manyu and won four consecutive games after falling down two games. Particularly exciting was the fourth game, in which the two teams battled to a close 18-16 conclusion.

Kuai said that she had a more laid-back attitude. “It was my first time facing Manyu in a major international tournament, and I was thrilled to have the chance to play against her,” Kuai remarked.

The prestigious Galaxy Arena in Macao is hosting the ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup Macao 2025 from April 14–20. The esteemed singles World Cup is back for a second year in a row after making a triumphant comeback in 2024.