Year-end ping-pong showdown held in Shanghai

The 2024 China Table Tennis Super League (CTTSL) Finals kicked off at the Shanghai Gymnasium on Dec 30 as the women's world No 1 Sun Yingsha led the defending champions Shenzhen team to a victory in the semifinals.

The three-day competition features eight teams, including four men's teams and four women's teams, who qualified for the finals through a round-robin format in the first phase of the 2024 CTTSL season. The line-ups include Olympic champions like Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin and Sun.

On the first day, defending champions Shenzhen team, led by Sun, defeated the Shanghai team 3-1 in a convincing fashion in the semifinals, securing the first ticket to the title game which will take place on Jan 1, 2025.

"I think both teams played very well in today's match-up. Every game, whether it's the score or the competition itself, was very close. We performed at our best level. I am very happy that we have made it to the title game," said Sun after their victory.

"I hope that regardless of the outcome, we can demonstrate our cohesion, and I hope that we can give it our all in the title game," she added.

Liu Guoliang, chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, addressed the crowd that Shanghai, as one of the important birthplaces of Chinese table tennis, has nurtured numerous table tennis talents and witnessed the glorious history of Chinese table tennis.

Apart from the adult competitions, the event also includes the finals for teenagers' teams, aged seven to 10, which are part of the national training team selection process.