WTT Sweden Grand Slam 5 titles awarded: China and France each take 2, Wang Manyu tops the podium, Zhang siblings suffer heavy losses

On August 17th Beijing time, the WTT Sweden Grand Slam concluded, with the five titles distributed among three nations, showing a wide range of winners. China's national team won the mixed doubles and women's singles, France won the men's doubles and men's singles, and Japan won the women's doubles. Notably, the Zhang siblings had a disastrous tournament, losing all their singles title pursuits. Miwa Zhang lost 2-4 to Wang Yidi and did not even reach the final, while Tomokazu Zhang was defeated in the final by Felix Lebrun 1-4, missing the championship.

The first titles decided in this event were the three doubles events. The mixed doubles crown went to China's national team, with their top pair Lin Shidong and Kuai Man advancing steadily through consistent play and teamwork to claim the championship. The women's doubles title was taken by Japan's Hina Hayata and Miwa Zhang, while the men's doubles went to the Lebrun brothers from France.

In the women's singles, China finally showed dominance, taking three of the four semifinal spots and successfully eliminating Miwa Zhang. Thus, the final was an all-Chinese affair between Wang Manyu and Wang Yidi, making the outcome less critical. In the first game, Wang Manyu started aggressively with a big lead, but Wang Yidi fought back to 10-10. Wang Manyu held on to win 12-10. In the second, Wang Manyu dominated with placement, attacks, and serves, winning 11-3 to extend her lead. In the third, Wang Yidi became more decisive under pressure, frequently attacking to score, and held on to win 11-9, pulling one back. In the fourth, Wang Yidi continued her momentum and took a large lead, but couldn't withstand Wang Manyu's fierce comeback, losing 10-12 to fall behind 1-3. The fifth game was a thrilling back-and-forth with tight scores, but Wang Yidi edged ahead 12-10 to narrow the deficit to 2-3. In the sixth, Wang Manyu attacked relentlessly and scored consistently in rallies, winning 11-5 to take the match 4-2, claiming the title and announcing her return to top form, solidifying her world No. 2 ranking.

In the men's singles, no Chinese player reached the quarterfinals, leaving the title to be contested by foreign associations. The final was between France's Felix Lebrun and Japan's Tomokazu Zhang, both considered future major threats to China. What was expected to be a fierce battle turned into a one-sided affair. Zhang was completely silenced, and compounded by fatigue from a packed schedule, he was out of form and made frequent errors, losing 1-4 to Lebrun and missing the title. His heavy loss was a gratifying result.

Written by Tiyan Xiaoshuo