PARIS, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- Second seed Sun Yingsha extended her unbeaten run against Japan's Hina Hayata with a 4-3 victory as China swept the women's singles semifinal spots at the 2026 WTT Champions Montpellier on Saturday.
Sun had won their previous 21 encounters entering Saturday's duel, with the latest two coming from both singles and team events at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
Sun was in cruise control at the beginning, triumphing 11-7, 11-9 in the first two games, while Hayata pulled level at 2-2 by winning 11-9, 13-11.
The Chinese star won the fifth game 11-8, before Hayata took the sixth game 11-9 and forced a decider, the first between them in a seven-game format. Sun then held firm under pressure, securing her spot in the last four with an 11-9 win.
"It was the closest match that we have played. Both of us played at our best level," said Sun. "Despite the head-to-head record, I made full preparations for the difficulties every time against her. Hayata showed her tenacity. A 4-0 would have been better, but 4-1, 4-2, or even 4-3 like today, I can settle for any result. I just fought point by point."
Sun will take on compatriot Wang Yidi, who also edged Chen Xingtong in a seven-game thriller.
Momentum swung back and forth in this all-Chinese clash. Wang won the opening game 11-6, before Chen prevailed 11-7, 11-7 to turn it around. After Wang triumphed 11-5, 11-4 to move within one game of victory, Chen saved a match point en route to a 14-12 victory in the sixth game to force a decider, where Wang saw another two match points saved but managed a 12-10 win.
"We both played well today. I had a strong desire to win, and I was resolute on my hits," said Wang. "Leading 10-8 in the decider, I didn't handle the following two points well. At 10-10, I had a better mentality and dealt with the ball decisively."
Looking ahead to the semifinal against Wang, Sun said, "Tactically, we are quite familiar with each other. I will try to focus on and enjoy the game."
The other all-Chinese semifinal will pit Chen Yi against Kuai Man, after Chen swept Japanese chopper Hitomi Sato 4-0 and Kuai beat Japan's Miwa Harimoto 4-2.
"I was not quite used to her defensive style at the start. Winning the first game helped me a lot in the next three games. Every point was tough, with some long rallies. I executed my tactics well," said Chen.
Chinese paddlers failed to make the men's singles semifinals. Lin Shidong lost to Sweden's Truls Moregard 4-3, Zhou Qihao fell to Germany's Patrick Franziska, also in a seven-game battle, and Liang Jingkun lost to South Korea's Jang Woo-jin 4-1.
In the semifinals, Franziska will face Moregard, while Jang meets Brazil's Hugo Calderano.
The semifinals and finals will take place on Sunday. ■
