Taiwan’s Liao Cheng-ting claimed victory in the Under 21 Men’s Singles division of the 2016 Seamaster Qatar International Table Tennis Federation World Tour Grand Finals Dec. 11 in Doha, becoming the third Taiwan athlete to win the title.
The World Tour Grand Finals, held Dec. 8-11 this year, take place annually and are sanctioned by the ITTF. Only the players with the most cumulative points from each year’s ITTF World Tour, a series of 20 tournaments hosted in 20 countries, are eligible to compete.
Liao defeated Japan’s Yuto Muramatsu, who earned a silver medal at the 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games, in four straight games 11-6, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8 to win the grand prize of US$10,000. The 20-year-old is currently No. 139 overall and No. 28 in the U21 category under the ITTF world rankings, while Muramatsu ranks No. 31 and No. 3, respectively.
Following the match, Liao said he was surprised by the victory, adding that he usually struggles with competing against opponents who have a more defense-oriented style of play. “This is the first time I’ve ever won against a defender ranked in the world top 50, so it still feels unreal to me,” Liao said after being crowned champion.
In 2008, table tennis player Chiang Hung-chieh became the first Taiwan athlete to claim the U21 Men’s Singles title at the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals. Chen Szu-yu won the U21 Women’s Singles championship in 2014. The ITTF World Tour series, including the Grand Finals, was established in 1996. (Taiwan Today)
Taiwan table tennis player Liao Cheng-ting competes in the U21 Men’s Singles category of the 2016 Seamaster Qatar ITTF World Tour Grand Finals Dec. 11 in Doha. (Courtesy of ITTF)