Wang/Sun overcome slow start to reach mixed doubles semis

Olympic champions Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha overcame a slow start to beat Japan 3-1 in the World Table Tennis Championships mixed doubles quarterfinals on Thursday.

Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha (R) compete during the mixed doubles quarterfinal between Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha of China and Matsushima Sora/Harimoto Miwa of Japan at ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals Doha 2025 in Doha, Qatar, May 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)

The second-seeded Chinese pair were able to shine at clutch moments, beating fifth seeds Sora Matsushima and Miwa Harimoto 6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-9.

"I had thought we were going to lose this match easily," said Matsushima. "We played better than we had expected. We felt depth and tenacity from each strike by the Chinese. The barrier separating us is really high."

Matsushima added that he and Harimoto had seen a glimmer of hope midway through the contest. "If we had taken the third set, we might have had a chance to win the match. But we failed. That's the gap between the Chinese and us."