Lin Shidong Stuns World No.1 Wang Chuqin at Nagoya Asian Games
The biggest story at the Nagoya Asian Games table tennis venue on September 28 was not a Chinese victory — it was a Chinese upset. World No.1 Wang Chuqin, the reigning Asian Games champion and one of the most recognizable names in the sport, was beaten 4-0 by teammate Lin Shidong in the men’s singles final. The result gave Lin his third gold of the Games and left Wang, who had dominated the tournament three years earlier in Hangzhou with four gold medals, with three silver medals and no title in Nagoya.
The numbers behind the final are striking. Wang entered the match ranked first in the world; Lin was ranked eighth. In their two finals meetings at these Games — the mixed doubles and the men’s singles — Wang failed to win a single game, losing 0-8 on games across the two matches. Wang’s tournament also included a 0-3 loss to Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto in the men’s team final, meaning he was swept in three separate matches over the course of the competition.
After the final, Wang was candid about his form and his state of mind. Speaking to reporters, he said the tournament had been hard to summarize, and that he felt he had been “consuming” himself with each match rather than enjoying the competition. He said he had struggled to find the feeling he once had on court — the sense of pleasure and enjoyment that used to come naturally — and that he felt tired in a way he could not fully explain. He did not blame external factors, saying he did not want his comments to be taken as excuses.
Former national team player Cheng Jingqi offered a similar read in a television commentary segment. He said Wang had clearly given his all, but that his energy and sharpness were not at their peak. Wang, he noted, had been trying to fire himself up in every match, and that constant effort can leave a player a fraction slow to react — a step behind the ball, unable to lock in.
The contrast with Lin could hardly be sharper. At 21, Lin has spent this tournament converting opportunities into titles, and his 4-0 win over the top seed in the final was not an isolated result but the second time he had dismantled Wang in a final. The victory also highlighted an unusual tactical detail from the men’s team final earlier in the Games, when Lin was deployed as the third singles player and won his only match, while Wang and teammate Wen Ruibo shouldered the heavier load.
For Chinese table tennis, the result is both a warning and a reassurance. A 0-4 defeat for the world No.1 against a lower-ranked compatriot is the kind of result that would dominate headlines in any other country, and it did generate a flood of reaction online — thousands of comments appeared on Wang’s social media within minutes of the final whistle. But it also demonstrated the extraordinary depth of the Chinese men’s squad, where the eighth-ranked player in the world can produce a flawless final. The two players posed together with the national flag after the match, a reminder that the medals, whichever color, went to the same team.
Wang leaves Nagoya with three silvers from three events — men’s team, mixed doubles and men’s singles — and with questions about his form and motivation that will follow him into the next international season. Lin leaves with three golds and a statement win. The rivalry between them, for now, has a clear leader.