Chinese aces enjoy a smashing time

The men's singles final between Ma and rising star Lin was seen by many as a symbolic "passing of the torch". After the match, Lin invited the audience to give a round of applause to "Captain Long".

Ma noted that Lin's talent hasn't emerged overnight. "He's been performing well over the past year, but before the Olympics, not many people noticed him. Recently, these young players have really caught people's attention, showing that China has a lot of strong talent. I believe the spotlight will be on them more in the future."

For Lin, this tournament marked his first WTT Grand Smash men's singles final. Defeating Ma to win the title, Lin has now positioned himself as a formidable contender for the next Olympic cycle.

Lin also competed in men's doubles and mixed doubles, reaching the finals in all three categories. He and his partner, Kuai Man, took home the mixed doubles title.

"The competition was incredibly tough, and each match was a challenge," Lin said.

With the WTT Grand Smash being the highest-level event in the World Table Tennis program, Kuai acknowledged that winning their first title at the start of a new Olympic cycle was an ideal start. "I hope to continue performing at my best in every competition moving forward," she said.

At the Paris Olympics, Wang Chuqin suffered an unexpected early exit in the men's singles, bowing out in the round of 32, and the China Smash brought a similar disappointment, as he again fell at the same stage. After the match, Wang acknowledged he had not yet fully returned to his normal competitive form since the Olympics.

Hoping to regroup in the men's doubles, Wang did just that. Teaming up with Liang Jingkun, the pair secured their first men's doubles title together. They defeated fellow Chinese teammates Lin Gaoyuan and Lin Shidong in the final.

One of the highlights of the tournament came when 84-year-old Zhang Xielin, a legendary figure in Chinese table tennis and the country's first mixed doubles world champion, presented the mixed doubles trophy to Lin Shidong and Kuai.

While attending the event, Zhang also toured the Smash Park. Seeing so many people passionate about table tennis, Zhang felt a deep sense of pride. "It shows that table tennis truly is China's national sport," he said.

Zhang emphasized that the spirit of the sport must be passed on by encouraging more young people to play and enjoy table tennis.

"Tournaments like this are essential in fostering that interest, and I think it's fantastic," he added.

According to the organizers, ticket sales for the tournament totaled nearly 60 million yuan ($8.5 million), with several days selling out in advance.