It has been a week of mixed fortune for Wong Chun Ting. Like all the top players in the world, the 28-year-old penholder from Hong Kong had been vying for a top-16 finish in ITTF World Tour points, which would translate to a coveted spot in the 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals tournament next month. On November 17, he received the bad news that he had finished on the bubble at #17. Then came the stunning announcement from the Chinese Table Tennis Association that Wang Chuqin, who finished seventh in the standings, was to be suspended from all competition for three months for losing his cool and throwing his racket during a match. Fortune truly seemed to be smiling on Wong Chun Ting, who then set off to play for the big money on offer at the T2 Diamond Singapore tournament. In the first round, Wong faced top seed Xu Xin, a fellow penhold proponent. Xu proceeded to win the first game handily at 11-6. In the second game, Wong served trailing 1-3. The left-handed Xu pushed wide to Wong's forehand, with sidespin which made the ball jump even farther out of Wong's wheelhouse. Wong went for broke and pounced on it, firing a forehand back to Xu's body. Unable to check his momentum, Wong fell to the ground, clutching his right leg. Just to twist the knife, Xu calmly blocked the Hail Mary shot down the line, robbing Wong of a small Pyrrhic victory. Unable to continue, Wong forfeited the match. Eventually he hopped off on his left foot, supported by the medical staff who had swaddled his right ankle swaddled in ice packs and bandages. With Wong's immediate future obscured, the door is now open for Koki Niwa. The Japanese star is the next reserve in line for the 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals, finishing 18th in points for the year. With this wildly unpredictable series of events leading up to the year's grand finale, only a few weeks away in Zhengzhou, China, even the next-next reserve Jang Woojin of the Republic of Korea might be wise to leave December 12-15 open on his calendar in case the ITTF calls. Then again, with the multiplying misfortunes meeting the Grand Tour finalists, he and Niwa may be wiser to let the calls go to voicemail.
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