Former Shanghai Ping-Pong Director: Wang Manyu Surges After New Coach, Sun Yingsha vs. Wang Manyu Set for LA Olympics Showdown

On January 20, former Shanghai Ping-Pong Center director Duan Xiang discussed the fierce rivalry between China’s table tennis stars Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu in a live broadcast. He emphasized that only Wang can exploit Sun’s weaknesses, and only Sun can expose Wang’s gaps—making them perfectly matched opponents.

In 2025, both stars had stellar performances, forming the women’s national team’s “double insurance.” The two faced each other six times, splitting the victories evenly. Sun won six major singles titles, beating Wang in three—including the Doha World Championships, WTT Swedish Grand Slam, and WTT Macau Championships. Wang claimed four major titles, defeating Sun in three—including the Asian Cup, WTT China Grand Slam, and National Games. Notably, Sun excelled abroad (Doha, Malmö), while Wang had the edge domestically (Shenzhen, Beijing), and they split wins in Macau.

Duan revealed that Wang initially led Sun, but frequent coaching changes affected her performance. Recently, Wang partnered with a new coach, improving her backhand dramatically—from a primarily spin-based shot to one with enhanced speed and power—greatly boosting her competitiveness and limiting Sun’s room to operate. Duan concluded, “Both are near their peak, and they push each other. There’s no doubt they’ll shine at the LA Olympics.”

Fans reacted positively: “Duan is spot on—Wang’s rise after the coaching change is clear, and Sun’s adjustments matter too.” “These two are the women’s team’s double insurance. We’ll see who shines at LA!”