Wang Chuqin Loses His Temper Twice in Two Days, Calling Out a Flash-Using Spectator and Pointing Them Out: “It’s You—the One in a Mask”

On February 6 (Beijing time), the Asian Cup of Table Tennis entered its third day of competition. World No. 1 Wang Chuqin delivered another commanding performance, sweeping Muhammad Abdul Wahhab 3–0 to finish the group stage unbeaten and book his place in the knockout rounds. Even so, the match produced a moment of controversy that quickly drew attention.

The gap on paper was significant—Wang sits atop the world rankings, while Abdul Wahhab is ranked No. 232—and the match largely played out accordingly. Wang took the first game comfortably, 11–5, edged a tighter second game 12–10, and closed the contest with an 11–7 win in the third to complete the straight-games victory.

Wang’s group-stage campaign has been emphatic from start to finish. He opened with a 3–0 win over Akash Pal, followed with a 3–1 victory over Feng Yi-Hsin. Across three matches, he remained undefeated and dropped only one game, underlining his strong form heading into the elimination stage.

However, an incident in the third game shifted the spotlight. With the score level at 3–3, a spectator in the stands reportedly turned on a phone flash. The distraction visibly irritated Wang, who pointed toward the crowd and sharply called out the person responsible: “You—yes, you—the one wearing a mask!”

It was the second flash-related disruption involving Wang in just two days. In the second round of group play against India’s Pal, Wang was leading 9–6 in the second game when another flash went off in the stands. A different spectator then shouted loudly at the person using the flash, creating additional noise that affected play. Wang reacted immediately, pointing toward the stands and telling the shouting spectator to “Be quiet.”

Despite the interruptions, Wang stayed on course competitively—winning cleanly, topping his group with a perfect record, and advancing with momentum. At the same time, the back-to-back incidents have reignited discussion around spectator etiquette and venue enforcement, especially regarding flash photography during live points.