Sweden breaks China's dominance in table tennis Grand Slam

Sweden's Truls Moregardh has overturned China's dominance at the Europe Smash, a tournament considered the Grand Slam of table tennis.

Truls Moregardh makes history for Swedish table tennis - Photo: WTT

Late on August 24, Swedish player Truls Moregardh made history by becoming the first non-Chinese player to win a Grand Smash table tennis tournament. He defeated world No. 1 Lin Shidong 4-3 in the final of the European Smash 2025 tournament held in Malmo, Sweden.

The two gave the audience a top-notch and dramatic match that lasted 66 minutes. The 23-year-old star of the host country had the best performance of his career to overcome his strong Chinese opponent.

The scores of the sets were: 11-8, 8-11, 12-10, 11-8, 4-11, 11-13, and 11-9.

The victory brought Moregardh his biggest title to date. It also marked an important milestone in ending the absolute dominance of Chinese players at Grand Smash tournaments.

Previously, in the seven Grand Smashes that have been held, all 14 singles titles were won by Chinese athletes.

"This is the biggest thing I've ever achieved. To do it at home and be the first European. It's unbelievable," Möregårdh said in tears after the match.

The world No. 7 received a standing ovation from the home crowd throughout the match. He said the support from his family, friends and fans gave him the strength to play calmly and confidently in the decisive points.

This is the first Grand Smash tournament to be held in Europe, and Moregardh's success promises to create a new table tennis fever in Sweden, following the success of his two silver medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Meanwhile, in the women's singles, world No. 1 Sun Yingsha of China continued to assert her position when she won her fourth Grand Smash championship after defeating compatriot Wang Manyu.

THANH DINH

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thuy-dien-pha-vo-the-thong-tri-cua-trung-quoc-o-grand-slam-bong-ban-20250825082457694.htm