Reject the big upset! Fan Zhendong won 4-3 against Zhang Benzhi and advanced to the quarterfinals of men's singles at the Olympics

On August 1st at 23:00 Beijing time, in the quarterfinals of men's singles table tennis at the Paris Olympics, Chinese player Fan Zhendong won 4-3 (2-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-7, 4-11, 11-7, 11-7) against Japanese star Zhang Benzhi, advancing to the semifinals.

In the first three rounds of men's singles at this Olympic Games, Fan Zhendong eliminated Ukrainian athlete Zamudenko, Hong Kong athlete Huang Zhenting, and American athlete Kanak. Among them, Fan Zhendong only lost one game against Huang Zhenting, and his path to promotion was relatively smooth. However, considering that another Chinese player Wang Chuqin was unexpectedly eliminated by Swedish player Moregaard, the heavy responsibility of winning the men's singles championship for the Chinese table tennis team falls on Fan Zhendong alone, which requires his big heart.

Zhang Benzhi is currently the top player in Japanese men's table tennis and an old rival of Chinese table tennis. In this Olympic Games, he competed in three events: men's singles, men's team, and mixed doubles. Before the competition, he also threatened to win three medals. However, in the first round of the mixed doubles event, Zhang Benzhi and/or Hayata Hina were eliminated by North Korean dark horses Li Zhengzhi/Kim Qinying, so he also focused his main energy on the other two events.

At the beginning of the first game, Zhang Benzhi was extremely excited. He suppressed Fan Zhendong with his forehand and backhand attacks, and achieved success in consecutive backhand duels. In contrast, Fan Zhendong showed a slight sluggishness for most of the first game, losing 2-11 to his opponent.

In the second game, Fan Zhendong changed his receiving and serving strategy at the beginning stage, and the pace of the game changed from almost "one-sided" in the first game to a stalemate between the two sides. Until a draw of 9, Zhang Benzhi was the first to pick and hit well, followed by Fan Zhendong's backhand twist and pull. After losing two points in a row, Fan Zhendong lost the second set 9-11, falling behind 0-2 by a large margin.

Before the start of the third round, Fan Zhendong changed his jersey, hoping to sweep away the decline. In the game, Fan Zhendong also actively sought changes in the serving position and strengthened his hardness in the fight. A series of changes did indeed stop Fan Zhendong's decline, as he hit a 6-0 run at the beginning. In the following time, Fan Zhendong pursued the victory and won the game 11-4.

Before the fourth game, Zhang Benzhi also changed his jersey. In the first half of this game, Zhang Benzhi maintained a leading position, while Fan Zhendong tenaciously pursued to a draw of 7. Afterwards, Fan Zhendong first won two consecutive straight back runs, and then forced Zhang Benzhi and the ball to come out in a stalemate, winning the game with a score of 10-7. As Zhang Benzhi and Fan Zhendong returned the ball out of bounds, they won the second set 11-7 and tied the total score at 2-2.

In the fifth round, Zhang Benzhi started with a score of 4-0. Afterwards, although Fan Zhendong tenaciously chased after the score, Zhang Benzhi and Zhang Benzhi luckily scraped the net multiple times, which still made this game lose its suspense. 11-4, Zhang Benzhi won the fifth set and once again took a big lead.

In the crucial sixth game, Fan Zhendong, who had no way out, decided to give it a try and took the lead from the beginning. Zhang Benzhi followed up with 2 points to 6-7, at which point Fan Zhendong decisively requested a pause. After the pause, Fan Zhendong regrouped and laughed until the end in consecutive matches, ultimately tying the total score at 3-3 with a score of 11-7.

In the deciding game, Fan Zhendong served consecutive strong attacks and won the first two points, while Zhang Benzhi and Zhang Benzhi scored four points in a row to overtake. Later, Fan Zhendong scored three points in a row and once again took the lead. The two sides fought fiercely until a draw of 7 in such a chase and chase rhythm. Afterwards, Fan Zhendong scored the key points one after another and secured the match point with a score of 10-7. The next ball, Fan Zhendong scored directly with a big diagonal line, 11-7! In the end, Fan Zhendong won the decisive game, reversing Zhang Benzhi's lead 4-3 and advancing to the semifinals.