The 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum Australia Open came to an end on Sunday, as Chinese table tennis players Liu Shiwen and Xu Xin won gold in the women's and men's singles finals.
Second seed Liu Shiwen faced off against no.7 seed Ding Ning in the final. The match was intense. Liu Shiwen seized the early lead by winning the first two games but Ding Ning came back to win the next three rounds.
Liu Shiwen then held on to win the sixth and seventh games, ultimately rallying to beat her compatriot 4-3 (11-5, 11-7, 3-11, 5-11, 6-11, 11-5, 11-6). "Ding Ning is a very strong opponent, even though I took the victory today, there are still many things that I need to learn from this match," Liu Shiwen noted, after claiming her 13th title on the ITTF World Tour.
In the men's singles event, Xu Xin dominated against qualifier Liu Dingshuo with a 4-1 win (12-10, 4-11, 12-10, 15-13, 11-6).
Despite Xu Xin's dominant display, Liu Dingshu, a player from the chasing group, also delivered an impressive performance.
"I used to feel more relaxed on the World Tour, so I'm glad that I'm back!" Xu Xin said.
Japan's Hayata Hina/Ito Mima claimed gold in the women's doubles. In the men's doubles final, the South Korean duo Jeoung Youngsik/Lee Sangsu lifted the trophy.
