Men’s second seed Fan defeated French teenager Felix Lebrun to advance, while women’s defending champion Chen secured her place in the final by overcoming South Korea’s Shin Yu-bin.
China showcased its dominance in table tennis at the Paris Olympics on Friday, achieving two 4-0 victories in the singles semifinals, led by Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng.
Fan, the men’s second seed, defeated French teenager Felix Lebrun, while women’s defending champion Chen advanced to the final by beating South Korea’s Shin Yu-bin.
Fan edged a closely contested first game 11-8, coming back from an 8-8 tie, which appeared to unsettle the 17-year-old Lebrun. Despite some spirited play from the young Frenchman, Fan’s consistent forehand topspins during lengthy rallies ensured his progression to the finals without losing a game.
Lebrun admitted, “I didn’t play so bad, but to beat Fan I needed to be at my best, and that wasn’t the case today.” He will now compete against either Brazil’s Hugo Calderano or Sweden’s Truls Moregard for a bronze medal.
Fan attributed his confidence boost to his challenging 4-3 victory over Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto the previous day. “I thought every match might be as tough as yesterday’s. Regardless of whether things were going smoothly or if I was trailing, I felt very determined to control the match,” Fan said of his performance.
Fan was not fazed by Lebrun’s unconventional penhold style, noting that his coach, Wang Hao, is a renowned penhold player. He praised the Chinese team for their thorough preparation against diverse playing styles. “The strength of the Chinese team lies in our exceptional talent and our ability to prepare strategically against various opponents,” Fan added.