Zhu dominates compatriot Wang Manyu in women's final while Chinese Taipei 
teenager Lin caps off stirring run with win over Fan Zhendong 

All hail the new stars as China's Zhu Yuling and Chinese Taipei's Lin Yun-Ju 
produced scintillating play to secure the men's and women's crowns at the 
Seamaster T2 Diamond 2019 Malaysia.

If the quality of the matches is any indication, table tennis fans are surely 
in for a treat in the coming two legs as this innovative singles competition 
heads to China's Haikou in September before going to Singapore in November.

At the T2Cavern in the Iskandar Malaysia Studios in Johor Bahru, Zhu did not 
allow compatriot Wang Manyu to settle in as she powered through for the 
US$100,000 prize money. 

Following that, Lin showed no fear against the more illustrious Fan Zhendong as 
the teenager coupled speed with unerring accuracy to outdo his opponent and 
prove his earlier wins over Jun Mizutani and Ma Long were no fluke.

Earlier, Ding Ning and Xu Xin secured third places with wins over Miyu Kato and 
Wong Chun Ting respectively.

ITTF President Thomas Weikert and CEO Steve Dainton attended the final. The 
tournament marks the first time coloured rubbers and video referral - both 
ideas from the ITTF Innovation Lab - were used for the first time. 

Wang Manyu: "She played her shots well, especially the strong spin she put on 
the ball. I've improved in many areas since coming here for the T2APAC two 
years ago but there's still plenty of room for improvement." 

Zhu Yuling: "I've fought hard in every match here and the final was a 
continuation of the form I showed in the earlier matches. I've not played Manyu 
for a while and felt I executed my game plan better today."

Lin Yun-Ju: "I'm satisfied with how I performed in the final, I fought hard for 
every point. I shall continue training hard and hope to keep on doing well."

Fan Zhendong: "He played outstandingly and I was not able to get going in the 
first two games. I won't make excuses for this defeat and it was obvious he was 
better today, so I will need to go back and work out how to do better."

For more information, please visit: www.t2diamond.com.

SOURCE:  T2 Diamond Table Tennis League