MACAO, China, April 19 (Xinhua) -- An all-Chinese women's singles final was set at the ITTF Men's and Women's World Cup Macao 2025 on Saturday, as young talent Kuai Man and reigning champion Sun Yingsha reached the final.

Despite losing the first two games to Japan's experienced player Mima Ito, Kuai pushed the match to the seventh game. Both players remained neck and neck in the deciding game, with Kuai edging out an 11-7 victory, winning the match 4-3 and booking the first spot in the final.

"This was my first time facing Ito in a major international tournament. She's a former Olympic champion, so it's all normal no matter how the scores move," said Kuai, adding, "I stayed committed to executing my tactics, which was key to the comeback."

In the other women's semifinal in the evening, reigning champion Sun Yingsha of China defeated her teammate Chen Xingtong 4-1 to complete the all-Chinese final.

On the men's side, Brazil's Hugo Calderano staged a thrilling comeback after trailing 1-3, and finally clinched victory 4-3 over world No. 2 Wang Chuqin of China. With this win, Calderano became the first Brazilian paddler to reach the final of the men's singles at the ITTF World Cup.

Calderano said after the match that the mental part was his deciding factor. "He (Wang) was playing amazing table tennis, and that's what I'm proud for." He also shared that playing in the World Cup finals was always a dream, noting, "It's going to be a tough match, and I hope I can perform at my best."

Calderano will meet world No. 1 Lin Shidong of China in the final on Sunday. Lin defeated his teammate Liang Jingkun 4-1 in the semifinal. Enditem

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