Ma Long Is The New Chinese National Men Champion

Like in any match, Ma Long immediately posted his lead in the match with 3-0 then increased it further to 5-1. As expected Ma Long nailed the first set with 11-6.

Ma Lin came back in the second set better and leveled in 3-3. After the tie, Ma Lin found his rhythm and led in 7-5. Along with this, the veteran played much stronger and led him to 11-7, levelling in 1-1. In the third set, Ma Long didn't take any chances and scored 11-9.

After posting his 2-1 lead, Ma Long increased his confidence and momentum while Ma Lin showed signs of struggle. Indeed, Ma Long posted a commanding lead of 8-3. At this point, Ma Lin wasn't able to recover as Ma Long scored his third point with an impressive 11-3.

In the fifth set, just as Ma Long only needed one more game to victory, the veteran Ma Lin showed extreme composure and continued to fight. Both players were tied in 5-5, and 6-6. After the tie, Ma Long scored one more point which led Ma Lin to call for a timeout. However, instead of breaking the confidence of Ma Long, the player reached match point in 10-7. At this point, Ma Lin managed to catch up and scored two straight points, narrowing the deficit to 9-10. Now, it was Ma Long's turn to call for a timeout. Indeed, his decision proved right as he ended the match with 11-9, sealing his fourth consecutive title in Jiangsu as the Men Singles champion.

Photo source: zimbio.com