Out on her own, Feng Tianwei upsets world No 1 Ding Ning

SINGAPORE — Two months after she was unceremoniously axed from the national team, paddler Feng Tianwei hit back with a statement of intent on Sunday (Dec 4), as the 30-year-old shocked world No 1 Ding Ning of China 3-2 in her Chinese Super League match.

Playing in the colours of her club, Ordos, world No 6 Feng dealt the first blow with a 12-10 victory in the first game. While Ding, who was playing for her Beijing club, rallied to claim the next two games 15-13, 11-2, the Singaporean paddler was not about to give in, as she clawed back to win the next two 11-7, 7-5 to upset the top-ranked Chinese.

With Feng’s earlier straight-sets win over Li Jiayuan in the first singles, victory over Ding in the third singles gave Ordos its 14th round win over Beijing.

Touted as the biggest table tennis league in the world, the Chinese Super League attracts some of the biggest names in the sport, including reigning Olympic champion Ma Long, and Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Timo Boll, a 16-time European champion.

Feng said her victory over reigning Olympic champion Ding, whom she had only previously beaten twice in 17 encounters since 2009, will serve as a huge confidence boost after her axing by the Singapore Table Tenns Association (STTA) in October.

The association said then that it did so as part of its efforts to rejuvenate the national set-up. However, reports subsequently cited her disagreements with the STTA on issues such as prize money and food claims as reasons for the sacking.

“It was not easy beating Ding Ning, and this gives me a lot of confidence and encouragement to carry on,” she said on Monday. “I thank everyone for their attention and support, and I hope to do well in the Grand Finals.”

Despite the challenges, Feng has vowed to continue playing competitively as she aims for a medal at the 2020 Olympics Games.

Aside from the ongoing Chinese Super League, Feng will also compete in the US$500,000 (S$712,105) International Table Tennis Federation World Tour Grand Finals, which kicks off in Qatar on Thursday.