REIGNING world champion Liu Shiwen overcame a slow start and a late scare to beat Zhu Yuling 4-2 in an all-Chinese final and lift the ITTF Women’s World Cup trophy for a record fifth time in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, on Sunday.

The 28-year-old former world No. 1, who was crowned at the world championships for the first time in her over 20-year career in Budapest, Hungary, last April, rallied past the top seed and 2017 Cup winner Zhu 4-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-6, 3-11, 11-9. “It’s a very important victory for me,” Liu told a post-match press conference. “The four previous titles were all taken at a younger age when I had no fear at all.”

Liu had previously won the Cup in 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2015 before Sunday’s triumph helped her exceed table tennis Grand Slam champions Wang Nan and Zhang Yining to be the most prolific Cup winner.

“But this time, it came with a year ahead of the Tokyo Olympic Games, when the atmosphere in our Chinese national team becomes quite intense as time goes by,” she noted. “I had been waiting so long for the Cup since I needed a weighted title to prove myself.”(Xinhua)