Singapore: Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked male table tennis star, secured a silver medal in the men’s singles at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Grand Smash in Singapore.

According to Focus Taiwan, Lin faced a challenging match against world No. 1 Wang Chuqin of China. Despite a straight-sets loss with scores of 3-11, 8-11, 8-11, and 9-11, Lin achieved a career-best performance in a Grand Smash event. This match marked Lin’s 11th defeat in 14 encounters with Wang.

Wang quickly gained a strong lead in the initial games, while Lin briefly led 3-1 in the third game before Wang’s powerful 9-1 run shifted the momentum. Lin’s most promising opportunity came in the fourth game when he led 5-2, but Wang’s comeback led to a match point at 10-8. Lin managed to save one match point, bringing the score to 10-9, but could not surpass Wang.

In addition to his second-place trophy, Lin, known as the “Silent Assassin,” earned US$50,000 and 1,400 ranking points. Wang claimed his fifth WTT Grand Smash title, receiving 2,000 points and a US$100,000 cash prize.

Earlier, Lin advanced to the Grand Smash men’s singles final for the first time by defeating world No. 5 Truls M¶reg¥rdh of Sweden 4-2 in the semifinals. The Singapore Smash included 64 elite players in the men’s singles category. Lin’s world ranking is anticipated to rise to No. 7 when the WTT updates its list. Sora Matsushima of Japan, currently No. 7, was eliminated in the Round of 16, securing only 150 points.

As of Monday morning, Matsushima held the No. 7 spot with 3,305 points, followed by Lin with 2,875 points.