Sun Yingsha, Matsushima crowned singles champions at WTT U.S. Smash

LOS ANGELES, July 5 (Xinhua) -- World No. 1 Sun Yingsha claimed her second WTT Grand Smash title of the season, fighting off a resurgent Kuai Man in a seven-game thriller to win the women's singles crown, while Japan's Sora Matsushima captured the men's title on the final day of the WTT United States Smash here on Sunday.

Sun, who had already claimed five Grand Smash titles, edged her compatriot in a grueling final, prevailing 11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 7-11, 10-12, 11-4.

The top seed opened strongly, racing to a 4-1 lead and never relinquishing control as she took the first game 11-9, before doubling her lead with a commanding 11-6 second game.

Kuai responded by taking a tight third game 11-9 after capitalizing on two late errors from her opponent.

The match swung back and forth from there, as Sun regrouped to take the fourth 11-5 and restore her two-game advantage, before Kuai fought back in the fifth 11-7.

The sixth game saw Sun hold three championship points at 10-7, only for the 22-year-old Kuai to save all three and reel off five straight points to snatch it 12-10, forcing a decider.

But Sun, who had exited in the round of 16 here last year, started strongly in the seventh, racing to an 11-4 victory to seal the crown.

"Today's final saw both of us play at our best," Sun said after the match. "I prepared well for the difficulties in the final and was ready to fight for every point. Kuai performed exceptionally well at this tournament - she came back from behind in her previous two matches to reach the final."

"I had three match points in the sixth game but couldn't convert them. Still, I stayed focused and calm, which was a big step forward for me," added the 25-year-old world champion.

Kuai reflected on her run to the final and expressed satisfaction with her performance despite missing out on the title. "I was very determined and never gave up," she said. "Both of us showed strong willpower today. It was an incredibly tough match."

In the men's singles final, sixth-seeded Matsushima, who had stunned world No. 4 Felix Lebrun 4-1 in the semifinals earlier on Sunday, extended his impressive form to outlast Russia's Vladimir Sidorenko 11-5, 11-13, 11-7, 11-4, 5-11, 11-7 and lift his first WTT Grand Smash trophy.

Sidorenko, the world No. 37 who emerged as the tournament's surprise package, upset No. 3 seed Truls Moregard of Sweden 4-3 in a seven-game epic to reach his first Grand Smash final.

The tournament, held at Ontario Convention Center, saw a series of upsets throughout the week, with defending champions Wang Chuqin and Zhu Yuling exiting in the round of 16.