Zhou Qihao celebrates with the trophy.
Doha, Qatar: China’s Zhou Qihao secured his maiden WTT Star Contender singles crown, while Zhu Yuling of Macau continued her flawless start to 2026, winning her second title in a week at the Lusail Sports Hall yesterday.
Qihao, who had failed to go beyond the Round of 16 at the WTT Champions at the same venue a week ago, delivered a composed performance in the final against his fellow countryman Wen Ruibo to lift the title.
China’s Zhou Qihao reacts after beating China’s Wen Ruibo in the final.
Although Ruibo started on a high, winning the first game 11-8, Qihao turned the next game around and level the match with a score of 11-9.
Trailing early in the third game, Qihao revved up his pace and scored six points in a row to take the game 11-7.
He carried that momentum into the fourth game, where he capitalised on Ruibo’s frustration to win again by the same score and build a commanding 3-1 lead.
However, that’s when Ruibo refused to back off.
Facing elimination, Ruibo attacked more in the fifth game, racing ahead 4-0 and keeping control to win the game 11-5.
The sixth game tested both players and a tight see-saw battle saw the scores level at 8-8.
Thereafter, Qihao - ranked 36th in the world, made use of his experience against the 19-year-old by winning three consecutive points to seal the game 11-8 and secure the men’s singles title (8-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7, 5-11, 11-8), his first WTT Series singles triumph since Lagos in 2023.
Earlier, World No.5 Yuling made it 10 wins ot of 10 at the Lusail Sports Arena in two weeks to lift the women’s singles crown.
She won the WTT Champions title after defeating Chen Xingtong of China 4-2, and this time she had to overcome a defiant Japanese in Hitomi Sato to secure a 4-2 victory.Zhu Yuling made it 10 wins ot of 10 at the Lusail Sports Arena in two weeks
Sato, who had shown her defensive consistency through the event without dropping a single game, looked in complete control after taking the opening two games of the final.
However, the former World No.1 Yuling responded in the third game and never looked back to underline her dominance in Doha with a scoreline of 5-11, 11-13, 11-7, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem clinched the mixed doubles title, defeating South Korea’s Park Ganghyeon and Kim Nayeong 3-1 in the final.
The attention now shifts to the youth competition - WTT Youth Contender which begins today.
