A super-exciting session is on the cards at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall in Lusail today as the World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender Doha heads into an exciting climax with the finals of the men's and women's singles and doubles events.

With its brand-new identity and high-value entertainment appeal, the WTT Contender Series has captured the imagination of fans all week. Five intriguing matches will be contested on the final day, with more fireworks anticipated to cap what is set to be a momentous occasion at the ultra-modern hall.

For the men's singles final, Ukraine-born German Dimitriji Ovtcharov will take on 19-year-old World No. 7 Lin Yun-Ju, who is touted to be the next big star to emerge from Chinese Taipei. The young left-handed superstar won his first World Tour singles title at 18 before striking bronze on his debut at the World Cup in 2019. This display at Doha further underlines Lin's talents.

En route to the final, the world No. 12 Ovtcharov had staged a dramatic comeback from two sets down to post a 4-2 (8-11, 6-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-3, 11-7) victory over another teen sensation – 17-year-old Tomokazu Harimoto from Japan, the top-seed, on Thursday to book a place in the final of the $200,000 tournament.

Earlier, he had accounted for the 3-2 (11-4, 12-14, 11-4, 11-13, 11-7) defeat of world No. 8 Mattias Falck of Sweden in the quarterfinals.

In the heat of his quarterfinal battle with Falck, the German was cautioned for wiping his sweat on the table and blowing into the balls. With his final encounter against Lin set to be another titanic contest, all eyes will also be on Ovtcharov to keep his emotions in check and adhere to the stringent measures and maintain the established safety standards.

Teenage sensation Lin, meanwhile, powered his way to the final through a tough route which included a 3-1 (11-8, 11-9, 15-17, 11-9) quarterfinal defeat of Nigeria's Aruna Quadri, the world No. 21 and the highest-ranked African player, before dispatching Simon Gauzy of France 4-1 (11-7, 8-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-9) in the semis.

In the men's doubles, France's Emmanuel Lebesson and Yuan Jia Nan will meet Chinese Taipei's Cheng I-Ching and Lin Yun-Ju before the singles matches get underway.

In arguably one of the most anticipated matches in the final, two of Japan's finest table tennis women players are set to face off each other.

Mima Ito has been riding on a rich vein of form since table tennis restarted amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic last year. She won bronze medals at the Women's World Cup and International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Finals last year and will meet compatriot Hina Hayata. Hayata is, however, not going to be a walk in the park for Ito as she can beat the world's best on her day. She has already defeated Ito en route to her victory at the All Japan Table Tennis Championships last year.

Japan's Kasumi Ishikawa and Miu Hirano will take on Chinese Taipei's Chen Szu-Yu and Cheng Hsien-Tzu in the women's doubles - the first match of the day. The mixed doubles final will follow after that, with Korea Republic's Cho Daeseong and Lee Sangsu clashing with Argentina's Gaston Alto and Horacio Cifuentes.

The top players from China are not taking part in the tournament in Doha - the first international event of the season and the second major event since the restart of table tennis activities due to the COVID 19 break.

The second tier of the WTT Middle East Hub – WTT Star Contender will be held from March 6 to 13.

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