China's Fan wins third straight ITTF World Cup

Fan Zhendong became the first winner of three straight World Cup titles after he was crowned at the ITTF Men's World Cup finals here on Sunday.

Ma Long (R) of China returns the ball during the men's singles final match between Fan Zhendong of China and his compatriot Ma Long at 2020 ITTF Men's World Cup in Weihai, east China's Shandong Province, Nov. 15, 2020.

Fan, who beat compatriot Ma Long 4-3, also became only the second player to win four World Cup titles in the 40-year-old history of the event, tying the record set by Chinese table tennis legend Ma Lin.

Ma Long of China reacts during the men's singles final match between Fan Zhendong of China and his compatriot Ma Long at 2020 ITTF Men's World Cup in Weihai, east China's Shandong Province, Nov. 15, 2020.

Winning 14 out of 18 head-to-heads with Fan in ITTF competitions, Ma has lost in their last two meetings. The Grand Slam winner opened with a 4-0 run on Sunday night and took the first set 11-3.

Top-seeded Fan bounced back to claim the following three straight sets 11-8, 11-3, 11-6, before Ma cut the deficit to 3-2 by 11-7.

Fan Zhendong of China returns the ball during the men's singles final match between Fan Zhendong of China and his compatriot Ma Long at 2020 ITTF Men's World Cup in Weihai, east China's Shandong Province, Nov. 15, 2020.

Leading 10-1 in the sixth set, Ma managed to tie the game 3-3 with another 11-7 win.

Fan regrouped himself and took the decider 11-9 to nail down the victory.

Ma Long of China returns the ball during the men's singles final match between Fan Zhendong of China and his compatriot Ma Long at 2020 ITTF Men's World Cup in Weihai, east China's Shandong Province, Nov. 15, 2020.

"It feels so good to win a championship and I cherish this one even more as it comes from a very tough match," said Fan.

Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan came out as the winner of the 3rd-4th place match by edging out Jang Woo-jin from South Korea in another seven-game thriller 7-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 14-12, 6-11, 11-5.

Gold medalist Fan Zhendong (C) of China, silver medalist Ma Long (L) of China and bronze medalist Harimoto Tomokazu of Japan pose during the awarding ceremony for the men's singles competition at 2020 ITTF Men's World Cup in Weihai, east China's Shandong Province, Nov. 15, 2020.

"This was a tough match, finally I made it. I enjoyed the fierce competition," said the Japanese teenager. 

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Julian Champagnie had a career-high 36 points and the San Antonio Spurs survived an injury scare to Victor Wembanyama, rallying to beat the New York Knicks 134-132 on Wednesday night in a rematch of the NBA Cup final.

Wembanyama finished with 31 points and 13 rebounds in 24 minutes before limping off the court with an apparent leg injury with under 11 minutes remaining. He returned to the bench in warmups in the final minutes.

New York's Jalen Brunson had 29 points, including a 3-pointer at the close of regulation after stripping Keldon Johnson of possession as he celebrated with San Antonio's bench. Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordan Clarkson added 20 points apiece for the Knicks, who had a three-game winning streak halted.

Wembanyama hobbled off the court unassisted with 10:32 remaining, heading to the locker room after injuring his left leg. He had soared to gather an offensive rebound over Towns and lost possession when he landed. Replays showed there was no contact, but Wembanyama’s left foot slid forward and his knee appeared to hyperextend.

Wembanyama returned to San Antonio's bench with 1:22 remaining, walking calmly and without a limp. It was a good time for the 7-foot-4 center to return. Wembanyama cheered from the sidelines as the Spurs held on to beat the Knicks to snap a two-game skid.

Champagnie scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, going 4 for 5 on 3-pointers, as San Antonio erased a double-digit deficit.

New York outscored San Antonio 28-27 in the second quarter, but it would have been much worse without Wembanyama. The 7-foot-4 center had 16 points in the second period.

Wembanyama brought the sell-out crowd to its feet with a one-handed slam off an alley-oop pass from Castle that cut New York's lead to 54-50. The Knicks responded with a 17-2 run following a timeout and Wembanyama's exit, including 14 straight points to cap the surge.

Wembanyama returned to help pare the deficit to 73-63.

Champagnie hit back-to-back 3-pointers, capping a 16-2 run that tied the game at 86 midway through the third.

Wembanyama made his 300th career 3-pointer, becoming the fastest to do so among 7-footers and accomplishing the feat in 138 games. That beat the previous mark of 141 games by Utah’s Lauri Markkanen.

Knicks: Host Sacramento on Thursday.

Spurs: At Indiana on Friday.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

San Antonio Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox, right, tangles with New York Knicks players Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby (8) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

New York Knicks guard Kevin McCullar Jr. (9) passes to Knicks center Ariel Hukporti as he is guarded by San Antonio Spurs center Luke Kornet (7) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) blocks a shot during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates a basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, right, is fouled as he drives against San Antonio Spurs forward Carter Bryant (11) and Spurs center Victor Wembanyama during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)