Chinese paddler Chen Meng returns a shot to compatriot Sun Yingsha in the table tennis women's singles final at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Chinese paddler Chen Meng defeated teammate Sun Yingsha 9-11, 11-6, 11-4, 5-11, 11-4, 11-9 in the table tennis women's singles final on Thursday, while their male counterparts also secured gold and silver in the men's singles.

The singles result for both sexes showed China's unrelenting dominance in the sport's showpiece matches, after mixed doubles pair Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen were stunned by Japan's Mima Ito and Jun Mizutani in the final.

China has long dominated the sport in the women and men's singles events. And in women's singles competition, the East Asian powerhouse holds an undefeated record since the sport was introduced into the Olympics in 1988.

At the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, 27-year-old Chen, current women's singles world No.1, took 1 hour and 5 minutes to hold off the challenge of her 20-year-old teammate Sun, who made it to the final after trouncing Japan's Ito 4-0 in the semis. 

"My time has come, I have waited for this day so long," an emotional Chen said after the game. Both Chen and Sun are making their Olympic debuts.

"Our efforts over the past several years have paid off, and the gold and silver medals have reflected the overall strength of our Chinese team," 27-year-old Chen told a press conference after the match.

"I experienced a lot in these past years. From losing games and facing doubts to winning gold medal today, only I am aware of the difficulty that I had down the stretch. I just want to say to myself, 'You did it.'" 

Chen was seen celebrating her triumph with Sun, as the duo posed for a photo with the Chinese national flag after finishing their fierce competition on the table.

The men's singles final will be held on Friday night, after top seed Fan Zhendong and China team captain Ma Long both saw off their opponents in Thursday's semifinals. 

Fan overcame a strong challenge from Chinese Taipei's teenage sensation Lin Yun-ju in the semis, while reigning Olympic and world champion Ma held off Germany's Dimitrij Ovtcharov.

The doubles matches will follow after the culmination of the men's singles final on Friday, with Chinese pairs aiming to defend their titles at the Olympics.