Twelve months ago, world number one Ma beat second ranked Fan in a seven-set thriller at the Grand Finals in Lisbon.

A similar result required six sets this time as Ma's brutal power and consistency proved too much at the Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena.

The reigning world and Olympic singles champion went 3-0 ahead before World Cup winner Fan claimed the fourth.

Fan saved four match points before clinching the fifth game only to lose the sixth for a 4-2 defeat.

It marked a record fifth title for Ma at the season-ending event and it is the 16th time a Chinese player has won in 21 editions.

Third seed Zhu Yuling showed the remarkable strength in depth in the Chinese team after triumphing in the women's singles final.

She beat Chinese-born German Han Ying 4-0 in a one sided final.

This came after China's Olympic champion Ding Ning withdrew midway through the tournament. 

Han did have the consolation of becoming the first player representing a national association from outside Asia to reach the final of the women’s singles event at the Grand Finals.

There were no Chinese victories in the doubles or under-21 events, although East Asia did still win every competition.

Hina Hiyata of Japan beat Hong Kong's Doo Hoi Kem 4-1 in the under-21 women's singles final before partnering Yui Hamamoto to success against Doo and Lee Ho Ching in the women's doubles.

South Korea's Jeoung Youngsik and Lee Sangsu beat Japan’s Masataka Morizono and Yuya Oshima 4-2 in the men's doubles final.

Taiwan's Liao Cheng-Ting beat Yuto Muramatsu of Japan in four straight games to secure the men's under 21 title.