China Dominates Player Lineup for 2026 World Table Tennis Singapore Smash

Overview of the Upcoming Singapore Smash

Beijing, Jan 10: On Saturday, the list of players for the 2026 World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash was revealed, featuring China's leading paddlers Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha. In the men's singles, Wang is joined by fellow Chinese athlete Lin Shidong, Brazil's Hugo Calderano, Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto, and Sweden's Truls Moregard in the top five.

In the women's singles, China secured all five top positions, with Sun leading, followed by Wang Manyu, Kuai Man, Chen Xingtong, and Wang Yidi. Additional Chinese competitors include Liang Jingkun, Xiang Peng, Chen Yuanyu, Zhou Qihao, and Chen Junsong in the men's division, along with Chen Yi, Shi Xunyao, and He Zhuojia in the women's category.

The Singapore Smash, marking the first WTT Grand Smash tournament of the year, is scheduled from February 19 to March 1, offering 2,000 world ranking points, according to reports.

Highlights from WTT Champions Doha

In the WTT Champions Doha, top seed Lin Shidong from China faced a challenging match against Germany's Benedikt Duda, ultimately winning after five games. Meanwhile, women's top seed Wang Manyu advanced to the quarterfinals with a decisive victory over France's Prithika Pavade.

Lin initially lost the first game 11-8 but rebounded by winning the next two games 11-6 and 11-8. Duda, ranked 12th, managed to push the match to a deciding game, but Lin, ranked second in the world, clinched the final game 11-6 to secure his place in the quarterfinals.

"It was a tough battle. I had prepared for the difficulties and maintained a positive mindset throughout the match," Lin commented.

Liang Jingkun triumphed in an all-Chinese match against Chen Yuanyu with scores of 11-7, 11-3, and 11-7, setting up a quarterfinal showdown with Lin. However, Zhou Qihao was eliminated after losing to Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto in four games.

On the women's side, Wang faced little resistance from Pavade, winning with scores of 11-4, 12-10, and 11-6.

"Despite the 3-0 score, I didn't perform well on some shots, especially when I lost consecutive points after leading 7-3 in the second game, which I need to improve in future matches," Wang acknowledged.

Her teammates Kuai Man, Chen Xingtong, and Wang Yidi also progressed, while Chen Yi was the only member of the Chinese women's team to be defeated, losing to German veteran Han Ying after conceding a two-game lead.