Singapore—Chinese table tennis stars shone brightly at the Singapore Smash on Wednesday, as several paddlers secured spots in the round of 16, showcasing their dominance on the international stage.
Second-seeded Lin Shidong was unstoppable in the men’s singles second round, defeating France’s Simon Gauzy with scores of 11-5, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9. Lin’s victory sets up an exciting clash against South Korea’s An Jae-hyun in the next round.
Lin didn’t just excel in singles; he was one of the busiest players of the day, competing in both men’s and mixed doubles. Teaming up with Wang Chuqin in the men’s doubles, the duo defeated Singaporean wildcards Clarence Chew and Josh Chua in straight games. In mixed doubles, Lin and partner Kuai Man swept past South Korea’s No. 5 seeds Cho Dae-seong and Shin Yu-bin to claim a spot in the quarterfinals.
Another highlight for China was Xue Fei’s impressive upset over Japan’s No. 3 seed Tomokazu Harimoto. With decisive scores of 11-6, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6, Xue advanced to the round of 16, where he will face France’s 13th seed Alexis Lebrun.
On the women’s side, China’s top seed Sun continued her dominant performance, defeating Japan’s Miyuu Kihara 11-8, 11-7, 11-3. Sun is set to face Austria’s No. 14 seed Sofia Polcanova in the next round.
Meanwhile, China’s He Zhuojia secured her place in the round of 16 by overcoming Japanese sixth seed Miwa Harimoto with scores of 11-4, 11-4, 11-9. She will next compete against South Korea’s ninth seed Shin.
The strong showing by the Chinese paddlers highlights their exceptional skill and determination as they progress deeper into the tournament. Fans around the world are eagerly anticipating the upcoming matches as the competition intensifies at the Singapore Smash.
