Hugo Calderano (Photo WTT)
Hugo Calderano threw down the gauntlet to the rest of the men’s singles main draw here at the China Smash table tennis championships, sweeping aside Patrick Franziska 11-2, 11-5, 11-7 in an utterly ruthless performance that took the Thrill from Brazil just 21 minutes.
Advancing to his second WTT Grand Smash of the year, and the fifth of his career, Calderano looks like he could be the man to beat in Beijing, having not dropped a game so far and arguably being in the tougher side draw, after facing Dimitrij Ovtcharov and An Jaehyun earlier in the week. No.1 seed Felix Lebrun awaits in the final eight.
Calderano hit 10 on the spin to blast through Game One, then another seven without reply to kickstart Game Two. The 30-year-old then responded well to Franziska’s pressure, overturning a 1-5 deficit to finish the match.
The Brazilian has been in great form this season, coming to Beijing on the back of a run to the final of WTT Champions Macao 2026 and before that he made the quarterfinal at Europe Smash – Sweden 2026 and won his home event, WTT Star Contender São José dos Campos 2026.
The opening match of the evening session in Smash Arena saw the clash of two Chinese titans, as No.5 seed Wang Yidi beat Chen Yi 12-10, 11-13, 11-8, 11-4 in the women’s singles.
Two-time WTT Grand Smash finalist Yidi saved three game points in the opener, hitting five winners in a row to come from behind and draw first blood. Yi, a surprise finalist at US Smash 2025 when she was ranked World No.18, then saved two game points to also come back from 10-8 down to level the match.
But the three-time WTT Champions winner Yidi was soon back in front, taking seven points from a possible nine in the third. From there, it was one-way traffic for Wang, as she sealed victory with her most dominant game win of the whole week here in Beijing.
Over in Infinity ∞ Arena, Miwa Harimoto met He Zhuojia, two players who had faced each other three times on the WTT Series before today, with the Chinese World No.77 winning two. This time, however, it was Japan’s No.1 female who came out on top 14-12, 11-9, 11-3.
The last time they met, Harimoto lost 3-0 in the Round of 32 at Singapore Smash 2025, when He was ranked World No.30. Since then, their careers have followed different trajectories, with He only appearing at 11 WTT Series events, with her best finish being the final of WTT Contender Muscat 2026.
Harimoto, however, has appeared at 26 WTT Series events since February 2025, winning eight titles and is the current World No.3.
Harimoto showed nerves of steel to win this one, resisting a fantastic comeback from He, who was trailing 9-5 but turned it around before the three-time WTT Champions winner saved two game points before taking the opener.
In game two, it was Harimoto’s turn to come from behind. Trailing 4-8, she took seven from a possible eight points to double her advantage and sealed the win in style, hitting five winners on the spin.
Zhu Sibing, who battled through qualifying to make the women’s singles main draw, has pulled off the biggest win of her career, downing No.4 seed Kuai Man 5-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7 to make the quarterfinals for the first time.
World No.134 Sibing had already had a phenomenal week in Beijing, winning all three of her qualifying matches without dropping a game, and then pulling off the biggest upset of her career when she beat No.13 seed Joo Cheonhui in the opening round.
Appearing at only her second WTT Grand Smash, Sibing surpassed her personal best – a run to the Round of 32 last year in Beijing – when she beat Chein Tung-Chuan to set up Thursday’s fixture against Kuai.
Man is a two-time WTT Grand Smash finalist but does not have happy memories of facing Sibing, having recently lost to her 3-1 in the Round of 16 at WTT Star Contender Ljubljana, but early signs suggested the 22-year-old was going to have an easier time of it, as she dominated game one.
United States Smash finalist Man saved two game points in the second but was unable to build on it, and then was put under real pressure when Sibing came back from 4-8 down in the second to lead 9-8.
Man held on in that game, but Sibing would again come from behind in the fourth and this time stayed in front to set up a deciding fifth game, which the 26-year-old controlled like she was the Top 5 player in Infinity ∞ Arena, converting her second of four match points to become the fifth qualifier to make a WTT Grand Smash women’s singles quarterfinal.
In the Men’s Singles event, Zhou Qihao put in a perfect performance over the No.3 seed Tomokazu Harimoto to pull off a stunning straight-games 11-9, 11-8, 11-9 win.
Qihao and No.13 seed Wen Ruibo are the only Chinese players left in the men’s singles draw, and heading into this match, all signs pointed to Harimoto extending his 100% win record over the World No.17.
But Qihao was flawless, coming back from 7-9 down to take the opener, a feat he repeated in game three to confirm the win.
“We had played twice before, and I lost both times. I worked on my technical and tactical plan specifically for this opponent before the match, and I executed it from the outset. I think he failed to adapt effectively. I was down 7-9 in the first game. Coming back to win that game made a big difference to the momentum of the match,” said Qihao.
While Qihao’s match was underway, defending champion Wang Manyu almost suffered the same fate as Man, as she was also pushed all the way to five games in her match against No.16 seed Shi Xunyao.
Manyu recovered from going a game down to lead 2-1 and then saved six game points in the fourth, but missed her only shot at match point as Xunyao was handed a lifeline.
Six winners in a row at the start of the fifth gave Manyua perfect start, and while Qihao narrowed the gap to 8-7, it was too little, too late, as the defending champion confirmed the win.
Yubin finally overcomes Hayata
After ten showdowns across all international competitions, Shin Yubin has finally beaten Hina Hayata, taking down the No. 6 seed 10-12, 13-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9 in the women’s singles third round.
Less than two months after their showdown at the same stage of Europe Smash – Sweden, Hayata and Yubin were again fighting it out for a spot in the quarterfinal at a WTT Grand Smash. In that Malmö match, Hayata saved match point in the deciding game to win 3-2, and the opening stages were tight in this one, too, with five game points across the first two games.
It wasn’t until halfway through the third that one player started to assert herself, and it was the WTT Champions Frankfurt 2025 winner Hayata who built a 5-9 lead, but Shin came roaring back, again saving Game Point to lead the match.
“Instead of viewing her as my friend, I see her as a player whom I really appreciate and look up to. She is a strong player with great abilities, and I sincerely respect her. I can always learn a lot through our encounters, and I’m grateful for that,” said Yubin
Hayata, a 10-time WTT Series title winner, hit seven points in a row to come from behind and force a decider. Yubin, who became the first Korean player to reach a WTT Grand Smash semifinal last year in Beijing, was unfazed and controlled game five, going up 4-1 and 10-6.
Japan’s Hayata came close to ruining Yubin’s week when she saved three match points, but the Korean No.1 was punching the air in delight just moments later as she confirmed the fourth WTT Grand Smash quarterfinal of her career.
Following on from that match, there was also a showdown between two teenagers at different stages of their careers as World No.1 Sora Matsushima beat Kuo Guan-Hong 11-6, 5-11, 11-6, 11-4 in the men’s singles.
Matushima’s win puts him into his third WTT Grand Smash quarterfinal as the 19-year-old continues his hunt for a second title at this level. After the match, he was full of praise for his Chinese Taipei opponent.
“My goal here is to win the title. But it won’t be an easy journey since there are many formidable players. I just became World No. 1, so hopefully I can build on this momentum. Kuo is a young and strong player who’s been on a good run. I’m not in my best physical condition, so I expected a tough match. I’m glad I was able to play calmly,” said Matsushima.
Guan-Hong is enjoying a breakout season this year and is following a similar path to Matsushima. When Matsushima was 17, he made his first WTT Grand Smash Round of 32 at China Smash 2024. Guan-Hong, who turns 18 on October 24, reached the Round of 32 at United States Smash 2026 and Europe Smash 2026.
“Kuo is a strong player, and I know he’s younger than I am. I think he’ll be a good rival going forward. He’s beaten many good players, like Lin Yun-Ju, and Liang Jingkun, at this event. I think he’s still an up-and-coming player, and he’s definitely got something. I think there will be higher expectations for him going forward,” added Matsushima.
