Lim Jonghoon and Shin Yubin crash out (Photo WTT)
The mixed doubles title race has been blown wide open at China Smash, with top seeds Lim Jonghoon and Shin Yubin crashing out at the Round of 16 hurdle (11-9, 9-11, 11-13, 11-9, 11-8).
Three-time finalists on the WTT Grand Smash stage, just last month Lim and Shin contested the Mixed Doubles final at Europe Smash – Sweden 2025, establishing themselves as a force to be reckoned with on the world stage.
Despite an early setback in Tuesday’s showdown with Chen Yuanyu and Kuai Man, things were looking good for Lim and Shin three games in, wrestling the momentum away from the Chinese duo at a key point in the match.
But just as they did in the opening round, Chen and Kuai would turn the match on its head, finding a late burst of inspiration to stun Lim and Shin at the death.
The opening session’s singles action proved equally as dramatic, with more big-name departures coming from the events.
Former WTT Champions event winner Lin Yun-ju is officially out of the running in Men’s Singles, seeing his week come to a premature end after losing out to Yukiya Uda (11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 10-12, 11-8).
“I had never really beaten him in WTT events, including our most recent encounter. I lost most of those matches 0-3. So I worked out a game plan specifically for him. I started strong today and went up 2-0, which was great. Facing Lin Yun-Ju in an event of this level, after clearing the first round, there wasn’t anything I could do about the draw. I just looked forward to the match by focusing on how I could best prepare myself.” Yukiya Uda
Meanwhile, Anders Lind, who fought his way to the WTT Champions Macao semifinals earlier this month, ended up on the wrong side of a 3-0 scoreline against Zhou Qihao (11-9, 11-9, 11-6).
Defending champion Sun Yingsha is safely through to the last 16 of the Women’s Singles draw, dropping just 10 points across three games against Zhu Sibing (11-4, 11-3, 11-3).
However, there’s no room in the third round for Bernadette Szocs, who saw her hopes crushed at the hands of Li Yu-Jhun (13-11, 11-6, 11-8).
Chen Yi survived a gruelling test as she narrowly overcame compatriot Qian Tianyi in five nail-biting games (12-10, 11-5, 9-11, 9-11, 11-5) to book her spot in the Women’s Singles Round of 16 on Tuesday evening.
Ninth seed Chen initially led the charge, edging the first game in deuce, before dominating in the second, pulling far ahead of World No.19 Qian.
With a big mountain to climb, Qian got to work, exhibiting top-tier table tennis to steal the third and fourth games, pushing play to an all-out decider against the World No.9.
The fifth and final game began with equalled passion, as the score stood tied at 3-3 in points. But Chen then proceeded to dominate, leaving Qian behind at 5-7. In a last dash for the finish line, Chen claimed four points in a row to beat the 25-year-old with an 11-7 scoreline.
Fellow Chinese star Wang Yidi also enters the Round of 16 having defeated Sreeja Akula in three straight games (11-7, 11-9, 11-4). Wang is due to meet Honoka Hashimoto in her next battle, the Japanese player having dispatched Doo Hoi Kem without dropping a game (11-0, 11-4, 11-1).
Over to the Men’s Singles, where World No.2 Lin Shidong saw off Shunsuke Togami in four games (11-7, 11-13, 11-2, 11-8), the second seed furthering his campaign on home ground.
“Togami and I are familiar opponents, having played many times, but today, I approached the match with a challenger’s mindset. I started strong, but my form fluctuated in the second game. When I came back from 5-8 to lead 10-8, I became hesitant on two key points, which ultimately cost me that game” Lin Shidong
Lin can’t afford to celebrate for long, though, as he turns to his next opponent Kristian Karlsson, the latter besting Chinese qualifier Yuan Licen in the Round of 32 (12-10, 11-8, 11-6).
Karlsson wasn’t the only Swedish player to triumph on Tuesday evening, as fifth seed Truls Moregard gained safe entry to the next stage, following his victory over Omar Assar (5-11, 11-8, 11-6, 12-10).
Zhu got off to a commanding start against her Brazilian rival, catching Takahashi asleep with an 11-2 scoreline.
After a slow opening game, Takahashi returned to the table with renewed purpose, dominating the outset of the second game, while eventually leading match favourite Zhu 4-9 towards the latter stages.
But Zhu clawed her way back to deuce, resulting in spectacular power-points, as both players brought play to the boiling point at Zhougang Park. Displaying nerves of steel, Zhu managed to secure two consecutive points to take the game 20-18 in a serious blow to Takahashi.
Things were tight as the third game saw the Brazilian ace offering threats of retaliation, Takahashi trailing by just one point at 7-8. Yet Zhu refused to crack under pressure, winning three points on the trot to take a spotless victory out on Table 2.
Hugo Calderano booked himself into the Men’s Singles Round of 16 after a spellbinding victory over World No.18 Simon Gauzy (11-8, 10-12, 11-5, 11-7).
The Beijing crowd were launched into wild excitement as the two titans battled it out for glory on Infinity ∞ Arena.
A match filled with mesmerising topspin exchanges and unrelentless determination saw an equal playing field towards the start, with the score locked at one game apiece between the two stars.
From the third game onwards, however, Calderano revved into high gear, simply outplaying the Frenchman to take the third, before eventually stealing the fourth, and with it, the match, in this heated Round of 32 contest.
In the Women’s Doubles, Prithika Pavade and Adriana Diaz continue onwards to the Round of 16 after edging themselves a victory against Xiaona Shan and Ng Wing Lam (11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9).
Meanwhile, wildcard pairing Huang Youzheng and Chen Yi storm into the Mixed Doubles quarterfinals after an emphatic victory over fifth seeds Manush Shah and Diya Chitale (11-5, 11-6, 11-4).
