Wang Chuqin beats Anders Lind (Photo WTT)
Huge cries of celebration roared out across The Kallang as top seed and crowd favourite Wang Chuqin stormed back to beat Anders Lind 5-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-8 in a dramatic clash on Infinity ∞ Arena, adding further weight to his title charge at Singapore Smash table tennis championships.
The tension in the air was palpable as the two players met face-to-face for the first time since their famous clash at China Smash two years ago, where Lind defied all the odds to stun Chuqin on the WTT Grand Smash stage.
That result was clearly in the forefront of both players’ minds as they stepped into the arena looking to prove a point. For Wang this was all about revenge, while Lind was looking to deliver another hammer blow against the world’s best player, and it didn’t take long for the match to spark into life.
Throwing down the gauntlet early on, Lind came to the conclusion he’d have to apply heavy pressure right from the start, and the game-plan worked to perfection, silencing the crowd with a devastating performance in game one, taking an unexpected lead against the top seed.
Chuqin would respond in the second game, bringing the crowd back to life after putting his name on the scoreboard, but concern would soon begin to filter through the stands once again as Lind opened up a commanding lead in the third.
Putting significant distance between himself and his opponent at 1-7 up, Lind would call time out just one point later, prompting a somewhat surprised response in the arena with the Dane looking well on top. The margin would narrow significantly, but with the scores advancing to 7-10, Lind had the game point opportunities he was searching for.
However, the comeback train was now in full force, and Chuqin continued pushing forward at lightning speed, saving all three points to deny Lind 13-11. The momentum shift from that moment on was monumental. Now very much the man holding all the cards, Chuqin had come through the worst of it, and he wouldn’t be caught from there, lighting up Infinity ∞ Arena in game four to finally put that China Smash loss behind him.
Meanwhile, Lin Yun-Ju has entered the elite club of table tennis stars to claim 100 wins on the WTT stage, after the World No.8 downed China’s Xiang Peng 11-8, 11-5, 11-4 to progress to the quarterfinals.
Yun-Ju, who won the men’s singles crown at WTT Champions Doha 2026, rolled into Lion City with 97 wins already under his belt, and standing in his way of 100 wins was Peng, a man he had never lost to.
An even start to the opening game saw the tie level at 6-6, before the Chinese Taipei star hit three in a row to come within touching distance of drawing first blood, but Peng came for a fight and replied with three of his own. The two were trading heavy blows, and Lin came back with another combo, again hitting three on the spin.
That first win had given Yun-Ju confidence, and when he returned to the table, he was in his flow state and won the second game by scoring nine of the last 12 points.
Peng had to try something new and came out swinging in the third, and after taking the lead three times, appeared to be ready for a scrap. But nothing could rock Yun-Ju’s momentum, and he won the match with eight straight winners.
Yun-Ju joins the likes of Chen Xingtong in the 100 club, who reached that milestone after winning her first match at Singapore Smash 2026. On Thursday, she beat Miyu Nagasaki 11-6, 11-7, 11-9 to move onto the quarterfinals.
The day also saw Shin Yubin fight tooth and nail to stay in the draw, but she could not overcome the power of World No.2 Wang Manyu. Manyu took the grueling game 19-21, 11-7, 11-8, 13-11.
The match started at breakneck speed, and both players were dripping with sweat even before the opening game saw an amazing 11 game points, six of which were Yubin’s. Fans inside The Kallang were treated to another flurry of game points in the fourth when Yubin twice denied Manyu before the WTT Finals Hong Kong 2025 champion sealed the win.
Just two months on from their mixed doubles triumph at WTT Finals Hong Kong 2025, Lim Jong-hoon-Shin Yubin have another chance at adding a trophy to their already brimming cabinet. In 2025 alone, they won a total of four titles and finished as runners-up twice. Standing in their way are Brazil’s Hugo Calderano-Bruna Takahashi.
