Wang and Matsushima produced another spectacle (Photo by WTT)
Two-time winner here in Macao, Wang Chuqin is officially up and running at WTT Champions in Macao, successfully navigating a tumultuous opening round showdown against Japan’s Sora Matsushima.
Facing off for the first time since their full distance epic at last year’s WTT Champions in Chongqing, Wang and Matsushima produced another spectacle, as two of the sport’s most dynamic left-handed players locked horns before Chuqin prevailed 11-9, 8-11, 13-11, 11-4.
The margins were tight from the start, with nothing to separate the two after eight points. Matsushima would briefly enter the lead at 4-6, but Wang would follow up with three of the next four, drawing level at 7-7. Roared on from the stands, the Chinese superstar would send Macao East Asian Games Dome wild, clinching game one 11-9.
Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju came through a gruelling opening round draw, holding off Frenchman Alexis Lebrun.
Meeting for the third time at WTT Champions Macao following their showdowns in 2022 and 2023, the last time they faced off in Macao it was Lebrun who held the upper hand 3-0.
But the scores were reversed this time around, with Lin sticking the landing in a crucial opening game, kicking on from there to frustrate his French rival 12-10, 11-3, 11-6.
Fourth seed Hugo Calderano of Brazil delivered an outstanding performance to take down World No.14 An Jaehyun in three straight games 13-11, 12-10, 11-8.
The tension was palpable, with play entering deuce in the first two games, both narrowly taken by Brazilian powerhouse Calderano, despite trailing 1-8 in the second!
Putting the past game behind him, An came back to the table once more with determination and threatened the World No.4 throughout, but Calderano would ultimately prevail, producing nerves of steel to take the game and claim victory in Macao.
Nigerian Quadri Aruna was unstoppable in his first outing, defeating wildcard Huang Youzheng without dropping a game 11-3, 11-8, 11-8.
In the women’s competition, Japanese ace Mima Ito got off to a solid start when she dispatched Yangzi Liu 3-0 11-8, 14-12, 12-10.
A five-time event winner on the WTT Series, Ito is looking to make a big impression in Macao as she continues to chase her first WTT Champions success.
While the Japanese star came away with a comprehensive victory, she was put through her paces, with Liu more than holding her own. Leading for much of game one, the Australian looked the brighter early on, opening up a promising 5-8 lead.
But Ito didn’t look fazed in the slightest, rallying back six points on the trot to flip the script. Her opponent again threatened to make a breakthrough on the scoreboard in game two, saving two game points before going on to hold one of her own at 10-11. However, she couldn’t capitalise, and was made to pay for it as Ito salvaged the second.
Refusing to go away quietly, Liu did remarkably well to overturn an 8-3 deficit, fighting her way to 9-10, establishing another Game Point opportunity. But today just wasn’t the Australian’s day as Ito once again held her nerve, closing out the third 12-10 to put the result beyond doubt.
Storming through to the Round of 16 was Zhu Yuling, as she claimed an emphatic opening victory over World No.43 Sreeja Akula 11-5, 11-1, 11-6.
Play began with vigour, with both players striking hard to claim some early points in the first game. But at 4-4, Zhu revved into high gear, winning four points on the trot and going on to take the game with an 11-5 score line.
Zhu wouldn’t slow down from there; returning to the table for the second game, the Macao, China competitor continued to dominate, producing clinical table tennis to overwhelm Akula, the latter now trailing 0-2 in games.
Scrambling to find an answer in the third game, Akula fought her hardest, staying close to the World No.7 at the beginning, yet Zhu proved just too powerful, eventually resulting in a strong victory for the latter and a ticket to the next round of the Women’s Singles.
“I recently played with (Sreeja Akula) in the Europe Smash – Sweden 2025. She has an uncommon playing style. I didn’t expect to be able to zone in so quickly, but thanks to thorough preparation, I did. I was engrossed with the match from the very first point – that even surprised me.” Zhu Yuling
Adriana Diaz also impressed in Macao. The Puerto Rican pulling through in five nail-biting games to send Sofia Polcanova packing 5-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-6, 11-9.
In another opening round tie, Satsuki Odo of Japan staged a jaw-dropping comeback to deny China’s Shin Yubin 9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-9.
Just a couple of months back at US Smash 2025, Shin made headlines when she overturned a two-game deficit to upstage Odo in a 3-2 thriller. This time the roles were reversed as Odo found late inspiration to turn the tide in Macao, digging deep when it mattered most to squeeze past her Korean opponent at the last.
