Hana Goda (Photo ITTF)
In a history making moment at the ITTF World Cup Macao and one of the most memorable results in women’s singles came from Egypt’s Hana Goda in the Last 16.
The 18-year-old produced a performance of extraordinary resilience and nerve to defeat France’s Jia Nan Yuan 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 14-16, 8-11, 11-8, 13-11 in a match that had the crowd on its feet from start to finish.
One game alone stretched to 30 points, and the match consumed an hour and twelve minutes of extraordinary table tennis before a winner was finally decided. It came down to the last possible moment. Trailing 7-10 in the seventh game, Goda stared down four match points and saved every single one of them, eventually closing out the decider 13-11 in a finish that left the crowd stunned.
With that win, Goda became the first African woman ever to reach the quarterfinals of the women’s singles World Cup and only the second African player ever to reach the last eight at the World Cup, following Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna’s historic quarterfinal appearance in the men’s singles in Düsseldorf in 2014.
It is a landmark moment for African table tennis, and a result that will inspire a generation of players across the continent for years to come. Goda’s reward for that extraordinary effort is a quarterfinal date with top seed and two-time defending champion Sun Yingsha, the world’s number one women’s player and the most dominant force in the game.
It is the ultimate test, but if this week has shown anything, it is that Goda is not afraid of a challenge.
“I don’t even know how I’m feeling, it’s crazy, emotional, and I just can’t believe it. Reaching the quarterfinals of the World Cup was my goal, but to actually achieve it feels incredible. I set big goals for myself and I’m so happy I was able to reach this one. One of my favourite things about winning is carrying the name of Egypt and the name of Africa with me. It’s not a weight or a burden, I really love being able to put my country and my continent in such a good place on the world stage. I’m so overwhelmed I can barely find the words right now,” said Goda.
“When I was down three match points at 10-7 in the final set, I just thought, ‘If it is written for me, I’m going to win.’ Jia Nan Yuan has beaten me the last two times we played, so I knew I needed to just stay in it. At one point, I felt really sad because I thought I was going to lose and miss out on the quarterfinals. I told myself that if I was going to lose, I should at least let it go knowing I did my best. I just kept playing, and I’m so grateful it went my way.”
Japan’s Honoka Hashimoto also secured her place in the quarterfinals, winning her first ever Round of 16 match against Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi on her World Cup debut. In their first ever international encounter, Hashimoto came through on top with dominance and will now face second seed Wang Manyu, a player she has never defeated in the quarter-finals. It is a daunting prospect, but Hashimoto has shown that she is capable of rising to the occasion.
“This is my first appearance at the World Cup, and I am very happy and delighted to have come through the group stage and now secure my first win in the main draw. In the next round, I will be playing Wang Manyu I have played her several times before and I have never managed to get a win against her. She is a player who always fights tenaciously, no matter how challenging the match is—she is strong both physically and mentally. I hope to play with a mentality that is just as strong, if not stronger, to be well-prepared for tomorrow,” said Hashimoto.
In the men’s singles, top seed Wang Chuqin was given a stern examination by France’s Felix Lebrun before finding the game that separates him from the rest. The match swung back and forth through the opening games, with Lebrun pushing the world number one all the way but in the fourth game Wang shifted up a level, taking control and did not look back.
He closed out the match 11-13, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 15-13, with the final game going all the way in a finish that had the full house at the Galaxy Arena roaring. Chuqin remains the only Chinese player left standing in the men’s draw, and he will face Slovenia’s Darko Jorgic in the quarterfinals tomorrow.
“It was really a tough match. I already expected that, as Felix is one of the top players. I knew it wouldn’t be easy for either of us to meet in the first round of the main draw. He made a lot of changes throughout the match, and I could sense he was eager to win. He made adjustments to his usual play in preparation for this encounter with me. I had a hard time at the beginning of the match. Compared to the smooth sailing in the group stage, it was challenging for me to find my rhythm against such a strong player. When the match was tied at 2-2, I got into my groove and played more assertively,” said Chuqin.
Reigning champion Hugo Calderano closed out the day with the kind of performance that reminds us how he won the Men’s World Cup in 2025. The Brazilian was pushed to the absolute limit by Japan’s Shunsuke Togami, a close friend and club teammate in the German league, in a match that swung in every direction across seven games before Calderano finally prevailed 11-6, 8-11, 4-11, 11-4, 10-12, 11-4, 11-9.
Togami took the second, third and fifth games to put the pressure firmly on the defending champion, but Calderano dug deep and found another level when it mattered most and closed out the decider 11-9 to keep his title defence alive. It was a hard-fought win against a teammate who he often trains with and knows his game inside out, and a reminder that the road back to the title was never going to be straightforward. Calderano will face France’s Alexis Lebrun in the quarterfinals tomorrow.
RESULTS LAST 16
Men’s singles: Hugo Calderano (Bra) bt : Shunsuke Togami (Jpn) bt 11-6, 8-11, 4-11, 11-4, 10-12, 11-4, 11-9; Wang Chuqin (Chn) bt Felix Lebrun (Fra) 11-13, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6, 15-13; Lin Yun-ju (Tpe) bt Wen Ruibo (Chn) 11-7, 11-5, 5-11, 11-7, 11-7; Darko Jorgic (Svn) bt Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Ger) 11-8, 11-5, 11-8, 10-12, 11-9
Women’s singles: Honoka Hashimoto (Jpn) bt Bruna Takahashi (Bra) bt 11-6, 11-4, 11-3, 10-12, 11-4; Hana Goda (Egy) bt Jia Nanyuan (Fra) 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 14-16, 8-11, 11-8, 13-11; Shin Yubin (Chn) bt Yung Nan (Chn) 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 14-12; Chen Xingtong (Chn) bt Adrian
