Hamada makes the cut

Japan’s Kazuki Hamada is through to the main draw of the Men’s Singles at China Smash in Beijing after knocking out fourth qualifying seed Chan Baldwin in five thrilling games (11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 6-11, 11-6).

It was the perfect start for World No.70 Hamada, who kicked things off by taking the first game with an 11-6 scoreline, before clinching a narrow second 11-8 to lead his rival 2-0 in games.

Now it was Baldwin’s turn to strike; hitting back at his Japanese opponent with fierce precision and determination, the World No.62 stole two consecutive games to force proceedings into a tense decider.

With play getting underway in the final game, Hamada shot out of the gates, winning the first six points in a row. Baldwin managed to fight back to 7-5, but despite giving it his all, it was Hamada who would go on to seize the game 11-6, capturing his spot in the Round of 64.

18-year-old Ankur Bhattacharjee made further headlines in Beijing as he took down wildcard Zhou Kai in five nail-biting games to book his ticket to the main draw (12-14, 11-6, 9-11, 11-8, 13-11).

Further triumph for Ankur Bhattacharjee!

The win for Bhattacharjee finishes a stand-out qualifying for the rising Indian star, having overcome higher-ranked competitors Lam Siu Hang and Eugene Wang prior to defeating Zhou on Saturday evening.

In the Women’s Singles, Chinese wildcard Zhu Ziyu took out World No.77 Nina Mittelham to solidify a position in the main draw, the former winning in four tight games (11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7).

19-year-old Zhu will have her work cut out for her on Sunday, however, as she is pitched against seventh seed Zhu Yuling in a tough Round of 64 tussle, the two players meeting for the first time in a WTT Series event.

Also living to fight another day is Welsh sensation Anna Hursey, who defeated Daniela Ortega in three straight games to reach the main draw (17-15, 11-7, 11-5).

After a dramatic qualifying things are continuing to heat up as the world’s leading table tennis stars gear up for the first day of main draw action in Beijing.

Opening the main draw action is World No.1 Sun Yingsha, as the top seed takes on against Japanese wildcard Miu Hirano. Chinese favourite Sun will be aiming for a solid start to her campaign in Beijing, as she vies for her fifth winner’s title at a WTT Grand Smash event. Meanwhile, Hirano is hoping to repeat her success from WTT Contender Zagreb 2023, the Japanese player having defeated Sun in the Women’s Singles final in seven breath-taking games.

Meeting for the first time at a WTT Series event, Puerto Rican star Adriana Diaz prepares for an exciting Round of 64 battle with World No.11 Honoka Hashimoto. Fresh from her outstanding run at WTT Champions Macao 2025, where she defeated World No.5 Wang Yidi to reach the quarterfinals, Diaz will be hoping to bring her A-game on Sunday afternoon against Hashimoto.

As for the Japanese defender, Hashimoto has also been been in fantastic form, recently capturing the Women’s Singles title at WTT Contender Almaty 2025 and finishing up in the quarterfinals at Europe Smash – Sweden 2025.

A mighty brawl is set to feature in the Men’s Singles, as Darko Jorgic and Patrick Franziska lock horns in their first battle since WTT Champions Frankfurt 2024.

It was Slovenian ace Jorgic who triumphed in that event, narrowly defeating the German in a five game thriller. However, in their six total career WTT Head-to-Heads, the two heavyweights remain equally matched at 3 wins apiece, adding further heat to this unmissable clash in China.