Chen Junsong (Photo WTT)
World No.111 Chen Junsong shocked table tennis fans around the globe as he came back from the brink to upset fourth seed Tomokazu Harimoto in the Round of 64 at China Smash 2025 8-11, 12-10, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9.
It comes as a monumental victory for qualifier Chen, having now dispatched the Japanese sensation in their career-first WTT Series battle, while preventing United States Smash 2025 finalist Harimoto from potentially winning his first Grand Smash event in Beijing.
Getting the ball rolling on Table 2 was match favourite Harimoto, claiming a tight first game 8-11. Chen retaliated with interest, however, winning five points in a row to take the second 12-10, while the third game would be a mirror of the first, the Chinese ace now claiming the advantage with an 11-8 tagline.
“Before the match, Coach Sun and I worked on our tactics. He’s a backhand player, so we developed a game plan specifically against that style, and it proved quite effective overall. I’m very glad to have won today.” Chen Junsong
Harimoto came out guns blazing in the fourth game, stealing the first four points. The 22-year-old would continue to dominate until the latter stages, but Chen showed serious signs of a comeback, bringing the score to 7-8. Holding his nerve, though Harimoto powered through, forcing play into a final game showdown at Shougang Park.
As play got underway in the decider, Harimoto looked in control, showcasing top-tier table tennis to dominate much of the game, with Chen trailing far behind at 5-9. But in a burst of brilliance, the 20-year-old blitzed to the finish line, winning six points on the trot to shock the Japanese favourite and secure his spot in the Round of 32.
“At 5–9 down, I wasn’t really thinking about winning or losing. When the score then reached 7–9, I felt I had gained the upper hand mentally. I played well there, and I’m very happy to have won the match.” Chen Junsong.
Just when you thought the opening round couldn’t get any more dramatic, the first session of Day 2 delivered more shock twists and turns, with Match Point mayhem dominating the session.
A man who only last month took down the then World No.1 Lin Shidong at WTT Champions Yokohama, any hopes of Dang Qiu producing similar heroics here in Beijing were squashed by Oh Junsung.
The Korean ace saved two Match Points at the death, fighting back from 8-10 down in the fifth to stun the German in epic fashion (11-6, 10-12, 8-11, 12-10, 12-10).
Qiu wasn’t the only German player who left the table in frustration, with Dimitrij Ovtcharov also seeing Match Point pass him by.
Playing out a demanding full distance affair with Chen Yuanyu, a successful denial from Ovtcharov at 10-9 would put him on course for a big opportunity shortly after, holding the match in the palm of his hands at 10-11. But like Qiu, Dima would ultimately fall short as Chen displayed nerves of steel, squeezing over the finish line to eliminate the former World No.1 (13-11, 4-11, 11-7, 3-11, 13-11).
Appearing at only her second WTT event of the season, Chen Szu-Yu would join the Match Point drama over in Women’s Singles.
Trailing Xu Yi after three games, Chen would face two Match Points in game four, saving both to keep her hopes alive, before staging an even greater comeback from 7-10 down in the decider in a remarkable Smash Arena showdown (9-11, 13-11, 10-12, 13-11, 12-10).
Meanwhile, a special mention goes to qualifier Anna Hursey, whose China Smash dream continues after masterminding a notable 3-1 win over Jieni Shao (9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-6).
Another title contender has fallen early, with Alexis Lebrun suffering an opening round setback at the hands of Eduard Ionescu (6-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-9).
Ionescu, who entered the week off the back of a successful qualifying campaign in Beijing, survived two full distance encounters on his way to the main draw, so he wasn’t about to let his head drop after seeing the first game go to Lebrun on Monday evening.
Instead, Smash Arena would witness a stunning reversal with Ionescu lighting up Table 2 from game two onwards. Lebrun would test his opponent’s resolve, holding Game Point opportunities at 8-10 in the third, but he failed to capitalise, allowing Ionescu back in.
From that point on it was the Eduard Ionescu show as the Romanian star unleashed his full arsenal, leaving Lebrun in his dust as he closed out an impressive victory on Day 2.
“I’m very happy with my win. I wasn’t happy when I first saw the draw because he’s a special player. He has amazing tactics and is very creative in the game, but I prepared well mentally. I’ve also faced Truls (Moregard) before, who is similar to Alexis with his creativity, and I thought I need to play against Alexis in the same way I played Truls. Luckily, I was able to beat Alexis here and now I’m into the second round of a WTT Grand Smash for the first time.” Eduard Ionescu
Crowned champion last month in Malmö, it’s the perfect start to the week Truls Moregard was searching for, banking his ticket to the second round with a mature display against Kao Cheng-Jui on Infinity ∞ Arena (11-3, 4-11, 11-6, 11-2).
Revenge was in the air in the Satsuki Odo vs Kim Nayeong match, as Odo clinched a satisfying payback win (11-8, 11-6, 11-4), having lost out to the Korean earlier this season in Chennai.
Elsewhere, Manika Batra saved Match Point deep in the closing stages of her match against Zong Geman, denying the Wildcard at the last to extend her stay at China Smash (11-4, 7-11, 5-11, 11-7, 13-11).
It is the end of an era for World No.79 Hana Matelova, who confirmed her retirement from the WTT stage following her Round of 64 exit against Shi Xunyao beaten 11-9, 11-8, 11-4.
Matelova first made her mark on the WTT Series four years ago, where she defeated Xiaoxin Yang in a seven-game thriller to take the Women’s Singles title at WTT Contender Tunis 2021.
The Czechia competitor would go on to build her name in the Women’s Doubles category, often reaching the semifinals in numerous events throughout 2022 and 2023, while finishing up in second place alongside Barbora Varady at WTT Feeder Düsseldorf III 2023.
“I’m just proud of myself, my career has been a really good ride, I really enjoyed it with the people around me, they also came here, so thank you so much to them. It’s been really nice to play at China Smash, and finish in the Infinity ∞ Arena.” Hana Matelova
35-year-old Matelova wouldn’t stop there, though; together with Varady, the dynamic duo overcame Tin-Tin Ho and Anna Hursey to claim the Women’s Doubles title at WTT Feeder Manchester 2024.
Fast forward to the present, the World No.79 competed in her final international battle against home favourite Shi at China Smash, before confirming her departure from the WTT scene with words of praise and gratitude for her support team:
“A big thank you to my family because they have supported me since I was a kid. I played because of my father, and also thank you to my best doubles partner (Barbora Varady) and my coach. They’ve been with me through the good times and the bad times. It has been really special for me, so thank you.” Hana Matelova
