Feng Yixuan beat two players ranked more than 400 places above her. (Photo WTT)
Huge upsets in the qualifying matches of WTT Contender Taiyuan saw some of the event’s youngest players beat opponents ranked hundreds of places above them to earn their places in the main draw, which starts on Thursday.
There’s no other place to start than with the stunning performance of Feng Yixuan. At World No.677, the 17-year-old was the third-lowest-ranked player in women’s singles qualifying and was placed in Group 7 with the No.6 seed Lyne Karen and No.7 seed Kong Tsz Lam.
After taking the first game in her opening match against Tsz Lam, Yixuan then recovered from going 2-1 down to beat the World No.257 ranked Tsz Lam 11-5, 7-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-6.
After beating an opponent ranked more than 400 places above her, Yixuan did it again with a 11-8, 9-11, 11-3, 11-3 victory over Lyne. Yixuan confirmed a 100 per cent win rate in qualifying by beating Wang Xinya 10-12, 14-12, 4-11, 11-6, 17-15.
Yixuan’s compatriot, Yang Huize, ranked World No.360, also progressed to the main draw thanks to a 8-11, 11-8, 11-4, 7-11, 11-7 win over the No.1 seed and Singapore Youth Smash 2026 champion Mao Takamori.
And the upsets didn’t stop there. Kim Eunseo, who at 17 is World No.508, started proceedings by beating Deng Zhen 11-9, 13-11, 11-8, 11-7 and followed that up with a victory against No.4 seed Shuohan Men 7-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-9. Eunseo’s exploits earned her a match against World No.14 Honoka Hashimoto in the main draw.
In the men’s singles qualifying matches, six of the eight seeded players all progressed. One of those who did not make it, Olajide Omotayo, withdrew from the event.
Josh Chua, the No.7 seed, recorded three victories, including a walkover against Omotayo, to set up a Round of 32 tie against the in-form World No.14 Wen Ruibo.
Over in the mixed doubles, Luka Mladenovic-Xia Lian Ni, Cedric Meissner-Lee Hoi Man, Choi Jiwook- Kim Eunseo, and Nicholas Lum-Lam Yee Lok complete the main draw.
