Fans at WTT Champions Macao were treated to a renewal of the rivalry between Chen Xingtong and Hana Goda as the Round of 16 came to an end on Friday night, and this time the victory went to the former in 3-11, 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xingtong and Goda have played out some classics in recent times, with Goda coming out on top 3-1 in sensational fashion the first time they met at WTT Champions Montpellier 2024. Most recently, Xingtong won 3-2 in their clash at last month\u2019s Europe Smash – Sweden 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Goda, whose two WTT Champions quarterfinal appearances are the best-ever by an African player at this level, stormed out of the blocks in game one, displaying her absolute best as she dominated the No.5 seed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WTT Champions Yokohama 2025 winner Xingtong stepped back to the table as fans cheered her name, and after weathering the first-game storm, she found her groove, looking comfortable as Goda unleashed and she calmly returned out of reach. These two had never played out a straight-games match, and Xingtong levelled to keep that statistic alive.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Xingtong, a runner-up here in Macao in 2022, started to give Goda a taste of her own first-game medicine, also going up 8-3, and while Goda tried her best to mount a comeback, the World No.7 was soon one game away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fighting for her life, Goda started to throw everything at Xingtong, and the speed of the match stepped up a notch, with powerful rallies going the youngster\u2019s way as she built a three-point advantage for the first time since the start of the second and set up a decider.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Goda made a perfect start to the fifth, taking two points on Xingtong\u2019s serve and was soon in an even healthier position: 5-1 up against one of China\u2019s best. The teenager\u2019s stunning performance continued, stretching her lead to a staggering six points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it was never going to be easy against a player who has been in the Top 10 for almost four years, and Xingtong clawed it back to 9-9 before breaking African hearts.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ying Han also booked her spot in the quarterfinals after a marathon five-game match against Natalia Bajor, winning 12-14, 11-2, 5-11, 11-9, 11-5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a match that lasted 47 minutes, Bajor had to bide her time and pick her shots wisely, saving three game points before she could take game one. The 29-year-old then recovered from a German defensive masterclass in the second to put in her most convincing display of the night, regaining the lead in game three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bajor won an 88-shot rally in the fourth, as Han looked to chop her way back into the match and rush her opponent into shots and force mistakes, but Bajor switched up her style, also opting to play defensively. With both players now trying to chop their way to 11 points, it was the 43-year-old, who built her career playing like this, who took Game Four. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Han was in her element in the final game and outclassed Bajor by going 5-1 up and not looking back to set up a quarterfinal against Chen Yi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, Dina Meshref continued to make history making the quarterfinals for the first time in her career, beating Lily Zhang in straight games 11-8, 11-3, 17-15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was the first WTT Series meeting between Meshref and Zhang, although they had faced each other on the international youth circuit 15 years ago, and it was the Egyptian who made the brighter start, dictating the direction of the rallies and setting up five game points, converting the fourth.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meshref, who has only beaten Zhang once, all the way back in 2009 when the two were teenagers, then stunned her opponent in the second game, first going 5-1 up, then taking five points on the bounce to double her lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zhang, also on the hunt for her first WTT Champions quarterfinal, was heading down the road to a quick exit when Meshref hit three at the start of the third. With the match slipping away from her, Zhang\u2019s coach called a time out, and the 30-year-old returned to the table and brought the heat, hitting seven points to turn this game completely on its head at 3-7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But another pendulum swing came, with Meshref hitting six in a row to move to within two points of the quarterfinals. The American Zhang had her chances to take the game, saving a staggering five Match Points, but failed to convert her only opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chen Yi was one of three seeded players to come out on top with the 22-year-old beating Elizabet Abraamian 11-8, 8-11, 13-11, 12-10.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chen and Abraamian had previously played each other three times, but all on the international youth circuit, with their most recent encounter coming five years ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Seven games across those last three matches had been decided by just two points, with five going to deuce, and that\u2019s exactly how this match started, as it was close throughout, with Chen recovering from going 7-9 down to take the opener. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Abraamian, competing at her first WTT Champions event, started to ramp up the pressure on the No.8 seed in the second, twice holding a three-point lead. As was the case in the first game, Abraamian was leading 7-9, but this time a frustrated Chen was unable to turn it around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With the first two games being so close, everyone inside the Macao East Asian Games Dome was stunned when Abraamian romped to a 6-2 lead, but momentum swung back to the Chinese star, who went up 8-7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The biggest moment of the match followed shortly after, as Chen, a three-time WTT Champions quarterfinalist, held her nerve to save two Game Points and regain the lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WTT Contender Tunis 2026 champion Abraamian had just had the World No.12 on the ropes, and now would have to win two games on the bounce if she was to progress. Exactly when it was needed, she put in her most dominant performance of the tie so far, going up 3-8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But there was another twist in the tale, as Chen rallied, bringing the game to 7-9 for the fourth time overall and again pulling level after 18 points. Just as she did in the previous game, Chen showed a champion’s resolve to save Game Point and then steal the victory and advance to the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Satsuki Odo also progressed in Macao, as the Japanese No.7 seed saved four game points to avoid going 2-1 down and maintain her 100% record over Cheng I-Ching on the WTT Series winning 11-9, 10-12, 16-14, 8-11, 11-9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Men\u2019s Singles No.8 seed Darko Jorgic beat Chen Yuanyu, enacting revenge on the Chinese player who beat him by the same scoreline in the opening round of Singapore Smash 2026, winning 11-4, 9-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jorgic, who headed to Macao off the back of a historic run to the semifinal at Europe Smash – Sweden 2026, is now into his first WTT Champions quarterfinal since last year\u2019s event in Montpellier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alexis Lebrun took to the stage and survived a thrilling battle with Benedikt Duda winning 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lebrun took the first game with ease, but Duda then levelled the match after an insane rally, where the Frenchman returned a shot that almost landed on the coach\u2019s bench with a ballerina-style pirouette before the German converted Game Point with a forehand bullet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lebrun, who famously beat Fan Zhendong 3-2 in the quarterfinal of WTT Champions Macao 2023, continued to return impossible shots in the third but had to watch Duda save three Game Points before he could regain the lead. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These two elite players were locked in, and Duda won another to confirm it would go to a decider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With barely anything separating the two, a clip of the net let Lebrun get two Match Points, and he bellowed with delight when he got it on the second attempt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Facing off for the fifth time on the WTT Series, Truls Moregard maintained his 100% record over Shunsuke Togami winning 11-6, 12-10, 11-13, 11-5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The last time these two crossed paths on the WTT stage was in the Round of 32 in Macao two years ago, and since then Moregard has gone on to take some of the biggest prizes, including Europe Smash \u2013 Sweden 2025 and WTT Champions Montpellier 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moregard looked back to his best here, demonstrating his attacking best while also denying Togami Game Point in the second, and recovering from a setback in the third. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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