China Smash 2026, Beijing, 10/1-11

[NextLevel]

I remember Aditya Sareen beat Flavien Coton 3:0 in the ITTF U15 Boys' Teams Semifinal - World Youth Championships in 2022.
Coton is now arguably a top 20 player, Sareen on the other hand has hardly progressed at all in the last 3, 4 years. Coton has certainly progressed at a faster rate than Sareen in the last 4 years. I wonder why that is the case. Is it the difference in level of training and competition? The training in France and Europe is surely at a higher level than the US. Maybe Sareen has recently figured out his game and is taking a leap right now, let's hope that is the case.

Chulong Nie also beat Coton. Where is Chulong Nie?

Its a dangerous game to play to use such benchmarks. Flavien Coton is not just "playing in Europe", he is one of the top prospects for the best national team in the world with a man reputed to be one of the best coaches in the world. Many players would pay to be in such environments and can't afford or get the resources. Even Gauzy got better in recent years being in that environment and he has been in Europe for decades. Faraji has been in Europe, has Faraji magically rocketed up the rankings compared to when he was challenging WCQ and LSD?

Developing a player is complicated. The people developing Ady have more insight into the process than you ever will.

PS: i know for a fact that Ady's father has been picky about what situation to put him in in Europe. Whether this is a right or wrong call is anyone's guess but i can assure you that no one is going to give Ady the kind of resources that Flavien Coton has received coming to Europe as a teenager. Go study how many years Kanak had to be in Europe to get to where he got to or even Hugo. One can argue that it is better to be in those lower leagues than be elsewhere but that is also a judgment call and definirely not a guarantee that one will be playing closer to how Coton is playing juat because they are in Europe.

 

[jonol]

For choppers, do they usually chop with straight hands? then maybe straight hand loop makes it easier for transition, and better flow?

It's possible. To me the equipment seems like the obvious difference maker, but there is probably more than one reason for it.

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

An amazing match in the final qualifying round

 

[NextLevel]

An amazing match in the final qualifying round

Both players are box office and it didn't disappoint.

 

[FIXPOINT]

China Smash 2026 QLF WS R3
View attachment 43598
China Smash 2026 QLF MS R3
View attachment 43599​

15-year-old LIU Ziling has made it through the Women's Singles qualification. She will also compete in the U19 and U15 events at the China Youth Smash, which starts on the 9th. In the first round of the main draw here, she will face Margaryta PESOTSKA (UKR).

 

[FIXPOINT]

Scheduled Matches:
All times are local time.
Live streaming: https://www.youtube.com/wttglobal

Sun, 4th Oct 2026
11:00 T1 XD R32 FRANZISKA(GER)/DIAZ(PUR) - YUAN(CHN)/WANG(CHN)
11:00 T2 XD R32 PISTEJ(SVK)/KUKULKOVA(SVK) - LIND(DEN)/HURSEY(WAL)
11:35 T1 MS R64 HUANG Youzheng(CHN) - LIM Jonghoon(KOR)
11:35 T2 WS R64 LEE Eunhye(KOR) - QIN Yuxuan(CHN)
11:35 T3 MS R64 WONG Chun Ting(HKG) - LIN Yun-Ju(TPE)
11:35 T4 WS R64 SHIN Yubin(KOR) - Annett KAUFMANN(GER)
12:10 T1 WS R64 CHEN Yi(CHN) - PENG Yu-Han(TPE)
12:10 T2 MS R64 Kirill GERASSIMENKO(KAZ) - AN Jaehyun(KOR)
12:10 T3 WS R64 Elizabeta SAMARA(ROU) - Jia Nan YUAN(FRA)
12:10 T4 MS R64 Iulian CHIRITA(ROU) - WEN Ruibo(CHN)
12:45 T1 MS R64 XUE Fei(CHN) - Kristian KARLSSON(SWE)
12:45 T2 WS R64 HE Zhuojia(CHN) - Ying HAN(GER)
12:45 T3 WS R64 FAN Shuhan(CHN) - Sreeja AKULA(IND)
12:45 T4 WS R64 WANG Xiaotong(CHN) - Nina MITTELHAM(GER)
13:20 T1 WS R64 Miyu NAGASAKI(JPN) - Hina HAYATA(JPN)
13:20 T2 MS R64 Shunsuke TOGAMI(JPN) - OH Junsung(KOR)
13:20 T3 MS R64 Darius MOVILEANU(ROU) - Hiroto SHINOZUKA(JPN)
13:55 T1 MS R64 Omar ASSAR(EGY) - JANG Woojin(KOR)
13:55 T2 XD R32 GOMEZ(CHI)/ORTEGA(CHI) - GREEN(ENG)/HO(ENG)
13:55 T3 XD R32 LIANG(USA)/MOYLAND(USA) - BOTHA(USA)/SHI(CHN)
18:00 T1 XD R32 LEBRUN(FRA)/LUTZ(FRA) - KARLSSON(SWE)/KALLBERG(SWE)
18:00 T2 XD R32 BAN(CRO)/ARAPOVIC(CRO) - CHAN(HKG)/KIM(KOR)
18:35 T1 WS R64 Sofia POLCANOVA(AUT) - WANG Yidi(CHN)
18:35 T2 MS R64 Cedric NUYTINCK(BEL) - Anton KALLBERG(SWE)
18:35 T3 MS R64 Tomislav PUCAR(CRO) - Manush SHAH(IND)
18:35 T4 WS R64 HUANG Yu-Jie(TPE) - CHENG I-Ching(TPE)
19:10 T1 MS R64 Felix LEBRUN(FRA) - Maharu YOSHIMURA(JPN)
19:10 T2 WS R64 Miwa HARIMOTO(JPN) - Prithika PAVADE(FRA)
19:10 T3 WS R64 Natalia BAJOR(POL) - Yangzi LIU(AUS)
19:10 T4 MS R64 Benedikt DUDA(GER) - Tom JARVIS(GBR)
19:45 T1 WS R64 WANG Manyu(CHN) - Amy WANG(USA)
19:45 T2 MS R64 Anders LIND(DEN) - Patrick FRANZISKA(GER)
19:45 T3 MS R64 Joao GERALDO(POR) - YUAN Licen(CHN)
19:45 T4 WS R64 Bruna TAKAHASHI(BRA) - Manika BATRA(IND)
20:20 T1 MS R64 Dimitrij OVTCHAROV(GER) - Hugo CALDERANO(BRA)
20:20 T2 MS R64 CHEN Yuanyu(CHN) - Flavien COTON(FRA)
20:20 T3 WS R64 SU Tsz Tung(HKG) - LI Yu-Jhun(TPE)
20:55 T1 WS R64 YANG Ha Eun(KOR) - SHI Xunyao(CHN)
20:55 T2 XD R32 YIGENLER(TUR)/HARAC(TUR) - ABDELAZIZ(EGY)/ALHODABY(EGY)
20:55 T3 XD R32 PANG(SGP)/ZENG(SGP) - IONESCU(ROU)/SZOCS(ROU)

Mon, 5th Oct 2026
11:00 T1 WD R32 KAUFMANN(GER)/MITTELHAM(GER) - LUTZ(FRA)/PAVADE(FRA)
11:00 T2 MD R32 FENG(TPE)/KUO(TPE) - NARESH(USA)/NARESH(USA)
11:35 T1 MS R64 Jonathan GROTH(DEN) - Tomokazu HARIMOTO(JPN)
11:35 T2 WS R64 CHEN Xingtong(CHN) - XU Yi(CHN)
11:35 T3 WS R64 ZENG Jian(SGP) - Orawan PARANANG(THA)
11:35 T4 MS R64 Finn LUU(AUS) - Lubomir PISTEJ(SVK)
12:10 T1 MS R64 ZHOU Qihao(CHN) - QUEK Izaac(SGP)
12:10 T2 MS R64 CHEN Junsong(CHN) - XU Yingbin(CHN)
12:10 T3 WS R64 Margaryta PESOTSKA(UKR) - LIU Ziling(CHN)
12:10 T4 WS R64 Mo ZHANG(CAN) - Hitomi SATO(JPN)
12:45 T1 WS R64 DOO Hoi Kem(HKG) - KUAI Man(CHN)
12:45 T2 MS R64 Wim VERDONSCHOT(GER) - Darko JORGIC(SLO)
12:45 T3 WS R64 Bernadette SZOCS(ROU) - Dina MESHREF(EGY)
12:45 T4 MS R64 Yang WANG(SVK) - Nicholas LUM(AUS)
13:20 T1 MS R64 Kanak JHA(USA) - Sora MATSUSHIMA(JPN)
13:20 T2 WS R64 JOO Cheonhui(KOR) - ZHU Sibing(CHN)
13:20 T3 MS R64 PARK Ganghyeon(KOR) - Andre BERTELSMEIER(GER)
13:55 T1 WS R64 Adriana DIAZ(PUR) - Satsuki ODO(JPN)
13:55 T2 WD R32 LOY(SGP)/SER(SGP) - TAKAHASHI(BRA)/WATANABE(BRA)
13:55 T3 MD R32 IONESCU(ROU)/MOVILEANU(ROU) - GACINA(CRO)/BAN(CRO)
18:00 T1 MD R32 FREITAS(POR)/APOLONIA(POR) - MATSUSHIMA(JPN)/TOGAMI(JPN)
18:00 T2 WD R32 SHAN(GER)/ZENG(SGP) - WANG(CHN)/JIANG(CHN)
18:35 T1 MS R64 XIANG Peng(CHN) - Thibault PORET(FRA)
18:35 T2 MS R64 Truls MOREGARD(SWE) - CHAN Baldwin(HKG)
18:35 T3 WS R64 KIM Nayeong(KOR) - Andreea DRAGOMAN(ROU)
18:35 T4 WS R64 CHIEN Tung-Chuan(TPE) - Anna HURSEY(WAL)
19:10 T1 WS R64 YEH Yi-Tian(TPE) - SUN Yingsha(CHN)
19:10 T2 MS R64 Elias RANEFUR(SWE) - KUO Guan-Hong(TPE)
19:10 T3 MS R64 Dang QIU(GER) - FENG Yi-Hsin(TPE)
19:10 T4 MS R64 Lubomir JANCARIK(CZE) - Adrien RASSENFOSSE(BEL)
19:45 T1 MS R64 Manav THAKKAR(IND) - Simon GAUZY(FRA)
19:45 T2 WS R64 Charlotte LUTZ(FRA) - Minhyung JEE(AUS)
19:45 T3 WS R64 Honoka HASHIMOTO(JPN) - Lily ZHANG(USA)
19:45 T4 WS R64 SER Lin Qian(SGP) - Xiaona SHAN(GER)
20:20 T1 WS R64 Sabine WINTER(GER) - JIANG Yiyi(CHN)
20:20 T2 MS R64 Alexis LEBRUN(FRA) - Milosz REDZIMSKI(POL)
20:20 T3 WS R64 Hana GODA(EGY) - ZONG Geman(CHN)
20:55 T1 MS R64 Vladimir SIDORENKO(RUS) - LIANG Jingkun(CHN)
20:55 T2 MD R32 BURGOS(CHI)/GOMEZ(CHI) - JORGIC(SLO)/KOZUL(SLO)
20:55 T3 WD R32 HARAC(TUR)/ALTINKAYA(TUR) - SZOCS(ROU)/SAMARA(ROU)

 

[flermbert]

i thought Chirita lost in qualifying, how did he get into the main draw?

 

[kindof99]

i thought Chirita lost in qualifying, how did he get into the main draw?

WCQ and LSD withdrawn made two lucky losers.

 

[kindof99]

Franziska is back to Franziska again. Guess Vsalc is not for him.

 

[kindof99]

WYD and YLC were faulted on the match point...

 

[kindof99]

Unbelievable, 4:10 and Diaz and Franziska managed to lose. Tokyo Olympics again for Franziska..

 

[JackJohnson]

Unbelievable, 4:10 and Diaz and Franziska managed to lose. Tokyo Olympics again for Franziska..

Should have won. That was some insane choking

 

[J-fed]

Should have won. That was some insane choking

They kept hitting amazing shots to the end but yeah, TT is such a delicate sport in that area. Such a fine balance.
Seems like they didn't want to look at each other post loss. Tough one FS.

 

[NextLevel]

Unbelievable, 4:10 and Diaz and Franziska managed to lose. Tokyo Olympics again for Franziska..

Yeah but remember, getting up 10-4 is the same way yhe other ppponent got to 10-10. It is not like they were playong scrubs

 

[NextLevel]

"Only good for doubles" reminds is that Kaufmann is still the future.

WCT reminds us that he has been washed up for a while. I mean if Dima is washed up for sure Wong is. Still the best story in TT...

 

[dingyibvs]

Defender called Li Tiabyang Vs a German Andre Bertelsmeier.
Li has the typical defender windmill FH. I wonder why so many male choppers have that straight arm discus shot? Must be a reason.

It gives you more power, but at the expense of recovery and to a less extent control. Since they're defenders they're not as concerned about recovery and their equipment is slower so control is fine too.

 

[Janard]

Oppa Lim Medical TO now. If he still manages to win...

 

[zeio]

15-year-old LIU Ziling has made it through the Women's Singles qualification. She will also compete in the U19 and U15 events at the China Youth Smash, which starts on the 9th. In the first round of the main draw here, she will face Margaryta PESOTSKA (UKR).
View attachment 43602

The next-gen is closing in, along with Jiang Yiyi and Zhu Qihui et al.

P.S.
The future prospect for Harimoto has actually gotten a little mixed after Aichi-Nagoya 2026, when things appeared set for her after WTT CS Macao 2026.

 

[FIXPOINT]

WCQ and LSD withdrawn made two lucky losers.

i thought Chirita lost in qualifying, how did he get into the main draw?

The two lucky losers are CHITARE(ROU) and CHANG(HKG). "WTT_Series & Feeder_Handbook_2026" describes lucky loosers as follows:

a. The LL(s) will be selected among all the players/pairs who lost in the last round of Qualifying or
among all players in the next finishing position in case of Qualifying Group Competition i.e. all players
in 2nd place.
b. If the number of empty spots exceeds the number of players/pairs who lost in the immediate
previous stage, players from the previous Qualifying round / next finishing position in groups (i.e. all
players in 3rd place) who are onsite and confirmed their availability to the WTT Event Supervisor will
be added based on the above conditions.
c. For the Main Draw, the LL(s) will be drawn together with the qualifiers by random to fill in the empty
positions from top to bottom. If there are two or more players/pairs who are unranked the order will
be decided by lot.

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

Miyu you lost but you're still #1 in our heart