WTT CONTENDER TAIYUAN 2025

[pongfugrasshopper]

Good draw for all the Japanese women to make the QF. I think they would be the favorites in each matchup:

Kihara vs. Li Jie
Nagasaki vs. Park Gahyeon
Yokoi vs. Yang Ha Eun
Hashimoto vs. Liu Weishan

 

[ThePongCommenter]

Good win for WRB over SY. I think both players played well but in the end WRB’s power just overwhelmed SY.

Expected result

 

[dingyibvs]

Very good draw for XP. Tough draw, yes, but there's a chance for him to face the top 4 foreigners in the tournament (Karlsson, Lim, Matsushima, and AJH), or whoever beats them. Perfect chance for him to prove that he should be picked for the WTTC after beating LSS, Calderano, and JWJ in Incheon.

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

Very good draw for XP. Tough draw, yes, but there's a chance for him to face the top 4 foreigners in the tournament (Karlsson, Lim, Matsushima, and AJH), or whoever beats them. Perfect chance for him to prove that he should be picked for the WTTC after beating LSS, Calderano, and JWJ in Incheon.

Player's list is already out for the WTTC, and he is on the list:

World Table Tennis

worldtabletennis.com

 

[dingyibvs]

Player's list is already out for the WTTC, and he is on the list:

World Table Tennis

worldtabletennis.com

Nah, that's just the qualified players, China will substitute as they see fit. I highly doubt Xu Yingbin will be going. I do think XP already has a spot, but it's not as secure as LSD, WCQ, and LJK's.

 

[zeio]

R16
Li Jie 1-3 Kihara (-4, 10, -8, -3)
Valiant effort by Li Jie to take 1 game.

 

[zeio]

Player's list is already out for the WTTC, and he is on the list:

World Table Tennis

worldtabletennis.com

The list won't be decided until World Cup 2025 and the selection trial are done.

https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/forum/topics/ittf-wttc-finals-doha-2025-5-17-25.36703/post-518076

 

[zeio]

SXY...

R16
SXY 2-3 Zong Geman (8, -7, -5, 9, -4)
Park Gahyeon 1-3 Nagasaki (9, -5, -10, -3)

YHE 2-3 Yokoi (-7, -10, 9, 7, -9)
G5 25, 65 TO for Yokoi, 66, 79, 99, 911

R16
Karlsson 0-3 XP
G1 108, 1012
G2 08, 18, 211
G3 07, 17, 18, 211
FH step-around never dies.

First blood of CNT drawn. Didn't even take 8 months.
QTY 1-3 ZYL (9, -7, -9, -4)

SXY and LWS the Lost Generation
Kato: IKR?
LWS 0-3 Hashimoto (-5, -3, -5)

WTTC 2019 MS bronze medalist: Where is the silver medalist?
AJH 3-1 XYB (10, -9, 8, 2)

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

Honoka Hashimoto runs right through Liu Weishan 3-0

 

[turbozed]

Looking a lot like a Hashimoto vs ZYL finals.

Really interested in how ZYL handles a chopper. ZYL kinda defensive in her own way using blocks and her opponents power against them. But her consistency and patience means we might see the expedite rule come out again.

 

[zeio]

If ZYL manages to break through the harder top half of the bracket, her odds of getting back into the top 20 next Tuesday are really high.

WR24 this week, up 13 places from the previous.
https://www.ittf.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/2025_15_SEN_WS.html

 

[zeio]

Looking a lot like a Hashimoto vs ZYL finals.

Really interested in how ZYL handles a chopper. ZYL kinda defensive in her own way using blocks and her opponents power against them. But her consistency and patience means we might see the expedite rule come out again.

Like LSW, ZYL eats choppers for breakfast. Don't mistake ZYL for DN and CM.

Even at her lowest of low at the Austrian Open 2018 (where Ito 2-3 DHK in R16), which was right after Swedish Open 2018 (where she lost 0-4 to Ito in F), ZYL still beat Hashimoto 4-3 (8, -8, 9, -11, 10, -10, 10) in R16.

2016 World Tour Grand Finals Highlights: Zhu Yuling vs Han Ying (Final)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlcAUnwH0GI

Zhu Yuling vs Suh Hyo Won | Match Highlights | #WTTIncheon 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0f8EWxKx1c

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

Looking a lot like a Hashimoto vs ZYL finals.

Really interested in how ZYL handles a chopper. ZYL kinda defensive in her own way using blocks and her opponents power against them. But her consistency and patience means we might see the expedite rule come out again.

Those two are probably the favorites to make the finals, but there are chances for others. In the top half, Yokoi actually played ZYL really close at 2024 Feeder Cagliari losing 3-2,11-8. Chen Yi is playing well and has won multiple Feeder tournaments. She also beat Haruna Ojio 3-0 at 2025 Feeder Dusseldorf. I don't see anyone beating Hashimoto in the bottom half. Even compatriot Miyuu Kihara lost 3-0 to Hashimoto in T-League last season.

 

[zeio]

Kihara had a poor season last year because of his dad's incident. But seeing she lost 3-4 after being up 3-2 at the age of 15 at Czech Open 2019 and her 2 wins over Hashimoto in T.League 2021-2022, it won't be an easy ride if Kihara gets past Qin Yuxuan.

 

[KiwiPong]

Kihara had a poor season last year because of his dad's incident. But seeing she lost 3-4 after being up 3-2 at the age of 15 at Czech Open 2019 and her 2 wins over Hashimoto in T.League 2021-2022, it won't be an easy ride if Kihara gets past Qin Yuxuan.

Off topic but what happened to her dad then?

 

[NextLevel]

Kihara had a poor season last year because of his dad's incident. But seeing she lost 3-4 after being up 3-2 at the age of 15 at Czech Open 2019 and her 2 wins over Hashimoto in T.League 2021-2022, it won't be an easy ride if Kihara gets past Qin Yuxuan.

Hashimoto is allowed to get better too, you know. You make it sound like Hashimoto now is the same as Hashimoto in 2019 or even 2022.

 

[Peter93]

Off topic but what happened to her dad then?

卓球・木原美悠の父が教え子へのわいせつ容疑で逮捕！かつて語っていた天才愛娘へのスパルタ指導の中身｜日刊ゲンダイDIGITAL

　卓球界に衝撃が走った。　パリ五輪卓球女子日本代表の木原美悠（20）の父親が、自身が運営、指導する卓球クラ...

www-nikkan--gendai-com.translate.goog

According to Kyodo News, on the 29th, Hyogo Prefectural Police arrested Hiroki Kihara (54) on suspicion of sexually abusing a girl under the age of 16 without her consent.

 

[zeio]

Off topic but what happened to her dad then?

And the court decision in early March.

【兵庫】経営する卓球場内で教え子の女児にわいせつ行為　木原美悠選手の父親に『懲役2年』実刑判決　「性欲満たすために繰り返し犯行」 [ぐれ★]
https://asahi.5ch.net/test/read.cgi/newsplus/1741671586/

 

[zeio]

Hashimoto is allowed to get better too, you know. You make it sound like Hashimoto now is the same as Hashimoto in 2019 or even 2022.

By the same token, Sun Yang is also allowed to get better, too.

The last time Kihara played a chopper was in 2023. If she has come out of her dad's incident, then it won't be an easy ride for Hashimoto. As I've repeated stressed, JNT players are now better than CNT players at playing defenders. It is jumping to conclusions for pongfugrasshopper to say "I don't see anyone beating Hashimoto in the bottom half".

Year	Event	PlayerA	PlayerB	PlayerX	PlayerY	Sub-event	Stage	Round	Result	Games	Winner	Winner
2023	WTTContender,Lima(PER)	BERGSTROMLinda(SWE)		KIHARAMiyuu(JPN)		WS	MainDraw	R16	0-3	8:117:116:11	KIHARAMiyuu

 

[zeio]

QF
ZYL 3-2 Yokoi (8, -12, -9, 3, 1)
The difference in TTQ was on full display after G3.

QF
ZQH 1-3 Matsushima (-4, 12, -9, -6)
For future reference, Matsushima warned of hiding his serve with his non-playing arm, serving at 10:9 of G2.

QF
CY 3-2 Nagasaki (6, 6, -6, -8, 3)