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SCMP Sport

Alarm bells were ringing once again for the Chinese men’s team after they returned home empty-handed from the World Table Tennis (WTT) Europe Smash in Sweden on Sunday.
All six of the men’s singles players failed to make it past the third round, marking a step back from results last year when Lin Shidong, the then world No 1, lost in the final to Sweden’s Truls Moregard.
The poor showing in Malmo means Chinese men’s players had failed to reach the singles quarter-finals in three consecutive WTT tournaments, which also included the United States Smash and Champions Yokohama.
Furthermore, the men have failed to win a title across five WTT tournaments, with their last victory coming at the Contender event in Taiyuan when Wen Ruibo triumphed in April.
“In the end, I did see some hope that I could catch up, but I was still a little hesitant. Whether it’s attacking or receiving serves, I didn’t do particularly well,” Lin, who is now ranked world No 6, said after his 3-2 loss to Alexis Lebrun in the round of 16.
The men’s and women’s doubles teams also performed badly at the event.

Lin and Wen were swept aside by eventual winners Alexis and Felix Lebrun in the quarter-finals, while Wang Manyu and Kuai Man lost only their second WTT match in almost two years, to Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi-kem and Pedrey Ng Wing-lam at the same stage.
Chen Yi and Wang Yidi lost to Miwa Harimoto and Hina Hayata of Japan in the last eight.
With the men’s and women’s doubles returning to the Olympics in 2028 for the first time since 2004, improving performance levels remained a problem for the national team to overcome in the Los Angeles Olympic cycle, especially after the focus was more on the singles and mixed doubles in the last two decades.
In the last Asian Games in Hangzhou, no Chinese women’s doubles duo reached the semi-finals, while all Chinese men’s doubles pairs were eliminated by the quarter-finals at the World Championships in Doha in 2025.
Kuai, who was crowned the women’s doubles world champion alongside Wang last year, admitted past victories had masked any issues.
“This loss has made us see the problems more clearly, such as communication on the court,” she said after losing to Hong Kong pair Doo and Ng. “Furthermore, given the different playing styles of the two players, some changes need to be made in our transitions and choices [on the court].”
The victory of mixed doubles pair Lin and Kuai over Hong Kong’s veteran pair Wong Chun-ting and Doo alleviated some pressure.
However, China’s best gold medal hope still rests with the duo Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, though world No 1 mixed doubles pair Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin of South Korea will be their biggest rival.
The male and female world No 1s, Wang and Sun, have not played any WTT matches since the US Smash in June.
Wang is expected to return for the Champions Macau next month, but Sun, as well as Europe Smash women’s singles champion Wang Manyu, is not expected to play again before the Asian Games in Nagoya in September.
World No 2 Wang revealed she will begin a closed-loop training period after she beat compatriot Wang Yidi 4-2 in the Europe Smash final.
“My performance in the first half of the year wasn’t really good, and I was desperate for a title to cheer myself up and gain some confidence,” she said. “I am about to conduct a closed-loop training soon, so I could take a look at my conclusions here and focus on strengthening myself further, and raising my game.”


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World Table Tennis (WTT)

Lin Shidong, who lost in the final last year, only made it to the men’s singles round of 16 this year. Photo: Xinhua

Wang Manyu beat compatriot Wang Yidi in the WTT Europe Smash final. Photo: Xinhua

Hong Kong women's doubles pair Doo Hoi-kem (right) and Ng Wing-lam lost a tight final to Japan's Miwa Harimoto and Hina Hayata at the WTT Europe Smash in Sweden. Photo: Xinhua

Wong Chun-ting (right) and Baldwin Chan lost their final to the Lebrun brothers of France. Photo: Getty Images

The pair of Wong Chun-ting (left) and Doo Hoi-kem are “always a guarantee”, their coach says. Photo: Getty Images

The kids are all right: English Premier League’s youthful heroes shining among game’s elite

Manchester United celebrate their second goal goal against the Hong Kong under-16 team on Sunday. Photo: Karma Lo

Hong Kong’s U16 goalkeeper makes a save against Manchester United Academy in their JC Youth Football Academy Summit match at Mong Kok Stadium. Photo: Karma Lo

Manchester United in a hurry to resume play after drawing level at 1-1 against Hong Kong Photo: Karma Lo

Hong Kong’s U16 team beat Manchester United Academy on penalties. Photo: Karma Lo

The Hong Kong U16 team celebrate after beating the Manchester United side at Mong Kok Stadium. Photo: Karma Lo

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All six players failed to make it past the third round, while Wang Manyu fared better, winning the women’s singles title in Sweden


All six players failed to make it past the third round, while Wang Manyu fared better, winning the women’s singles title in Sweden.


Chinese men’s table tennis team continue to struggle after WTT Europe Smash setback

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}All six players failed to make it past the third round, while Wang Manyu fared better, winning the women’s singles title in Sweden

All six players failed to make it past the third round, while Wang Manyu fared better, winning the women’s singles title in Sweden