World No 1 Sun Yingsha intends to take home US$100,000, for Women's Singles title at WTT Singapore Smash!

(China's Sun Yingsha won the WTT Cup Finals in Dec 2021 in Singapore. Photo Credit : WTT)

By Pearlyn Koh 

A historic moment for Singapore and World Table Tennis (WTT), as the inaugural WTT Singapore Smash makes its debut in the Lion City.

The WTT Grand Smash forms the foundation of the WTT series, and the Singapore Smash - held from 7-20 March at the OCBC Arena, will be the first of the four new pillars of professional Table Tennis. Featuring some 200 of the world’s best players, fans can certainly expect some spectacular world-class Table Tennis action at the first-ever WTT Singapore Smash!

(World No 1 Sun Yingsha. Image Credit : WTT)

Leading the star-studded Women’s Singles line-up is newly crowned world number 1, Sun Yingsha. At a mere age of 21, the talented Chinese player has already been making waves and creating her own legacy. Her speed and power makes her stand out from other female players, allowing her to become a formidable opponent - even against older players!

Yingsha will be seeking to continue her victory in Singapore, after claiming the Women’s Singles title at the WTT Cup Finals, also held in the Lion City last December. The talented Chinese superstar will be competing in the Women’s Singles and Women’s Doubles events here, alongside partner Wang Manyu. Yingsha will face Germany’s Sabine Winter in the Round of 64 which is slated to take place on 11 March.

(Japan's Ito Mima. Image Credit : WTT)

All eyes will also be on Japanese Table Tennis prodigy, Ito Mima, who will similarly be eyeing for the highest spot on the podium. The world number 3 shocked the world when she won a Gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the Mixed Doubles event with partner Jun Mizutani. And that’s after the duo knocked out Chinese pairing and world champions Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen 4-3 in a battle for the Gold!

At the WTT Singapore Smash though, Mima will compete in the Women’s Singles and Women’s Doubles event, together with partner Hina Hayata. The 21-year-old opens her campaign in Singapore against Germany’s Han Ying, whom Mima has won in their past 3 encounters from 2017 to 2020.

(Hong Kong's Doo Hoi Kem. Image Credit : WTT)

Joining Yingsha and Mima is world number 7 Doo Hoi Kem of Hong Kong. During her last visit to Singapore at the WTT Cup Finals last December, she staged a massive upset after overcoming world champion and world number 4 Wang Manyu in 3 straight games!

This time though, the talented 25 year old is certainly ready to put up some top-notch performances in her pursuit of a podium-finish at the OCBC Arena. Hoi Kem will be competing in all 3 events at the Singapore Smash. Apart from the Women’s Singles, she will also be partnering teammates Wong Chun Ting and Lee Ho Ching, in the Mixed Doubles and Women’s Doubles respectively. Hoi Kem will face Netherland’s Britt Eerland in the opening Round of 64 of the Women’s Singles event.

(China's Liu Shiwen. Image Credit : WTT)

The Women’s Singles Main Draw will also feature reigning world champion and two-time Olympian, Liu Shiwen. The Chinese superstar holds the all-time record of 5 Women’s World Cup titles, won between 2009 and 2019. At the 2019 World Championships, Shiwen made waves when she finally ended her decade-long wait for the Women’s Singles gold medal, after beating teammate Chen Meng in the finals.

Despite being smaller in size by nature, Shiwen’s incredible speed and spin have created much trouble for her opponents. The ex-world number 1 begins her fight for a medal in Singapore against Jeon Jihee of Korea. In all of their past 4 encounters since 2013, it was the Chinese paddler who prevailed.

Event details

Date: 7 to 20 March

Venue: OCBC Arena, Singapore Sports Hub

Tickets: go.gov.sg/wttsingaporesmashticket

Tickets start from $10 for qualifying matches and $18 for main draw matches. All spectators to Singapore Smash 2022 are to abide by the necessary Safe Management Measures. Spectators attending Singapore Smash must be fully vaccinated and submit a negative self-administered ART test result before entry into OCBC Arena. Please visit go.gov.sg/wttsingaporesmashticket for more information.

Non-ticket holders can also choose to rally and cheer your favourite players by catching the Live broadcasts from 11 Mar onwards on SPOTV (Singtel and StarHub)

Pearlyn Koh has been playing Table Tennis competitively for 9 years. She’s currently a member of the National Team and had represented Singapore at several major tournaments, including the 2018 Asian Games and World Table Tennis Championships. In 2019, Pearlyn was also the sole Southeast Asian player to enter the Top 16 at the Asian Junior & Cadet Table Tennis Championships. During her free time, Pearlyn enjoys reading and catching up with her friends.