WTT US Smash Draw Sets Stage for Tournament as Team China Learns Its Path in Los Angeles Olympic Test Event

LAPost | Ontario, California | June 26, 2026 — The official Draw Ceremony for the 2026 WTT US Smash was held Friday morning at Maverick Arena inside the Ontario Convention Centre, officially launching one of the world’s premier table tennis tournaments. With the draw now complete, opening-round matchups, potential blockbuster clashes, and each player’s road to the championship have been determined, marking the beginning of the 2026 US Smash.

As one of the highest-level events on the WTT calendar, the US Smash awards 2,000 ITTF world ranking points to each singles champion, placing it just below the Olympic Games and the World Table Tennis Championships in prestige. Qualification matches will be played on June 26–27, with the main draw beginning on June 28. Champions in all five events will be crowned on July 5.

The Ontario Convention Centre also serves as an important test venue for the table tennis competition at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, giving this year’s tournament added significance in terms of venue operations, competition management, and event organization.

The draw ceremony attracted media from around the world. Team China was represented by men’s team captain Wang Chuqin and rising women’s star Chen Yi, while Team USA was represented by Kanak Jha and Amy Wang. Under the draw format, Wang and Jha conducted the women’s singles draw, while Chen and Wang drew the men’s singles bracket.

The WTT Grand Smash draw follows official WTT and International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) competition regulations, including player confirmation, seed placement, computerized and manual bracket allocation, and qualification draw procedures to ensure fairness and competitive balance.

The women’s singles draw confirmed first-round opponents for seven of China’s eight entrants. World No. 1 Sun Yingsha and World No. 2 Wang Manyu, the tournament’s top two seeds, were automatically placed at the top and bottom halves of the draw, respectively, in accordance with tournament regulations. Third seed Zhu Yuling (Macau, China) was placed in the upper half, while fourth seed Miwa Harimoto of Japan entered the lower half.

Overall, however, Team China’s women’s singles draw presents several challenges. Sun Yingsha, Shi Xunyao, Chen Xingtong, and Qin Yuxuan are all positioned within the same quarter, creating a highly competitive section. Wang Manyu and Kuai Man also find themselves in nearby positions with difficult potential paths.

Wang Yidi, drawn into the second quarter, could face Japan’s Satsuki Odo, defending US Smash women’s singles champion Zhu Yuling, now representing Macau, China, as well as South Korea’s Joo Cheon-hui. Meanwhile, last year’s US Smash women’s singles runner-up Chen Yi has been placed in the third quarter alongside Japanese stars Hina Hayata, Mima Ito, and Miwa Harimoto. Chen will also open her campaign against German defensive specialist Han Ying, making for a particularly demanding start to the tournament.

The distribution of Team China’s women’s singles players and top seeds is as follows:

• Section 1: Sun Yingsha, Shi Xunyao
• Section 2: Sabine Winter (Germany), Qin Yuxuan, Chen Xingtong
• Section 3: Zhu Yuling (Macau, China), Joo Cheon-hui (South Korea)
• Section 4: Satsuki Odo (Japan), Wang Yidi
• Section 5: Chen Yi, Hina Hayata (Japan)
• Section 6: Mima Ito (Japan), Miwa Harimoto (Japan)
• Section 7: Kuai Man, Shin Yu-bin (South Korea)
• Section 8: Honoka Hashimoto (Japan), Wang Manyu

According to WTT officials, the draw ceremony not only determines the opening-round matchups but also officially signals the start of the race for the Grand Smash titles. Highly anticipated China-Japan clashes, potential meetings between world champions, and the performances of Team USA on home soil are expected to be among the tournament’s biggest storylines.

Following the ceremony, representatives from Team China and Team USA exchanged commemorative gifts, posed for group photos, and participated in a friendly exhibition match. The event highlighted the spirit of friendship and international exchange fostered through table tennis while building excitement for the start of the 2026 WTT US Smash.

(By: Richard Ren/LAPost)