{"id":82283,"date":"2026-07-04T11:50:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-04T18:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=82283"},"modified":"2026-07-04T11:50:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T18:50:11","slug":"lim-jonghoon-and-shin-yubin-claim-mixed-doubles-crown-as-us-smash-2026-delivers-another-day-of-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lapost.us\/?p=82283","title":{"rendered":"LIM JONGHOON AND SHIN YUBIN CLAIM MIXED DOUBLES CROWN AS US SMASH 2026 DELIVERS ANOTHER DAY OF DAMAGE"},"content":{"rendered":"

FIRST TITLE DECIDED IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AS ZHU YULING, TOMOKAZU HARIMOTO<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

AND HUGO CALDERANO FALL BEFORE THE SINGLES QUARTERFINALS<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

ONTARIO, CALIF., JULY 4, 2026 \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0Day 6 at\u00a0US Smash 2026<\/a>\u00a0came with the first title of the week, the full weight of a Grand Smash Final, and another reminder that nobody is safe once the draw reaches the sharp end.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Lim Jonghoon and Shin Yubin (Photo by Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Mixed Doubles crowns were decided inside Maverick\u00a0\u2606\u00a0Arena, where\u00a0Lim Jonghoon<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Shin Yubin<\/a>\u00a0defeated\u00a0Wang Chuqin<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Sun Yingsha<\/a>\u00a03-2 (11-9, 6-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8)<\/a>\u00a0to become the first champions of US Smash 2026.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

(Photo by Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/p><\/div>\n

It was a final that refused to follow convention. Lim and Shin struck first, Wang and Sun answered by taking the next two games, and suddenly the sport\u2019s two Singles World No.1s looked ready to turn their headline pairing into a title run. But the top seeds did not fold. They forced the match into a decider, stayed braver in the closing exchanges, and converted championship point at 10-8 in the fifth to seal the crown.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Lim Jonghoon and Shin Yubin (Photo by Richard Ren\/LAPost)<\/p><\/div>\n

For Lim and Shin, the title closes a run built on pressure, chemistry and redemption. Twelve months ago in Las Vegas, they reached the US Smash Final and left one match short of the title. In Southern California, they came back, held their nerve against one of the most talked-about pairings in the draw, and turned last year\u2019s unfinished business into the first title of US Smash 2026.<\/p>\n

\n

While Mixed Doubles delivered the first champions of the week, Singles kept ripping up the script.<\/p>\n

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MEN\u2019S SINGLES DRAW HEADS INTO THE DANGER ZONE<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

The Men\u2019s Singles Round of 16 has become a danger zone for headline names, and Day 6 added two more major exits to a draw already shaken by\u00a0Wang Chuqin<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Lin Shidong<\/a>\u2019s departures on Day 5.<\/p>\n

\n

Vladimir Sidorenko<\/a>\u00a0produced one of the biggest results of the event so far, taking down\u00a0Tomokazu Harimoto<\/a>\u00a03-0 (11-8, 13-11, 11-8)<\/a>. Sidorenko has quietly built one of the most ruthless runs in Southern California: first\u00a0Horacio Cifuentes<\/a>, then\u00a0Benedikt Duda<\/a>, and now the No.2 seed Harimoto, all without dropping a game. Against Harimoto, there was nothing quiet about the statement. Sidorenko took the opener 11-8, edged a tight second 13-11, then finished the job 11-8 to remove one of the title favourites from the draw.<\/p>\n

\n

His Quarterfinal opponent will be\u00a0Hiroto Shinozuka<\/a>, who landed a major hit of his own by beating\u00a0Hugo Calderano<\/a>\u00a03-1 (4-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-3)<\/a>. Calderano carried huge weight in the Americas as one of the sport\u2019s biggest global names and a headline player for fans across the region, but Shinozuka flipped the match after dropping the opening game, taking the next three 11-9, 11-6, 11-3. After beating\u00a0Liam Pitchford<\/a>\u00a0in the opening round and surviving\u00a0Wen Ruibo<\/a>\u00a0in the Round of 32, Shinozuka has now added Calderano to a run that looks more dangerous with every match.<\/p>\n

\n

That sets up one of the sharpest Quarterfinals on Day 7: Sidorenko against Shinozuka. One player has taken out Harimoto. The other has taken out Calderano. Only one gets to keep the run alive.<\/p>\n

\n

Jang Woojin<\/a>\u00a0also moved through, beating\u00a0Yukiya Uda<\/a>\u00a03-1 (9-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8)<\/a>\u00a0to reach the Quarterfinals. Jang\u2019s path has been built on control under pressure, from his five-game win over\u00a0Patrick Franziska<\/a>\u00a0in the Round of 32 to a cleaner finish against Uda.\u00a0Truls Moregard<\/a>\u00a0ended\u00a0Kanak Jha<\/a>\u2019s home-soil surge, beating the American\u00a03-1<\/a>\u00a0to close out the remaining Men\u2019s Singles Round of 16 slot. Jha had already given US Smash one of its loudest home moments by taking down\u00a0Shunsuke Togami<\/a>\u00a0earlier in the draw, and he hit back hard in the second game against Moregard to keep the crowd alive. But the No.3 seed steadied the match, took control of the third, then held off Jha\u2019s late push in the fourth to close it\u00a011-3, 6-11, 11-5, 11-9<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

The confirmed Men\u2019s Singles Quarterfinal line-up is now loaded.\u00a0Anders Lind<\/a>, the player who removed defending champion Wang Chuqin, will face\u00a0Sora Matsushima<\/a>, who has yet to drop a game in the event. Felix Lebrun meets Alexis Lebrun in an all-French Quarterfinal carrying family history, national attention and a guaranteed French player in the Semifinals.\u00a0Hiroto Shinozuka<\/a>\u00a0faces Vladimir Sidorenko in a clash of giant-killers, while Jang Woojin meets Truls Moregard in a match built for chaos.<\/p>\n

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WOMEN\u2019S SINGLES DEFENDING CHAMPION EXITS<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Women\u2019s Singles brought its own championship-level shock.<\/p>\n

\n

Zhu Yuling<\/a>, the defending US Smash champion and one of the defining stories of the 2025 edition in Las Vegas, is out. Last year, Zhu\u2019s title run became a comeback story that travelled far beyond the scoreboard, capped by a fightback from 0-2 down against\u00a0Chen Yi<\/a>\u00a0in the Final. This year, her defence ended in the Round of 16 as\u00a0Joo Cheonhui<\/a>\u00a0delivered a\u00a03-0 (11-4, 11-8, 15-13)<\/a>\u00a0win that hit hard across the draw.<\/p>\n

\n

Joo gave Zhu no time to settle, taking the opening game 11-4, then holding firm as the match tightened, closing 11-8, 15-13. For Zhu, the title defence ends before the Quarterfinals. For Joo, it is a massive step into the last eight, where she will face\u00a0Wang Yidi<\/a>\u00a0next.\u00a0Sun Yingsha<\/a>\u00a0continued her march with a\u00a03-0 (11-8, 11-3, 11-5)<\/a>\u00a0win over\u00a0Dina Meshref<\/a>, keeping the top seed on course after earlier wins over\u00a0Yangzi Liu<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Nina Mittelham<\/a>. Her next test will be\u00a0Chen Xingtong<\/a>, who moved past\u00a0Qin Yuxuan<\/a>\u00a0in straight games\u00a0(11-2, 11-5, 11-5)<\/a>. That Quarterfinal gives the Women\u2019s Singles draw a heavyweight all-China clash, with Sun\u2019s top-seed authority meeting Chen\u2019s clean, controlled progression through the draw.<\/p>\n

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Wang Yidi<\/a>\u00a0also had to walk through fire to reach the Quarterfinals, surviving\u00a0Sakura Yokoi<\/a>\u00a03-2<\/a>\u00a0in one of the tightest Women\u2019s Singles battles of the day. Yokoi, already one of the breakout wildcard stories of the draw, pushed Wang to the edge after turning the match around from a game down. But Wang found her response when it mattered, taking the fourth and then holding her nerve in the decider to close out a\u00a015-13, 11-13, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9<\/a>\u00a0win.<\/p>\n

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The confirmed Women\u2019s Singles Quarterfinal line-up is now loaded. Sun Yingsha faces Chen Xingtong in an all-China clash between two players moving through the draw with cold control, while Joo Cheonhui meets Wang Yidi after sending defending champion Zhu Yuling out of US Smash and watching Wang survive Sakura Yokoi in a five-game fight.\u00a0Hina Hayata<\/a>\u00a0meets\u00a0Miwa Harimoto<\/a>\u00a0in an all-Japan showdown after both delivered statement 3-0 wins, while\u00a0Kuai Man<\/a>\u00a0takes on\u00a0Hitomi Sato<\/a>\u00a0in a sharp style clash between speed, aggression and one of the most dangerous wildcard runs of the event.<\/p>\n

\n

While Singles continued to bleed big names, the Men\u2019s and Women\u2019s Doubles events finished loading up for Independence Day.<\/p>\n

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FOURTH OF JULY DOUBLES FIREWORKS LOADING<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

In Men\u2019s Doubles, top seeded pair\u00a0Lin Shidong<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Huang Youzheng<\/a>\u00a0are into the Final after a\u00a03-0<\/a>\u00a0win over\u00a0Benedikt Duda<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Dang Qiu<\/a>. It was a clean, ruthless Semifinal performance, with the Chinese pair taking it\u00a011-7, 11-8, 11-6<\/a>\u00a0to book their place in Saturday\u2019s title match.<\/p>\n

\n

They will face\u00a0Wen Ruibo<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Yuan Licen<\/a>, who came through the lower half with a\u00a03-0 (12-10, 11-8, 11-7)<\/a>\u00a0win over\u00a0Lin Yun-Ju<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Feng Yi-Hsin<\/a>. That gives the Men\u2019s Doubles Final an all-China finish on the Fourth of July, with Lin and Huang\u2019s top-seed firepower meeting a pair that has cut through the draw with increasing authority.<\/p>\n

\n

Women\u2019s Doubles will bring a different kind of headline to Saturday\u2019s title session.<\/p>\n

\n

Wang Manyu<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Kuai Man<\/a>\u00a0sealed their place in the Final after beating\u00a0Wang Yidi<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Chen Yi<\/a>\u00a03-0 (11-7, 11-6, 16-14).<\/a>\u00a0The matchup carried a strong US Smash thread, with the top seeded pair having won the Women\u2019s Doubles title together in Las Vegas last year before standing on opposite sides of the table in Southern California. This time, Kuai moved forward with Wang Manyu.<\/p>\n

\n

Waiting for them are\u00a0Miwa Harimoto<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Hina Hayata<\/a>, giving the Women\u2019s Doubles Final a heavyweight China-Japan edge and another major title moment for Hayata and Harimoto, who are also still alive in the Singles draw.<\/p>\n

\n

With the first champions crowned, Singles Quarterfinals now locked in across key sections, and both Doubles Finals landing on Independence Day, US Smash 2026 is charging straight into a Grand Smash Finals weekend full of fireworks.<\/p>\n

\n

US Smash 2026 continues through 5 July at the Ontario Convention Center in Southern California. Tickets are available now at\u00a0ussmash.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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