On August 14 (Beijing time), the WTT European Grand Smash in Sweden gets underway. Sixteen Chinese players will compete, though Olympic champion Wang Chuqin is absent. Top stars Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu lead the squad, while mainstays Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan return after skipping the recent WTT Yokohama Champions. The draw sets up possible clashes with Tomokazu Harimoto, Hugo Calderano, Zhu Yuling, Miu Harimoto, Hina Hayata, and other big names.
📌 Why This Event Matters
The WTT Grand Smash is the highest-tier event on the ITTF tour, equal in importance to the Olympics and World Championships, with a 2,000-point reward for the champion — double that of a WTT Champions event.
🇨🇳 Team China Lineup
Men’s Singles: Lin Shidong, Liang Jingkun, Xiang Peng, Lin Gaoyuan, Chen Yuanyu, Wen Ruibo
Women’s Singles: Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Chen Xingtong, Wang Yidi, Kuai Man, Chen Yi, Shi Xunyao, Qian Tianyi, He Zhuojia
Men’s Doubles: Lin Shidong/Huang Youzheng, Liang Jingkun/Wen Ruibo
Women’s Doubles: Sun Yingsha/Wang Manyu
Mixed Doubles: Lin Shidong/Kuai Man
Compared to Yokohama, the squad adds Liang Jingkun (back from injury), Lin Gaoyuan (qualified due to larger draw), Qian Tianyi, He Zhuojia, and young gun Wen Ruibo, who earned a host wildcard in men’s doubles.
🌍 International Contenders
Men’s Side
Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN) — fresh off Yokohama win over Xiang Peng and Wang Chuqin.
Hugo Calderano (BRA) — reigning World Cup champ & WTTC runner-up; skipped Yokohama but dominated in South America.
Other threats: Dang Qiu, Ovtcharov, Duda, Franziska (GER); Moregard, Källberg (SWE); Alexis & Simon Lebrun (FRA); Togami, Matsushima (JPN); Jang Woojin, Ahn Jaehyun, Oh Junsung, Lee Sangsu (KOR); Darko Jorgić (SLO); Lin Yun-Ju (TPE).
Women’s Side
Zhu Yuling (MAC) — WTT USA Grand Smash champion.
Japan’s Miu Harimoto, Mima Ito, Satsuki Odo, Honoka Hashimoto, Hina Hayata, Miyu Nagasaki.
Korea’s Shin Yubin, Joo Cheon-hee; Taiwan’s Cheng I-Ching; Romania’s Bernadette Szocs.
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🔍 Event Outlook
Women’s singles: China holds the edge, but depth from Japan and Korea keeps the field dangerous.
Men’s singles: Much stiffer test; both Harimoto and Calderano are in top form.
Doubles:
Mixed — Lin Shidong/Kuai Man are favorites.
Women’s — Sun Yingsha/Wang Manyu have strong title chances.
Men’s — Two Chinese pairs, but recent struggles (six straight non-junior events without a title) make it an uphill climb.
Schedule Note: No Chinese players in the first three days of qualifiers. Main draw debut expected Aug 17 evening or early Aug 18 (Beijing time).
If you want, I can prepare a full bracket preview showing all possible China vs. foreign clashes in each event, so you can see exactly where the danger matches lie.
