Zhu Sibing, Zhou Qihao stun top seeds as Chinese paddlers surge at China Smash

BEIJING, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese qualifier Zhu Sibing continued her giant-killing run at the 2026 WTT China Smash here on Thursday, upsetting fourth-seeded countrywoman Kuai Man in five games to reach her first WTT Grand Smash quarterfinal, while Zhou Qihao swept third seed Tomokazu Harimoto in straight games in the men's singles round of 16.

Zhou Qihao of China hits a return during his men's singles round of 16 match against Harimoto Tomokazu of Japan at the 2026 World Table Tennis (WTT) China Smash in Beijing, China, Oct. 8, 2026. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

Zhu, ranked 134th in the world, defeated Kuai 5-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7 to extend her winning streak to six matches since the qualifying rounds. The 26-year-old had already stunned 13th seed Joo Cheon-hui of South Korea in the round of 64 and edged Chinese Taipei's Chien Tung-Chuan in five games to reach the last 16.

"It was an internal match against Kuai Man, and we are quite familiar with each other because we train together a lot," Zhu said. "We know each other's tactics a bit. Today was indeed my first time beating her, and I had prepared well for the difficulties before the match."

Against Kuai, a two-time WTT Grand Smash finalist, Zhu dropped the opening game but saved two game points in the second to level. She fell behind again in the fourth before coming from 4-8 down to force a decider, which she controlled from start to finish, converting her second of four match points to become the fifth qualifier to reach a WTT Grand Smash women's singles quarterfinal.

Asked how she came back after falling behind, Zhu said: "I think I kept a very good mindset. I haven't beaten her much before, so I went into the match thinking of fighting her and bringing out my best."

Defending champion Wang Manyu also advanced, but was pushed to five games by teammate Shi Xunyao. Wang recovered from a game down to lead 2-1, then saved six game points in the fourth before missing her only match point. Six winners in a row at the start of the fifth gave Wang a perfect start, and while Shi narrowed the gap to 8-7, it was just too little, too late for the challenger.

In other women's singles action, South Korea's Shin Yubin finally beat Japan's Hina Hayata after 10 previous international meetings, while Wang Yidi survived an all-Chinese encounter against Chen Yi and Chen Xingtong ousted another Japanese Satsuki Odo 3-0.

The win sets Shin up for a quarterfinal showdown against Wang Manyu, and Wang Yidi will next meet third seed Miwa Harimoto, the winner over another Chinese, He Zhuojia.

Orawan Paranang, a 101st-ranked Thai who produced the tournament's biggest shock on Wednesday by eliminating world No. 1 Sun Yingsha, failed to repeat her heroic feat, losing in straight games to Honoka Hashimoto.

In the men's singles, Zhou Qihao produced a flawless performance to defeat world No. 3 Harimoto 11-9, 11-8, 11-9, avenging two previous losses to the Japanese star. Zhou came back from 7-9 down to take the opener, a feat he repeated in the third game to seal the win.

"We had played twice before, and I lost both times. I worked on my technical and tactical plan specifically for this opponent before the match, and I executed it from the outset. I think he failed to adapt effectively," Zhou said.

"The first game was crucial. Coming back from 7-9 down to win it had a big impact on the momentum of the match," he added. Zhou will face South Korea's ninth seed Jang Woo-jin in Friday's quarterfinals.

Wen Ruibo was the only other Chinese player left in the men's singles draw, but the 13th seed lost in five games to Sweden's Truls Moregard in the last match of the day.

Also on Thursday, newly-crowned world No. 1 Sora Matsushima of Japan defeated Chinese Taipei's Kuo Guan-Hong 11-6, 5-11, 11-6, 11-4. Kuo had earlier eliminated China's Liang Jingkun in the previous round.

In doubles play, Wen Ruibo and Yuan Licen saw off Singapore pair Izaac Quek and Koen Pang, coming out as the home team's sole representatives in men's doubles semifinals, while Wang Yidi and Jiang Yiyi swept Romania's Bernadette Szocs and Elizabeta Samara 3-0 to seal a women's doubles semifinal berth. Wang Manyu/Kuai Man and Chen Yi/Li Yihui also advanced.

Chinese Taipei's Lin Yun-ju and Cheng I-Ching will vie for the mixed doubles title against Lim Jong-hoon and Shin of South Korea on Friday.