Sun Yingsha hits a return during the women's singles group match between Sun Yingsha of China and Yeh Yi-Tian of Chinese Taipei at the ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup Haikou 2026 table tennis tournament in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Feb. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)
HAIKOU, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- After having spent over a month recuperating from an ankle injury, China's top-ranked paddler Sun Yingsha returned to the court with a straight-games win over Chinese Taipei's Yeh Yi-tian to start her journey at the Asian Cup here on Wednesday.
Sun, the women's singles world No.1, gradually found rhythm to clinch victory over Yeh 11-8, 11-3, 11-7. It was Sun's first match since December 13, when an ankle injury had forced her to pull out of her women's singles semifinal against compatriot Kuai Man at the WTT Finals.
Although she insisted on competing in the mixed doubles final later in the day, Sun was affected by the injury and finished runner-up together with teammate Wang Chuqin.
"I felt excited to come back after recovering. As the ankle injury didn't trouble me any more, I need to examine my competitive state through high-level events," said Sun, 25.
She added, "Actually, I still had some uncertainty before the match, because training and competition are quite different. So I prepared a lot, trying to gradually improve my performance."
The Asian Cup in Haikou, capital of south China's Hainan Province, consists of men's singles and women's singles events. The group stage adopts a round-robin format with 32 players divided into eight groups in each event. The top two players in each group will advance to the knockout stage.
The five-day tournament runs from Wednesday through Sunday. Sun also praised the city's climate and natural surroundings in Haikou.
"We competed in a large venue with loud cheers from the crowd," Sun said. "I've been sleeping well lately. The city makes me feel comfortable and relaxed after training and competition."
Sun added that she is focusing on staying calm as she seeks to progress through the tournament and win her first Asian Cup singles title.
"I told myself not to be over-anxious," she said. "From the group stage to the knockout rounds, I need to gradually adjust and reach my best form." ■
Yeh Yi-Tian serves during the women's singles group match between Sun Yingsha of China and Yeh Yi-Tian of Chinese Taipei at the ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup Haikou 2026 table tennis tournament in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Feb. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Guo Cheng)
Sun Yingsha hits a return during the women's singles group match between Sun Yingsha of China and Yeh Yi-Tian of Chinese Taipei at the ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup Haikou 2026 table tennis tournament in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Feb. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu)
Sun Yingsha serves during the women's singles group match between Sun Yingsha of China and Yeh Yi-Tian of Chinese Taipei at the ITTF-ATTU Asian Cup Haikou 2026 table tennis tournament in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, Feb. 4, 2026. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu)
