MACAO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- All six Chinese women paddlers advanced from the group stage at the 2026 ITTF Men's and Women's World Cup in Macao, China on Wednesday, while on the men's side only world No. 1 Wang Chuqin and 19-year-old Wen Ruibo progressed to the last 16.
Wang Chuqin completed the group stage with two 3-0 victories to advance comfortably to the knockout draw. Against Australia's Finn Luu, the world No. 1 pulled away from 5-3 in the opening game before taking it 11-4. The second game was far more tense, with Wang rallying from 4-0 and 6-4 down to claim a narrow 12-10 win. He then stamped his authority on the third, racing to a 7-0 lead and never looking back as he took the game 11-3 and the match 3-0.
"I've never reached a World Cup final before, so going into the second stage I need to adjust my mindset, try to perform to the best of my ability and leave no regrets," said Wang.
Asked whether the new best-of-five group format gives him more room to adapt, he added: "For me, it actually helps to release some of the mental pressure. With a best-of-five format, the result feels more clearly decided, and compared with a four-game system it's much better for my mindset. It gives me a little more room to settle in and make adjustments as the match goes on."
China's 19-year-old Wen Ruibo booked his place in the last 16 with a 3-0 victory over France's Simon Gauzy, winning 11-8, 14-12, 11-9.
Making his World Cup debut, Wen said Gauzy was a player he highly respected and that he came in well prepared for a tough battle. "His level is indeed above mine, so I had no pressure and just went out there to play freely," he said.
But all the other Chinese male paddlers failed to reach the last 16, all losing to German opponents. Chen Yuanyu lost 3-0 to Germany's Dang Qiu, and Liang Jingkun was edged 3-2 by Dimitrij Ovtcharov in the group stage, suffering a second straight defeat and missing out on the last 16. Zhou Qihao lost 3-2 to Patrick Franziska and was also eliminated.
Defending champion and Brazilian star Hugo Calderano, world No. 2 Truls Moregard of Sweden, Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto and Chinese Taipei's Lin Yun-Ju all advanced safely in the men's singles.
On the women's side, world No. 1 Sun Yingsha cruised into the knockout stage with two wins from two group matches. She followed up a 3-0 victory over Chinese Taipei's Li Yu-Jhun Monday with another 3-0 win over Egypt's Dina Meshref in Wednesday's group play.
World No. 2 Wang Manyu also advanced to the women's knockout stage after a 3-0 victory over India's Sreeja Akula, winning 11-8, 11-7, 11-3.
"I think my performance today was normal," Wang said. "In the first game, because my opponent has a special playing style, I needed some time to adapt to her game, and I was a bit tight at the beginning. But after winning the first game, my mindset and my shots both became more relaxed."
China's Chen Xingtong, Wang Yidi, Qin Yuxuan and Kuai Man all advanced to the knockout stage. Chen beat Chinese Taipei's Yeh Yi-Tian 3-0 on the day, while Wang took a 3-1 win over Doo Hoi Kem of Hong Kong, China. The 19-year-old Qin defeated Japan's Hina Hayata 3-1 to advance, while Kuai progressed with a dominant 3-0 win over American Amy Wang.
Japan's Honoka Hashimoto also secured her place in the last 16.
According to the draw released later in the day, Sun will face compatriot Kuai in the round of 16, while Wang Manyu will meet Japan's Mima Ito and Wang Chuqin will face France's Felix Lebrun.
The 2026 ITTF Men's and Women's World Cup runs March 30-April 5 in Macao, with 48 players in each singles draw. Players are split into 16 groups for a best-of-five round-robin phase, with only the group winners advancing to a best-of-seven knockout stage. ■
