China's Table Tennis Stars Shine in US Grand Slam Qualifiers
The US Grand Slam qualifiers have kicked off with strong performances from China’s top players. Huang Youzheng and Xue Fei have both secured victories in their opening matches, setting up exciting third-round encounters.
Huang Youzheng, who received a first-round bye, defeated Italian player John Oyebode 3-0 in the second round with a score of 1-5, 12-10, 11-9. His next opponent will be Hong Kong’s CHAN Baldwin. 
Earlier, Xue Fei, playing with a traditional penhold grip, dominated his first-round match against Indian player Snehit Suravajjula, winning 3-0 with scores of 11-7, 11-9, 11-7. Xue Fei’s third-round opponent will be German player Ricardo Walther. 
Both Chinese players have performed solidly, leaving no room for upsets in their respective matches. 
The qualifiers have also seen some surprising results. Nikhil Kumar, a local Californian player, caused an upset by defeating Hong Kong’s Lam Siu Hang 3-1, with scores of 9-11, 11-7, 14-12, 13-11. 
Kumar, playing in his first WTT Grand Slam, showed great resilience after losing the first game. He quickly regrouped and took the second game, then saved four match points in the third to take the lead. In the crucial fourth game, Kumar staged a remarkable comeback from 6-10 down to win the match, drawing loud cheers from the crowd at the Ontario Convention Center. 
Another notable result was John Oyebode’s victory over Luka Mladenovic. Oyebode won 3-1 with scores of 16-18, 11-6, 11-8, 11-6. Mladenovic, who had previously reached the last 32 at the 2025 European Grand Slam in Sweden, was unable to overcome Oyebode, who had the upper hand in their previous encounter. This victory marks Oyebode’s first win at the WTT Grand Slam level. 
In the women’s singles, Zauresh Akasheva made headlines by defeating Christina Kallberg 3-2. Akasheva, who saved a match point in the fourth game, won the match with scores of 11-9, 3-11, 5-11, 13-11, 11-3. This victory marks her first win at the WTT Grand Slam level since the 2023 Singapore Grand Slam. 
