National Championships Doubles Qualifying Opens: Sun Wen/Hu Chang Win in Straight Sets; Leng Yutong/Guo Yan Survive a Thriller
The 2026 China National Table Tennis Championships doubles competition officially opened on July 13 with qualifying rounds in Changsha.
Men’s Doubles Qualifying Round 1
Jiangsu Li-Ning pair Sun Wen/Hu Chang beat Guizhou’s Deng Haipeng/Cui Zhiyao 3-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-6).
Sun Wen said: “It’s our first time partnering and also Hu Chang’s first National Championships. I thought our combination was actually quite solid — more in sync than I expected.” Hu Chang: “We prepared for the difficult scenarios. Tactically we focused on minimizing errors and fighting for every point.” Sun attributed the 3-0 win to rhythm control: “Our opponents had one chopper and one attacker, which creates awkward tempo. We handled the adjustment well.” Their next opponents are Min Ming/Yu Yiyong.
Women’s Doubles Qualifying Round 1
Sichuan pair Leng Yutong/Guo Yan came through with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Shaanxi’s Yang Chunzi/Zong Cong. The match was a thriller — Leng/Guo led twice but were caught, before holding on 11-7 in the decider.
Leng Yutong: “Today was our first match. We moved the ball well and prepared carefully, but opponents also played very well — that’s why it was so tight. We gave everything and came through 3-2.” Guo Yan: “It’s the first match — we both need to find our rhythm.”
On turning it around: “Opponents had variations at the start. We were making too many errors in serve-receive. From mid-game we cut down errors and adjusted our first-three-ball tactics.” Next match: Shanghai Real Estate Group pair Chang Lingfei/Liao Xiaoqing.
Mixed Doubles Qualifying Round 1
Cross-unit pair Long Yu (Guangdong Men’s Second Team)/Wang Yuan (Shanghai Real Estate Group Women’s First) swept Hebei’s Liang Yanning/Zang Xiaotong 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-4).
Long Yu: “We kept a very calm mindset. Opponents were actually stronger overall, so we fought point by point. After winning the first game our momentum and confidence grew.” Wang Yuan: “My partner played really well and kept lifting me up. Long Yu had good quality and a high success rate. My job was to keep my own consistency.”
This was their first time pairing together. Wang Yuan: “First time at such a major competition — I thought it was excellent. We had great energy. Everything we’d planned came off, even better than normal practice sessions. This is a really strong start.”
Cross-unit pair Zhao Zihao (Shanghai)/Ma Xiaohui beat Heilongjiang’s Wang Xinrui/Tong Ziyuan 3-1. Ma Xiaohui: “We hit some difficulties mid-match but kept adjusting. The ball felt floaty at first with a strange rhythm — once we adapted it got much better.” Zhao Zihao: “Penhold play is really rare now. From this match I can see they have a very distinctive style and a lot of potential.” Next: Yu Haiyang/Yan Yutong.