WTT Ljubljana: Chinese Team Faces Setbacks with Only 2 Men and 3 Women in Round of 16

event · 2026-06-20

WTT Ljubljana: Chinese Team Faces Setbacks with Only 2 Men and 3 Women in Round of 16

The WTT Ljubljana Star Challenge 2026 has reached the Round of 16, and the Chinese team is facing significant challenges. Out of more than 20 participants, only two men and three women have advanced to this stage of the competition. Compared to the Zagreb leg, the results have been disappointing, with players like Lin Shidong and Chen Yi failing to meet expectations.

Men’s Singles: Only Two Chinese Players Remain

In the men’s singles, the Chinese team has only two representatives left in the competition. The 1/8 finals will feature an all-Chinese clash, with other notable matches including:

Women’s Singles: Three Chinese Players Advance

In the women’s singles, three Chinese players have made it to the Round of 16. The matchups include:

Chen Yi, the 3rd seed, was eliminated after a 1-3 loss (11-9, 11-13, 11-7, 11-8) to Japan’s Kihara Miyuu. Miyuu, who reached the women’s singles final in Ljubljana last year, was confident against Chen Yi, having won their last three encounters. She held her ground and secured a 3-1 victory, marking her fourth consecutive win against Chen Yi.

Miyuu will now face fellow Japanese player Aoki Sachi in the next round. Aoki, a qualifier, has made a name for herself by defeating Bernadette Szocs in a major upset.

Aoki, aged 19, saved four match points in the qualifying rounds against Diya Chitale before defeating Szocs in the Round of 16. She saved a match point in the fourth game and eventually won the match in a thrilling fifth game (11-8, 7-11, 10-12, 13-11, 11-6). Her victory marked her first time advancing to the WTT series’ Round of 16.

In the men’s singles, Alexis Lebrun and Kanak Jha were both eliminated in the round of 32. The 5th seed, Lebrun, twice came from behind to force a decider against Park Gyuhyeon but ultimately lost (11-9, 6-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-6).

Kanak Jha, who recently reached the final of the WTT Skopje Challenge 2026, was defeated by Manush Shah (13-11, 4-11, 11-6, 11-8).

Lin Shidong, the 2nd seed, was eliminated by Yukiya Uda (6-11, 11-9, 17-15, 11-6) in the round of 32. This defeat marked another setback for Lin, who last won a WTT series title 16 months ago at the 2025 Singapore Major. He will need to regain his form before the 2026 US Major.

This loss in Ljubljana is another disappointment for Lin, who was recently eliminated in the round of 16 at the 2026 WTT Zagreb Challenge.

Guo Guan-Hong, the Taiwanese teenage prodigy, continued to make headlines by defeating 8th seed Benedikt Duda (11-7, 11-7, 11-8). After his impressive win against Quadri Aruna in the first round, the 17-year-old has matched his best performance in the WTT Star Challenge. If he defeats Patrick Franziska in the next round, he will advance to his first WTT Star Challenge quarterfinals.

Sabine Winter advanced to the Ljubljana Round of 16 by defeating Miu Hirano 3-1 (11-4, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8). She will face Adriana Diaz in the next round, who eliminated qualifier Xu Yi (13-11, 11-6, 11-7).

The 4th seed, Kuai Man, had a tough start in Ljubljana, defeating Manika Batra 4-0 (11-9, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7). However, the mixed doubles 2nd seed pair, Hugo Calderano and Bruna Takahashi, were not as fortunate, losing to Dang Qiu and Sabine Winter (11-7, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8), resulting in the elimination of the 2026 Singapore Major mixed doubles champions. - Table Tennis Network