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Wang Chuqin was the latest seed to join the ‘nervous starter’ list, grafting his way to a 4-0 (12-10, 12-10, 11-8, 11-5) win against Aussie teen Aditya Sareen.
Despite the heartbreak of not converting a game point in the first match and watching the second slip away at deuce, Sareen can still take pride in his spirited performance. He repeatedly forced Chuqin onto the backfoot with his speed changes, inducing unforced errors. The match was a great indicator of Sareen’s potential, and the youngster will walk away richer from this experience.
Chuqin, though struggling, did well to keep his focus, and used his experience to pull through the big points, thus starting with a straight set win.
Egyptian legend Omar Assar brought all his experience to the fore, kickstarting his World Cup run with a strong 4-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-6, 11-5) win against fellow African Ylane Batix.
Assar, making his fifth World Cup appearance, quickly settled into a strong rhythm. He started aggressively and maintained relentless momentum, effectively countering the tactical variations thrown at him by Batix. Utilizing a ‘long pimple’ rubber on his backhand, Batix employed a blend of chopping from behind the table and close-range blocking—tactics that Assar navigated with smart, adaptable play.
“First match is always the hardest, but I am glad I played in a strong and decisive manner. I know him (Batix) very well, so knew it would be a good match. It was a challenging match to prepare for as well, and I trained with Manika Batra earlier because she has a similar style of play from her backhand side. I am happy that my preparation worked”, said Assar.
World No. 7 Kuai Man got over the line against Zhu Chengzhu in her opening fixture, winning 3-1 (11-6, 11-5, 8-11, 11-5).
Man, making her second appearance at the World Cup, enjoyed a strong start, racing to a 2-0 lead. A lapse in focus cost her third game, but that only proved to be a blip in an otherwise flawless performance.
With this win, Man maintains her 100% win record against Chengzhu, extending her dominance in this matchup.
Lin Gaoyuan began his campaign with a shaky 3-1 (11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8) win against Ovidiu Ionescu.
The ‘Dark Knight’, as he is popularly known amongst fans, had to dig deep after finding himself in all sorts of trouble at 1-1, with the experienced Ionescu targeting his midsection repeatedly to great effect.
However, Gaoyuan managed to use his serves to great effect, using them as a setup to target Ionescu’s wide forehand side and eventually sealing a win amidst roars of encouragement from the crowd.
Japanese sensation Miwa Harimoto joins her sibling Tomokazu in the winning column, winning comfortably against Mariam Alhodaby.
Despite a spirited showing from Mariam, Harimoto proved too strong and consistent, with the final score line being 4-0 (11-5, 11-5, 11-5, 11-3)
Tomokazu Harimoto, in front a raucous crowd, put on a blitzkrieg performance, blazing past Mohamed Elbeiali 4-0, including a ‘bagel’ in the second game.
Harimoto did not hold back anything in his arsenal, as Elbeiali managed to win only a total of 11 points in four games. The final scoreline was 11-6, 11-0, 11-4, 11-1.
Bruna Takahashi and Bernadette Szocs also got off to winning starts, winning both their matches 4-0.
Bruna breezed past Giret Maylis 11-6, 11-4, 11-3, 11-3 in a highly uneven contest.
“It was nice to get off to a good start, and am glad to win 4-0. I am still very much getting used to the hall and conditions. I will work with my coach to prepare for my next match against Manika Batra. She has a different style of play (long pimpled backhand rubber), and I will need to play a lot more balls on the table”, reflected Takahashi.
Bernadette had a more competitive encounter, winning 11-6, 11-1, 12-10, 11-3 against upcoming teenager Constantina Psihogios.
“I was highly focused as it was my first match. She (Constantina) is a young player with a bright future, so I was mentally prepared. I love being here in Macau, and will keep trying to give my best. I had to fight really hard in the third game, as my opponent played her best. I was down a few game points but wanted to win 4-0, so kept fighting and managed to win” , said Szocs.
Coincidentally, both Takahashi and Szocs take on Indian opponents in their next matches, facing Manika Batra and Sreeja Akula respectively for a place in the knockouts.
World No. 4 Chen Xingtong overcame a significant scare to secure a 3-1 win (9-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-8) against Lee Eunhye.
In her first match of this year’s World Cup, Xingtong got off to a shaky start, dropping the first game before dominating the next two. She found herself trailing 6-8 in the fourth game—with a 2-2 standstill favoring Sabine Winter’s group qualification— but she regrouped quickly. Energized by crowd support and using her consistent stroke play, Xingtong clinched five consecutive points to wrap up the match.
Jang Woojin began his campaign with a nervy 4-0 (11-8, 12-10, 11-9, 11-6) win over Eric Jouti.
Jouti managed to cause a few problems, even leading 10-6 in the second game, but Woojin dug deep to eventually find some rhythm and close out the match.
Satsuki Odo gets Day 2 off to a flyer, with a solid performance to defeat Maria Xiao 4-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-4, 11-2).
Day 2 of the ITTF World Cup is set to kick off at 09:30 CST, as the excitement builds further for Stage 1 (group stages of the tournament).
Day 2 sees the Top 16 seeds entering the fray in both the Men’s and Women’s singles. Kicking off the session, Jang Woojin (World Rank 12) is set to challenge Eric Jouti, while Satsuki Odo (World Rank 8) will take on Maria Xiao.
