Defending Singapore Smash champions FAN Zhendong and CHEN Meng are ready and eager to do battle to retain their singles crowns while Singapore’s table tennis players are also raring to do the home fans proud as the main draw starts on Saturday. Singapore Smash spectators can expect some tantalising clashes from 11-19 March after the singles draw ceremony took place in the Infinity Arena on Thursday at the Singapore Sports Hub’s OCBC Arena.
Table tennis fans can also anticipate a thrilling opening round clash between former world youth champion XIANG Peng of China and Japanese star Tomokazu HARIMOTO. Other first-round matches to watch include multiple Olympic medalist Kasumi ISHIKAWA of Japan taking on tricky Brazilian Bruna TAKAHASHI in the women’s singles and China’s up and coming LIN Shidong facing Swedish Kristian KARLSSON in the men’s singles. The winner of the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup Darko JORGIC of Slovenia will play against Andrej GACINA of Croatia.
In the women’s singles world No. 3 WANG Yidi of China opens against Romanian world No. 32 Bernadette SZOCS. CCB Europe Top 16 Cup semi finalists Nina MITTELHAM of Germany will play against other semifinalists SHAI Jieni of Portugal.
 Germans QIU Dang and Patrick FRANZISKA to face England’s Liam PITCHFORD and Sweden’s Mattias FALCK in their respective singles openers.
