Lin Shidong Photo: VCG

The WTT Champions Macao 2025 kicked off its opening round on Tuesday. Defending champion Lin Shidong of China defeated Chinese Taipei's Kao Cheng-Jui 3:0 to advance to the round of 16. On the same day, China's Wang Chuqin defeated Japan's 18-year-old rising star Sora Matsushima 3-1.    

"In this match, I studied his opening three strokes more thoroughly than last year," Lin told the media after the match. "I felt that his leg injury hadn't fully recovered, and he couldn't move on some balls. Most importantly, I just focused on playing my own game," Lin said.

Team China's first match in the tournament's men's singles was the second match of the day, with Chinese player Huang Youzheng defeated by Nigeria's Quadri Aruna 0:3.

On the women's side, Wang Yidi opened her campaign with a 3-0 victory over Kuan Cheok Lam of China's Macao. 

"I think this was my first time playing against this young player from Macao, so we didn't know each other very well," Wang Yidi told the media after the match. "Her main weapon is a backhand with pips, and her backhand is relatively heavy, so that side is a bit stronger."

China's Sun Yingsha will begin her campaign on Wednesday against 19-year-old Welsh player Anna Hursey. Currently ranked No.75 in the world, Hursey has made her mark in junior and secondary tour events, capturing both a WTT U19 (under-19) singles title and a senior singles championship despite her relatively low ranking.

In the latest ITTF world rankings released on August 26, Sun's victory at the WTT European Grand Smash in Sweden earned her 2,000 points, bringing her total to 12,200. She thus became the first player in table tennis history to surpass the 12,000-point mark, once again extending her own record.

According to the latest ITTF world rankings, China's national table tennis team continues to dominate the global standings. In men's singles, Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin hold the top two spots, with Liang Jingkun ranked sixth and Xiang Peng ninth. In women's singles, Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Chen Xingtong, Kuai Man, and Wang Yidi occupy the entire top five.

Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin holding the top two spots shows that the generational transition within China's training system is progressing smoothly, Beijing-based sports commentator Guo Ai told the Global Times on Tuesday.

"The fact that Lin, at just 19, can secure the world No.1 position proves that young players already have the ability to establish themselves on the international stage," Guo said.

"The women's singles are even more extreme, with the top five all occupied by Chinese players. That kind of near-total dominance is almost unheard of in international sports. At the Macao Champions, as long as China's main players perform to their normal level without major lapses in handling key points or physical conditioning, the team will still hold a huge advantage."

The WTT Champions Macao 2025 is taking place from Tuesday to Sunday. Under the competition format, the Champions Series features only men's and women's singles events. The early rounds are being played in a best-of-five format, while matches from the quarterfinal stage onward switch to best-of-seven.

The Champions Series is WTT's premier singles competition. Three stops have already been held this year in Chongqing (China), Incheon (South Korea), and Yokohama (Japan). Following the Macao leg, the final two events will take place in France and in Germany.