China Smash: Hitomi Sato and Miwa Harimoto join Wang Manyu in semis as Lim and Shin win mixed gold

Japan has two players in the last four of the women's singles at the WTT China Smash. Hitomi Sato and Miwa Harimoto won their quarter-finals in Beijing on Friday and join home favourites Wang Manyu and Chen Xingtong in the semi-finals. Also on Friday, South Korea's Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin won the first title of the event. They saved eight championship points before winning the mixed doubles final in five games.

This follows our earlier report on Thailand's Orawan Paranang beating world number one Sun Yingsha in the second round. This piece covers the quarter-finals and the first final.

Sato makes history for defensive players

Sato beat China's Zhu Sibing 11-9, 6-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8. Zhu, ranked 134th in the world, came through qualifying and won six matches in a row, including a win over fourth seed Kuai Man in the last 16. Sato, who plays a defensive chopping style, ended the run. According to WTT coverage reported by Infinity Sport, she is the first chopper to reach a Grand Smash women's singles semi-final.

Harimoto had a harder quarter-final against China's Wang Yidi. She lost the first two games, then won the next four to take the match 4-2.

Wang Manyu and Chen Xingtong keep China's hopes alive

Wang Manyu, the top seed and defending champion, beat South Korea's Shin Yu-bin 11-8, 11-7, 11-3, 11-9 in about half an hour. Chen Xingtong, the seventh seed, also came from two games down. She lost the first two games to Japan's Honoka Hashimoto, the 14th seed, 5-11 and 8-11, then won the next four 11-2, 12-10, 11-3, 11-6. Hashimoto had knocked Paranang out in the last 16, ending the Thai qualifier's run.

China, the host nation, is now down to two players in the women's singles after Sun Yingsha, Kuai Man, Wang Yidi and Zhu Sibing all went out.

Lim and Shin win a classic mixed doubles final

The mixed doubles final went the full five games. Lim and Shin beat Chinese Taipei's Lin Yun-ju and Cheng I-ching, the seventh seeds, 12-14, 11-9, 16-18, 13-11, 11-8. The Koreans were 2-1 down and saved eight championship points in the fourth game, which they won 13-11. They then won the deciding game 11-8.

The Koreans have now won two Grand Smash mixed doubles titles, after their first at the United States Smash earlier in 2026. They also won the WTT Finals in Hong Kong in 2025. Lin and Cheng are still waiting for their first Grand Smash title as a pair.

Women's doubles final is set

The top two seeds will meet in the women's doubles final. Harimoto and Hina Hayata, the first seeds, beat China's Wang Yidi and Jiang Yiyi 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 11-7. Wang Manyu and Kuai Man beat Chen Yi and Li Yihui 11-4, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8. That means Harimoto and Wang Manyu could each win two titles in Beijing.

Beijing is in the same time zone as Malaysia, so start times are the same here. The China Smash ends on Sunday 11 October.

Key takeaways

• Hitomi Sato beat qualifier Zhu Sibing and is the first chopper to reach a Grand Smash women's singles semi-final.
• Miwa Harimoto and Chen Xingtong both came from two games down to win their quarter-finals 4-2.
• Defending champion Wang Manyu beat Shin Yu-bin 4-0.
• Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin saved eight championship points to win the mixed doubles title.
• The women's doubles final is Harimoto and Hayata against Wang Manyu and Kuai Man.

FAQ

Who is in the China Smash women's singles semi-finals? Wang Manyu and Chen Xingtong of China, and Miwa Harimoto and Hitomi Sato of Japan.

What is a chopper in table tennis? A chopper is a defensive player who stands back from the table and returns the ball with heavy backspin. Very few choppers reach the late rounds of top events.

When does the China Smash 2026 end? The tournament at Shougang Park in Beijing ends on Sunday 11 October, when the remaining titles are decided.

Sources: Infinity Sport, IANS, China Daily, CGTN