Sora Matsushima, 19, fights back to beat Lin Yun-ju 4-3 and win China Smash men's singles in Beijing

Japan's Sora Matsushima capped a remarkable week in Beijing on Sunday, 11 October, by beating Chinese Taipei's Lin Yun-ju 4-3 in the men's singles final of WTT China Smash. The 19-year-old, who had only just risen to world No. 1, trailed three games to two before winning the last two games. This follows on from our earlier report on Zhou Qihao's run to the semi-finals, which ended against Matsushima on the final day.

A seven-game final

Matsushima made the stronger start, taking the first two games. Lin then found his rhythm and won three in a row to move within one game of the title. Matsushima held his nerve, levelled the match at 3-3 and edged the seventh game 11-9 to close out the win, according to the game-by-game scores reported by Infinity Sport.

The final was played in the evening session at Shougang Park. Beijing shares the same time zone as Malaysia, so fans here could follow the whole finals day live at local time.

Under the event's published prize breakdown, the men's singles champion takes home US$135,000 and the runner-up US$68,000.

The semi-finals

Both men's semi-finals were played earlier on Sunday. Matsushima beat China's Zhou Qihao 4-2, ending the home challenge in the men's singles. Zhou had been one of the stories of the week, reaching his first Grand Smash semi-final.

In the other semi-final, Lin needed the full seven games to get past Brazil's Hugo Calderano, which meant he went into the final having already played a long match on the same day.

A second Grand Smash title for Matsushima

This is Matsushima's second WTT Grand Smash title. His first came at United States Smash earlier in 2026, where he beat Vladimir Sidorenko 4-2 in the final. Born on 29 April 2007, he has also won the All Japan Championships men's singles in both 2025 and 2026.

With Zhou out in the semi-finals, no Chinese man reached the final at China's home Grand Smash.

For Lin, it is another painful near miss. The Chinese Taipei star has been one of the most consistent players on the WTT tour but is still waiting for his first Grand Smash singles title.

Rest of the China Smash finals

The women's singles title went to Wang Manyu, who retained her crown with a 4-0 win over Japan's Hitomi Sato. Wang also kept the women's doubles title with Kuai Man, while South Korea's Lim Jong-hoon won two doubles titles, the mixed with Shin Yu-bin and the men's with Oh Jun-sung. According to Xinhua, China won two of the five titles on offer.

Key takeaways

• Sora Matsushima beat Lin Yun-ju 4-3 in the China Smash men's singles final on 11 October 2026.
• Matsushima won the first two games, lost the next three, then won the last two.
• He beat home player Zhou Qihao 4-2 in the semi-finals, while Lin beat Hugo Calderano in seven games.
• It is Matsushima's second WTT Grand Smash title of 2026, after United States Smash.
• The singles champion's prize is US$135,000.

FAQ

Who won the China Smash 2026 men's singles? Japan's Sora Matsushima, who beat Lin Yun-ju of Chinese Taipei 4-3 in the final in Beijing on 11 October 2026.

How old is Sora Matsushima? He is 19. He was born on 29 April 2007.

Did any Chinese player reach the men's final? No. Zhou Qihao was the last Chinese man left and lost 4-2 to Matsushima in the semi-finals.

Sources: Xinhua, China Daily, Butterfly, Infinity Sport, Wikipedia