(Image of Ma Long : Photo Credit : WTT)
By Pearlyn Koh
Following the success from the WTT Cup Finals held in Singapore last December, the Lion City will once again create history as the first-ever WTT Grand Smash makes its way to Singapore once again this week!
With an attractive total prize pool of US$2 Million - the largest ever seen at an officially sanctioned Table Tennis event, fans can expect some exciting world-class Table Tennis action from 7-20 March. The WTT Singapore Smash will see more than 200 of the world’s best players vying for the final glory, where the singles champions will walk away with $100,000 and 2,000 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Ranking Points!
(Chinese star paddler, Ma Long. Photo Credit : Channel News Asia)
All eyes will be on Golden Grand Slam and world number 2 Ma Long, as he fights to win the Men’s Singles title in Singapore. As one of the most decorated Table Tennis players in history, Ma Long proved to the world why he is the G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time), when he overcame compatriot and world number 1 Fan Zhendong at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, to become the first-ever male player to claim an Olympic Singles Gold medal twice!
The Singapore Smash will be Ma Long’s second international tournament of the year, after he failed to secure a medal at the WTT Macao earlier in January. And that’s after his Quarterfinal loss to team-mate Wang Chuqin.
(Image of Timo Ball : Photo Credit : WTT)
The star-studded WTT Singapore Smash will also feature German legend, Timo Boll! The 40-year-old star will be vying for a medal in the Lion City, following his bronze medal win at the Europe Top-16 event held in Montreux, Switzerland two weeks back.
Timo’s wonderful ball sense and variations in serves makes him a formidable opponent and has brought him several successes! With an exciting career spanning over 20 years, the world number 8 player currently remains as the record-holder for number of European titles won. And at the Tokyo Olympics last year, Timo also led the German Team to score Silver in the Men’s Team event!
(Image of Liang Jingkun : Photo Credit : WTT)
Winner of the recently concluded WTT Muscat, Chinese player Liang Jingkun will be seeking to repeat his Gold medal win in Singapore this week. Just last week, Jingkun won the Men’s Singles event in Muscat, after overcoming Chinese counterpart Lin Gaoyuan 4-1 in the Finals.
This will be the 25-year-old’s third international tournament of the year, following his participation in the WTT Macao and WTT Muscat. Fans can expect some spectacular performances from the world number 5 player, as he seeks to claim his second WTT title in 2022.
(Image of Xu Xin : Photo Credit : WTT)
Joining Ma Long, Timo and Jingkun is the legendary ‘XUperman’, Xu Xin, who will be seeking a Gold-medal win in the Men’s Singles event at the Singapore Smash. One of the very few penholders left in the current Table Tennis scene, the world number 9 player never fails to entertain fans with his spectacular shots.
The 32-year-old player won a Gold and Silver medal each at the Tokyo Olympics, in the Men’s Team and Mixed Doubles events respectively. Xu Xin was also part of the team which helped China win at every World Team Championships since 2010. Fans are certainly in for a treat as the Chinese superstar begins his medal quest in the Men’s Singles event which is slated to begin on 11 March.
Be sure to catch the Live action at the OCBC Arena from 11-20 March via Sistic. And for all event and ticketing details, check out go.gov.sg/wttsingaporesmashticket
Non-ticket holders can also choose to rally and cheer your favourite players by catching the Live broadcasts from 11 Mar onwards on SPOTV (Singtel and StarHub)
Pearlyn Koh has been playing Table Tennis competitively for 9 years. She’s currently a member of the National Team and had represented Singapore at several major tournaments, including the 2018 Asian Games and World Table Tennis Championships. In 2019, Pearlyn was also the sole Southeast Asian player to enter the Top 16 at the Asian Junior & Cadet Table Tennis Championships. During her free time, Pearlyn enjoys reading and catching up with her friends.