World No. 1 Sun Yingsha advances to knockout stage of ITTF World Cup in Macao

MACAO, April 1 (Xinhua) -- World No. 1 Sun Yingsha Wednesday cruised into the knockout stage of the ITTF Women's World Cup in Macao with two wins from two group matches.

She followed up a 3-0 victory over Chinese Taipei's Li Yu-Jhun on Monday with another 3-0 win against Egypt's Dina Meshref in Wednesday's group play.

In the opening game, the 25-year-old Chinese trailed 0-3 and 2-5 before finding her rhythm, reeling off a series of points to turn the score from 6-6 into an 11-6 win. She then raced ahead in the second game, opening up a 6-2 lead and never looking back as she closed it out 11-4. Sun maintained control in the third, surging 6-0 ahead and withstanding a brief fightback from Meshref before sealing the match 11-7.

"I think the arena here in Macao is really big, and all the facilities and setup are excellent. It should rank among the very best in the world," Sun said. "For me, standing on this kind of stage is something I really enjoy, and in such a big venue the lighting design actually makes us more excited and helps us focus on the match."

"Looking ahead to the knockout stage, I believe the 16 players are basically the strongest in the world, and we are close rivals," she added. "So no matter who I face, I just want to focus on myself, give my all and enjoy the match."

China's Chen Xingtong, Wang Yidi also made the knockout stage. Chen beat Chinese Taipei's Yeh Yi-Tian 3-0 on the day while Wang took a 3-1 win over Doo Hoi Kem from Hong Kong, China.

Other Chinese players, including Wang Manyu and Wang Chuqin, will play in the evening session, after which the full knockout line-up will be decided.

The 2026 ITTF Men's and Women's World Cup runs from March 30 to April 5 in Macao, with 48 players in each singles draw. Players are split into 16 groups for a best-of-five round-robin phase, with only the group winners advancing to a best-of-seven knockout stage.