Japan's Harimoto Miwa wins WTT Singapore Smash title as China's Qian Tianyi falls to Zhang Ben Meiheng

The 2024 WTT Singapore Smash saw a surprise upset in the Women’s Singles Semi-Final as China’s 16-year-old rising star Qian Tianyi was defeated 2-4 by her more experienced teammate Zhang Ben Meiheng. Despite showing flashes of brilliance and pushing Zhang to the limit, the teenager was unable to overcome the 8-year age gap and experience difference.

Zhang, a quarter-finalist at the 2004 Olympics, used her strong backhand and steady play to neutralize Qian’s dynamic attacking style. After splitting the first four games, Zhang pulled away in the final two to close out the match. A visibly emotional Qian was seen crying after the loss, a testament to how much the result meant to her.

In the other semi-final, Japan’s 16-year-old Harimoto Miwa, dubbed by some as “The Japanese Chen Meng” for her playing style, scored a convincing win to set up a finals showdown with Zhang. Harimoto went on to defeat Zhang become the surprise champion in her WTT Singapore Smash debut.

Qian’s loss and Harimoto’s subsequent title highlighted the increasing depth of Japanese table tennis and raised concerns about the state of China’s national team, traditionally the dominant force in the sport. With Zhang and Ding Ning, the 2008 Olympic silver medalist, being the only two Chinese players to reach the semi-finals, questions are being asked about the strength of the next generation.

Chinese table tennis legend Ma Lin, now a successful coach, noted the historical strength of the Japanese team, with players like Fukuhara Ai, Hirano Miu and Zhang Ben Meiheng focusing their preparations on beating China’s Olympic champion Sun Yingsha in the past. In comparison, China has struggled to find consistent challengers apart from Chen Meng and Sun.

Some fans pointed out that since legendary coach Li Sun left the Chinese national team setup, there appears to have been a lack of focus on developing young talent, with too much emphasis still placed on veteran stars like Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu. Others questioned if enough was being done to nurture rising stars like Qian Tianyi and 17-year-old Kuai Man beyond just the main national team squad.

The loss also highlighted the enormous pressure and expectations placed on young Chinese players. Comparisons were made to how Japanese coaches nurtured and protected young stars like Hirano Miu and Hayata Hina from intense scrutiny at the same age. With Qian Tianyi now China’s main hope for the future, finding the right balance of pushing her development without crushing her confidence will be key.

At just 16 years of age, Qian Tianyi still has a bright future ahead of her. But for Chinese table tennis as a whole, the WTT Singapore Smash was another warning sign that the world is catching up. Solving the structural issues and developing the next generation of stars will be paramount if China is to maintain its lofty perch atop the table tennis world in the years to come.