Sun Yingsha and Matsushima Sora ran the draw at table tennis’ United States Smash 2026, delivering show-stopping performances to claim the women’s and men’s singles titles, respectively, at Maverick Arena inside the Ontario Convention Center on Sunday, 5 July.
World no. 1 Sun, of the People’s Republic of China, faced a familiar foe in the women’s singles championship match, taking on teammate Kuai Man (World no. 7), with whom she’d won the 2026 World Team Table Tennis Championships earlier this year.
Sun, a three-time Olympic champion, held a 4-2 head-to-head advantage heading into the match and enjoyed a greater share of the partisan crowd’s support. Her sizzling forehand proved troublesome for Kuai, who conceded more points on serve than she won.
Kuai captialised on Sun’s many unforced errors, escaping three championship points in the sixth game to force a decisive seventh, but fell short of an upset as Sun’s forehand went into overdrive to take the match: 11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 7-11, 10-12, 11-4.
“I have participated in a lot of Grand Smashes,” Sun told Olympics.com through a translator. “By participating in these tournaments, I can improve myself step by step, make breakthroughs and test what I have gained.”
She also appreciated a chance to play in Southern California ahead of the Olympic Games LA28, praising tournament organizers and relishing the support of fans from both the United States and China.
“I noticed a lot of fans being enthusiastic about what’s happening on court, including the American and Chinese fans,” the Grand Smash winner added. “I’m very happy with their support.”
The excitement of the women’s single championship had barely dissipated by the time teenage prodigy Matsushima Sora and neutral athlete Vladimir Sidorenko entered Maverick Arena for their highly anticipated encounter in the men’s singles championship match.
No. 6 seed Matsushima had run a European gauntlet to reach this point, defeating France’s Felix Lebrun 4-1 in the semi-finals and Denmark’s Anders Lind 4-0 in the quarter-finals. That said, he faced a relatively surprising challenger in unseeded underdog Sidorenko.
Having seen his opponent stump World no. 3 Truls Möregårdh in the semi-finals, the teenager from Kyoto, Japan, knew he had his work cut out for him in what promised to be a physically demanding showdown for the men’s singles crown.
He controlled the first game, lost a tight second, and found his groove from there on – winning points regularly, no matter who was serving. He took six games to win the match: 11-5, 11-13, 11-7, 11-4, 5-11, 11-7.
“It’s my first Grand Smash title,” he told Olympics.com in Japanese, noting his own improvement throughout the match. “I’m pretty young, so winning this title is something to be very proud of. It’s going to increase my confidence, but I still need to improve myself.”
While the championship match didn’t last too long, clocking in at 36 minutes and 35 seconds, Matsushima felt like physical fitness played an oversized role in the match.
“It was tough physically, but I was able to hang in there,” he added. “That was the key to the victory.”
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/table-tennis-sun-yingsha-and-matsushima-sora-take-home-trophies-at-united-states-smash-2026
