Wang Manyu, Sun Yingsha, Wang Chuqin and Lin Shidong Receive First-Round Byes at Asian Games

China’s leading table tennis players Wang Manyu, Sun Yingsha, Wang Chuqin and Lin Shidong will all receive first-round byes in the singles events at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, after the men’s and women’s singles draws were released on September 19.

The four Chinese players are among the country’s representatives in the singles competitions and will enter the tournament from the second round. The table tennis events at the Asian Games are scheduled to run from September 20 to 28, with seven gold medals to be awarded across the team, singles, doubles and mixed doubles events.

In the men’s singles draw, Wang Chuqin and Lin Shidong were both placed directly into the second round. Wang Chuqin is in the same half of the draw as Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto, while Lin Shidong is in a different section that also includes Japan’s Hiroto Matsushima. These potential matchups could become significant later in the knockout stage, although the actual opponents will depend on results in the earlier rounds.

The women’s singles draw also gives Wang Manyu and Sun Yingsha first-round byes. Wang Manyu is positioned in a section that includes Japan’s Miwa Harimoto, while Sun Yingsha is in the same half of the draw as Japan’s Hina Hayata.

The byes mean that China’s four singles representatives will not need to play on the opening round of the individual competition. However, they are also scheduled to participate in other events during the Asian Games, meaning their competition schedules will extend beyond singles.

China has entered a 10-player table tennis squad for the Asian Games. Wang Chuqin, Lin Shidong, Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu will compete in the singles events, while the team also includes players such as Chen Xie, Kuai Man, Wen Ruibo, Xiang Peng, Huang Youzheng and Fan Shuhan.

Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha will also form China’s mixed doubles pair. Lin Shidong will compete alongside Kuai Man in the other mixed doubles pairing. Wang Manyu and Kuai Man are entered in women’s doubles, while Lin Shidong and Wen Ruibo will form one of China’s men’s doubles pairs.

The team competitions will begin on September 20, with China’s men’s and women’s teams both drawn into Group A. The team gold medals are scheduled to be decided on September 24, followed by the mixed doubles final on September 26. The women’s singles and men’s doubles champions are scheduled to be determined on September 27, while the women’s doubles and men’s singles champions will be decided on September 28.

For Wang Manyu, Sun Yingsha, Wang Chuqin and Lin Shidong, the first-round byes provide a later starting point in the singles draw. Their progress will nevertheless depend on their performances once they enter the knockout competition, with several high-profile players from China, Japan and other Asian table tennis powers occupying the same draws.