Local table tennis players relishing Singapore Smash as springboard to success
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Singapore's Koen Pang (left) and Izaac Quek en route to winning the SEA Games men's doubles final last December.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
- The US$1.55 million (S$1.96 million) Singapore Smash allows local table tennis players to assess their world standing, gain experience, and earn crucial ranking points.
- Singapore's SEA Games champs and world No. 4 men's doubles pair Koen Pang and Izaac Quek are aiming for a good showing to get ranking points and better seeding for Asian Games as they eye for qualification for the Olympics.
- World No. 31 Zeng Jian, along with young talents like Ser Lin Qian and Loy Ming Ying, seek to establish themselves on the senior circuit.
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SINGAPORE – As global stars collide at the Feb 19-March 1 World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash, the local hopefuls will use the US$1.55 million (S$1.96 million) event
The return of the men’s and women’s doubles to the Olympic programme for the first time since Athens 2004 is an especially exciting prospect, given how Koen Pang and Izaac Quek have risen to a career-high world No. 4.
Since their partnership began in 2022, they have claimed notable results, winning back-to-back gold medals at the 2023 and 2025 SEA Games, and a silver at the 2024 Asian championships.
They stunned China’s then world No. 1 Yuan Licen and Xiang Peng to reach the last four at the 2024 WTT Finals, and also became the first Singaporeans to reach a Grand Smash semi-final at the inaugural Europe Smash in Sweden in 2025, raising hopes of an Olympic medal.
Quek, a 19-year-old who juggles two training sessions a day with his business studies programme at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, told The Straits Times: “LA 2028 is our long-term goal and we are happy and thrilled to know that the men’s doubles is included because we have a good chance of getting good results.
“While the qualifying criteria is not out yet, we want to get as much training together in the national team as early as possible to have an advantage over other pairs, because not everyone trains with each other.
“We want to go as far as we can at the Singapore Smash because this is one of the last tournaments we can earn ranking points for the Asian Games to get a good seeding.”
Pang, 23, added that the opportunity to pit themselves against world-class players is well worth sacrificing some of the Chinese New Year festivities for.
He said: “There will be some time to visit relatives, but it definitely is tough to go for visiting and training at the same time.
“Reaching world No. 4 is definitely a special achievement, but maintaining a high ranking will definitely not be easy and we will try our best and work hard to keep playing at a high level as we try to qualify for the Olympics.”
Besides the duo, other Singaporeans who are set to feature in the Singapore Smash are Josh Chua, Zeng Jian, Ser Lin Qian, Tan Zhao Yun and Loy Ming Ying, who received wild cards for the main draw, while Clarence Chew and Chloe Lai will start from the qualification rounds. As part of the event promotion, fans will have the chance to Challenge a Pro against Lai at Sengkang Grand Mall on Feb 22.
World No. 33 Zeng, who is at her highest ranking in eight years, has had some encouraging results of late, beating Japan’s top-20 players such as Mima Ito and Satsuki Odo in 2025, although she did lose her SEA Games women’s singles crown.
To prepare for the Singapore Smash, the 29-year-old accepted China-born former world No. 1 Zhu Yuling’s invitation to join her in a training camp in Macau, which the latter now represents.
Zeng told ST: “At such a big tournament, every opponent is strong and the first round is the hardest to play in because we need to get into the competition mode right away.
“The training sessions in Macau are compact and intense, and I hope I can use them to fine-tune my condition for the Singapore Smash.”
Other than the more established names, the younger local players are also hoping to establish themselves on the senior circuit, like how Quek did as a 16-year-old in 2023 when he became the first Singaporean to make it to the Singapore Smash men’s singles last 16.
Women’s singles world No. 126 Ser placed second at the 2024 WTT Youth Star Contender in Singapore after beating two Chinese players.
The 19-year-old also put up a brave fight in the women’s singles, doubles (with Ming Ying) and team event at the SEA Games in Nonthaburi, Thailand, where she claimed two bronzes and a silver respectively.
Noting the challenging transition from the Under-19 circuit to the senior women’s singles, Ser said: “The tight losses at the SEA Games taught me a lot about handling emotions in tight situations. I realised I need to stay calm and stick to my game plan even when the score is close.
“In the senior circuit, there’s very little room for error.
“I’ve had to adjust not just technically, but mentally as well as the rallies are more strategic and the pressure moments are handled differently.
“I’m learning to stay patient, manage the tempo better and trust my game under pressure. It’s a big step up, but competing at this level is helping me grow much faster as a player.”
Women’s singles world No. 224 Ming Ying, who was the youngest player to win a Singapore Smash singles match when she beat Frenchwoman Audrey Zarif in the 2024 qualifiers at the age of 13, is also looking forward to a breakthrough in the main draw.
The 15-year-old said: “The players in these big competitions are definitely more experienced than those in the youth competitions. It was hard when I first started competing in these competitions as their abilities are better than mine but after playing a few senior competitions, I learnt a lot from playing with these experienced players and I hope to do well at the Singapore Smash.”
