(by Steve Hopkins)
The world’s absolute best are converging on American soil in just ten days, and this time, the spectacle has a brand-new look. Following the first United States Smash a year ago in Las Vegas, the 2026 rendition will be in the Ontario Convention Center in the Greater Los Angeles area. Running from June 26 through July 5, this 11-day WTT Grand Smash will feature a $1,550,000 purse of prize money.
There are lots of side stories to this year’s event. It may have some real similarities to the the Olympic venue (which will be about two years from now in this region). The event is also occurring over July 4, which this year is a larger than normal celebration in the US as this is the 250th celebration with massive celebrations planned. And just to add one more note – LA is also hosting World Cup soccer events, so during this same period two games will be hosted nearby with large contingents of foreign planers and celebrities nearby.
In the Men’s Singles field, defending champion and World No. 1 Wang Chuqin returns to the States in hopes of repeating his dominant 2025 performance. He’ll have to navigate his way through a gauntlet of contenders that includes Truls Moregards, Tomokazu Harimoto, Felix Lebrun, Lin Shidong, Hugo Calderano and just about every other player in the World Top 50. The US will have Kanak Jha (currently No. 27), as well as Wild Card entries Nandan Naresh, Jishan Liang, and Daniel Tran.
Like the Men, nearly every top player will be present. Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Miwa Harimoto, and Chen Xingtong are the top four seeds. Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz (No. 18), USA’s Lily Zhang (No. 39), USA’s Amy Wang (No. 44), Canada’s Mo Zhang (No. 55), and American Wild Cards Sally Moyland, Jessica Reyes Lai, and Irene Yeoh will all be playing as well.
The qualifying rounds kick off on June 26. The Ontario Convention Center is about to become the epicenter of the table tennis world with all eyes on the United States. Stay tuned to ButterflyOnline.com for draws, updates, and deep-dive results as the action unfolds in Southern California.
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