Taiwan's Lin Yun-ju to face Polansky in WTT European Grand Smash opener

Taiwanese table tennis star Lin Yun-ju is set to face Czech Republic's Tomas Polansky in the opening round of the 2026 WTT European Grand Smash men's singles. Lin, ranked world No. 7 and seeded sixth, has a strong record against Polansky, ranked No. 45, having won their previous two encounters without dropping a game.

Polansky is coming off a surprising first-round exit at the Vientiane Challenger, where he lost 2-3 to 18-year-old Taiwanese player Cai Tian-yu. This result adds an interesting dynamic to Lin's opening match.

Should Lin advance, he could face either Sweden's Mattias Falck or Denmark's Jonathan Groth in the round of 32. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Taiwanese talent Guo Guan-hong faces a tough challenge against Germany's Patrick Franziska, ranked world No. 22. Guo has a strong history against Franziska, having defeated him in straight sets twice this year.

In the women's singles, Taiwan's Cheng I-ching, ranked world No. 26, will play Australia's Liu Yangzi, ranked No. 31. Cheng previously defeated Liu in straight sets at the 2024 China Grand Smash. Another young Taiwanese player, Ye Yi-tian, ranked No. 40, faces a difficult first-round match against Japan's Hina Hayata, a top-ranked defensive player.