Let the Games Begin, Main Draw Competition Starts at the ITTF Americas Cup
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by Joshua Dyke
Nandan Naresh securing his spot in the men's singles main draw at the 2025 ITTF Americas Cup. 888 Table Tennis Center. Burlingame, Calif. Jan. 30, 2026.
Burlingame, Calif. – The main draws for the ITTF Americas Cup have been announced, and the region's top 16 male and female players will compete in what promises to be an unforgettable event.
Kanak Jha, the defending men's singles Americas Cup champion, is the second seed and placed in the same half of the draw as Eugene Wang (CAN), who he narrowly edged out for the title last year. Jha, returning to his hometown from league play in Germany, has his eyes set on defending his title and qualifying to the World Cup in Macao.
USA’s Sid Naresh enters the draw as the eighth seed and will face defensive player Tyrese Knight in his opening match. Nandan Naresh, 2025 Americas Cup quarterfinalist, and U.S Olympian Nikhil Kumar complete the US team competing in the main draw, having qualified through the preliminaries.
Lily Zhang, 2025 Americas Cup Finalist, is seeded second in the women's singles main event after returning to her hometown from Australia. Amy Wang, a 2024 U.S. Olympian and 2024 America's Cup Finalist, is directly behind her at third seed.
The American women excelled in the preliminary rounds, securing three of four draw qualification berths. Satya Aspathi, Hildy Chen, and Sally Moyland give the U.S., 5 of the 16 main draw positions.
The 2026 ITTF Americas Cup men's and women's singles main draws will be broadcast live from the 888 Table Tennis Center from January 30 to February 1, 2026.
Men’s Singles R16
USA
- Kanak Jha vs. Teodoro Guilherme
- Sid Naresh vs. Tyrese Knight
- Nikhil Kumar vs. Nicolas Burgos
- Nandan Naresh vs. Eugene Wang
OTHER KEY MATCHUPS
- Hugo Calderano vs. Emmanuel Otalvaro
- Horacio Cifuentes vs. Rogelio Castro
Women’s Singles R16
USA
- Lily Zhang vs. Player
- Amy Wang vs. Karina Shiray
- Sally Moyland vs. Daniela Ortega
- Satya Aspathi vs. Paulina Vega
- Hildy Chen vs. Mo Zhang
OTHER KEY MATCHUPS
- Bruna Takahashi vs. Ivy Lao
- Guilia Takahashi vs. Arantxa Cossio
The Pan American Region's qualification for the ITTF Men's and Women's World Cup Macao 2026 has officially begun, with the 2026 ITTF Americas main draw competition underway.
The men's and women's singles winners, finalists and semifinalists will advance directly to the ITTF World Cup, scheduled for March 30, 2026, in Macao, China.
