Main Draw Begins at 2026 U.S. Smash as Americans Take the Table

Attention shifts to the main draw at the U.S. Smash, where seven Americans begin singles competition as several wildcard teams begin doubles play.

Kanak Jha, Lily Zhang and Amy Wang, the highest-ranked Americans in the field, earned direct entry into the main draws.

Opening day presents immediate challenges for the American athletes. Kanak Jha meets Japan's in-form Shunsuke Togami, fresh off his title at WTT Ljubljana, and Amy Wang faces another test against four-time Olympic medalist Mima Ito.

Fifteen-year-old Irene Yeoh draws world No. 2 Wang Manyu, while Daniel Tran opens against Slovenia's Darko Jorgic, one of Europe's premier players and the No. 13 seed.

Sunday's opening round offers the first opportunity for the United States to make its mark at the 2026 U.S. Smash.

The doubles events also feature several intriguing American wildcard pairings. Kanak Jha teams up with China's Xue Fei in men's doubles against Wen Ruibo and Yuan Licen, while Jishan Liang and Bosman Botha face one of the toughest opening tests possible against Germany's accomplished duo of Patrick Franziska and Dimitrij Ovtcharov.

In women's doubles, Jessica Reyes Lai and Amy Wang face Sally Moyland and Lily Zhang in an all-American matchup that guarantees one U.S. pair will advance to the Round of 16.

Mixed doubles also feature two American partnerships, as Jishan Liang and Sally Moyland, along with Nandan Naresh and Jessica Reyes Lai, look to make deep runs.

Watch Table 1 on ESPN+ (through broadcast provider) and Tables 2–4 live starting at 12 p.m. Sunday, June 28 (All Times Pacific) on the World Table Tennis YouTube channel:

The Americans will take to the table in the main draw as the United States looks to build momentum on home soil.