United States Surges into Final 32 in London
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by Joshua Dyke
Kanak Jha for the USA in the Men's Group Stages at the ITTF World Table Tennis Team Championships London 2026. Copper Box Arena. London, England. Apr. 30, 2026. (Photo by WTT/ITTF)
The United States men’s and women’s teams have surged into the knockout stages. After four days of group play, the initial 64 world-class teams in each event have been reduced to 32 teams.
Play resumes for the U.S. at the renowned OVO Arena Wembley on either Monday or Tuesday, May 4–5, pending the draws. The top eight seeded teams will now play to determine seeding for the single-elimination draws.
Angola was the last obstacle standing between the men’s team and the knockout stages. The two teams were tied for second in the Group 14 standings and a decisive victory propelled the Americans into the next round.
Kanak Jha, poised as ever and coming off two team wins against Singapore, opened things up with a 3-0 (11-0, 11-5, 11-4) win against Angola’s Delcio Cassule. Nandan Naresh and Jishan Liang rallied around Jha’s quick start and picked up two more sweeps in straight matches to get into the top 32.
“We prepared well and worked great as a team. We will prepare harder for the Round of 32 and give it our all!” — Nandan Naresh, U.S. Men’s Team
The men’s team secured its position in the knockout stage alongside the top six runners-up from groups 3–16 at the centenary World Team Championships.
USA’s Lily Zhang, Sally Moyland, Jessica Reyes-Lai, Irene Yeoh and Tashiya Piyadasa led Women’s Group 12 from start to finish. They will join the remaining elite still in contention in the Round of 32.
Replicating their performance against Malaysia, the women’s team clinched another convincing 3-0 victory in their sweep of the Dominican Republic.
Without conceding a single game, Moyland swept Eva Brito, Zhang bested Yasiris Ortiz, and 14-year-old California native Irene Yeoh defeated Esmerlyn Castro.
“I am very happy with the win. Individually I played calm and stuck to my plan. As a team, we supported each other. Now we are resting and practicing hard to face the tougher challenge.” — Irene Yeoh, U.S. Women’s Team
Attention now turns to the upcoming single-elimination draws. With the knockout stages reached, the United States now faces its defining stretch in London, where preparation and composure will be tested against the world’s best.
