Table Tennis: Singapore smash to elevate grand new legacy in 2024
Singapore Smash, one of World Table Tennis’ marquee events, will once again bring together the best athletes in the world for an exhilarating spectacle of table tennis excellence. The 2024 edition at the Singapore Sports Hub, will also feature for the very first time a WTT Youth Series event and Para Smash showcase to highlight the universality of the sport and elevate the fan experience.
The Infinity ∞ Arena will glow red once again from 10-17 March as the world’s best men and women’s singles and doubles stars battle it out for their share of 2000 ITTF World Rankings points and the prestigious red Singapore Smash trophies.
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In addition to the expansion of the event, the player and fan experience will be improved with main draw action now taking place over eight enthralling days with Sunday 10 March seeing the 64-player men’s and women’s singles and 24-pair men’s, women’s and mixed doubles competitions getting underway. Singles qualifying will shift to a Thursday start and Saturday finish, giving fans the chance to see players fight to earn their place in the main draw on the final day of qualifying.
The first champions of Singapore Smash 2024 will be crowned on Friday evening with the Mixed Doubles Final, before the Men’s and Women’s Doubles and Singles semifinals the following day.
Sunday 17 March will see the crowning of the Singapore Smash Singles Champions and both Fan Zhendong and Sun Yingsha will be looking to continue building their Singapore Smash legacy by attempting to capture their third consecutive singles titles and maintain their undefeated run in Singapore.
For the first time at a WTT Series event, fans will also be able to see the stars of the future. As part of WTT’s commitment to establishing the Day One to World Number One playing pathway, Singapore Smash 2024 will see the introduction of a WTT Youth Series event.
WTT Youth Star Contender Singapore, the top tier event within the WTT Youth Series, will take place over the final four days of Singapore Smash 2024 (14-17 March) and provide Singapore’s rising stars and the world’s best U15 and U19 players with the opportunity to challenge their peers in the same venue where their heroes are battling it out for the elusive Singapore Smash crown.
The WTT Youth Star Contender finals matches will take place on the Infinity ∞ Arena prior to the Singapore Smash singles finals and with USD15,000 in prize money on offer — the stars of the future will be looking to make history by winning the first WTT Youth Series event to be played in Singapore.
Singapore Smash fans will also be treated to world-class Para Table Tennis action with the inclusion of a Singapore Para Smash showcase. The three-day event offering USD29,500 prizemoney, will feature 12-player (men’s and women’s) combined standing class 6 and 7 singles competitions played in a round-robin format with three group winners and the best group runner-up advancing to the elimination semifinals.
Showcase participation will be determined via world ranking for the first 11 players and one wildcard position reserved for a male and female athlete selected by the host.
Matches for the Singapore Para Smash will be played across the Infinity ∞ Arena and competition tables in Hall 2 at OCBC Arena starting on Tuesday 12 March and culminating with the finals on the Infinity ∞ Arena on Thursday 14 March.
“Singapore Smash has quickly become one of the most important and eagerly anticipated events on the WTT Series calendar and we are excited to continue building the Singapore Smash as an event that all of Singapore can be proud of. The inclusion of the Youth Star Contender and Para showcase events demonstrate our commitment to growing table tennis for all and there is no better way to do this than through one of our biggest events of the year. Our best para athletes, rising stars and world-class athletes will come together in Singapore to showcase their phenomenal skill and talent and continue building a grand new legacy. We look forward to seeing as many Singaporeans as possible at Singapore Sports Hub to experience this great event and cheer on their favourite local and international stars,” said Steve Dainton, WTT Chief Executive Officer.
“We are always exploring opportunities to bring in a wider variety of sporting events and reinvigorate existing ones. Sport Singapore is therefore pleased that WTT will be delivering a bigger and better edition of the Singapore Smash in 2024. The Singapore Smash not only adds to Singapore’s vibrant events calendar, but also provides a platform for the community to rally together and cheer the athletes on as they enjoy world-class table-tennis action. We witnessed Team Singapore’s stellar performance in the 2023 edition, and we hope that Singapore Smash 2024 will build on this momentum to inspire future generations of athletes and drive more Singaporeans to pick up the sport,” added Roy Teo, Chief of Industry Development, Technology & Innovation Group, Sport Singapore.
Fans will also be treated to an expanded fan engagement experience with OCBC Square to transform into the Singapore Smash Park from 10-17 March. Singapore Smash Park will feature opportunities for fans to grab autographs or selfies with their favourite players, play table tennis against family and friends, enjoy live entertainment and feast on array of food and beverage options.
Tickets for Singapore Smash 2024 will go on sale in January via Ticketek. Fans wanting to access priority ticket sales for the Event should sign up for a WTT Fan Account now to get their exclusive access offer before tickets go on sale to the public.