Chilean Table Tennis Players Compete at Singapore Smash 2026

The Singapore Smash 2026, a prominent table tennis tournament, took place from February 19th to March 1st, 2026, featuring top players from around the globe. Team Chile participated with a delegation of five athletes: Daniela Ortega, Paulina Vega, Tania Zeng, Gustavo Gómez, and Nicolás Burgos.

Qualifying Rounds

Chilean players competed in the qualifying rounds for individual events, aiming to secure a spot in the main draw.

Men’s Qualifying

Gustavo Gómez (ranked 114th by the ITTF) faced Iulian Chirita of Romania (ranked 94th) and lost in a close match, 2-3 (5-11, 11-5, 3-11, 11-9, 9-11). Nicolás Burgos (ranked 85th) was narrowly defeated by Austria’s Daniel Habesohn (ranked 120th), also 3-2 (11-9, 5-11, 4-11, 11-9, 7-11).

Women’s Qualifying

Paulina Vega (ranked 106th) lost to Brazil’s Laura Watanabe (ranked 123rd) with a score of 1-3 (5-11, 11-13, 14-12, 10-12). Tania Zeng (ranked 146th) was defeated by Thailand’s Orawan Paranang (ranked 84th) in straight sets, 0-3 (4-11, 5-11, 3-11). Daniela Ortega, returning from back surgery, lost to France’s Charlotte Lutz (ranked 50th) 0-3 (11-3, 5-11, 12-14).

Doubles Competition

The Chilean delegation also participated in the main draws of the doubles competitions.

Men’s Doubles

Gustavo Gómez and Nicolás Burgos (ranked 22nd) achieved a victory in the first round, defeating the Austrian duo of Daniel Habesohn and Robert Gardos (ranked 52nd) 3-2 (11-8, 17-15, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8). However, they were then defeated by the French pair of Felix and Alexis Lebrun, ranked third in the world, 3-0 (11-9, 11-2, 13-11).

Women’s Doubles

Paulina Vega and Daniela Ortega (ranked 29th) also started with a win, overcoming the Mexican team of Arantxa Cossio and Clio Barcenas (ranked 32nd) 3-2 (9-11, 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-4). They then faced the world’s second-ranked Korean duo, Hanna Ryu and Nayeong Kim, and lost 3-0 (11-3, 11-7, 12-10).

Mixed Doubles

Gustavo Gómez and Daniela Ortega (ranked 28th) lost in the first round to the Australian-Indian duo of Minhyung Yee and Akash Pal (ranked 78th) 0-3 (5-11, 7-11, 5-11). Nicolás Burgos and Brazil’s Giulia Takahashi lost 0-3 (8-11, 10-12, 9-11) to the Romanian-Slovakian pair of Ovidio Ionescu and Barbora Varady.

Finals Schedule

The finals of the Singapore Smash 2026 were scheduled for February 28th and March 1st, 2026, including doubles finals (with the exception of mixed doubles, whose final was on February 27th) and individual quarterfinals. The individual semifinals and finals were set for March 1st. Matches were available for viewing via the World Table Tennis YouTube channel.