Tomislav Pucar scores huge upset against Lin Gaoyuan

Kicking off the second session with a bang, Tomislav Pucar shocked crowds, coming back from a 2-0 deficit to secure two games against 8th seed Lin Gaoyuan and drawing the match 2-2 (10-12, 7-11, 13-11, 11-8). Lin was only just able to come up on top by one point (42-41). With Pucar facing off Chuang Chih-Yuan tomorrow, fans can be expected to be treated to a thrilling display with this match integral to determine who will qualify into Stage 2 from Group 6.

Lin Yun-Ju rounds off session 1 with his first win on the books

6th seed Lin Yun-Ju claims his victory of the Mens Cup against Joao Geraldo 3-1 (11-6, 11-2, 3-11, 11-8). Geraldo put up an emphatic fight in the last game however Lin proved too strong and was able to claim the victory. Geraldo efforts wont go to waste, securing 27 points in this match which could go towards securing him a spot in Stage 2 in this new playing system every point is crucial.  

Hina Hayata narrowly clinches a victory against Sabine Winter 

Hina Hayata narrowly avoids a draw against Sabine Winter. Despite Winters valiant efforts to claim two games, Hayata was able to keep her bay, winning in deuce in the last game to win 3-1 overall (11-6, 11-4, 8-11, 12-10) in the first match of Group 8 in the Womens Singles. 

Miu Hirano sails through first match unscathed 

2016 Womens World Cup winner Miu Hirano starts her Macao campaign in style, winning her first match flawlessly against Jocelyn Lam 4-0 (11-2, 11-5, 11-0, 11-0) in Group 14. She prepares now for her next match against Jia Nan Yuan on Wednesday.

I have another match the day after tomorrow, and Im determined to give my best to advance from the Group Stage. In Stage 2, Ill be facing players of a higher level who are higher ranked than I. Nevertheless, I will work hard, striving to win even as many matches as I can.

First upset of the day: Ahmed Salah secures two games off Dang Qiu marking the first ever draw in Mens Table Tennis history 

In a tense opening match in Group 11, Ahmed Salah clinches two games against 10th seed Dang Qiu. The match concluded with a draw 2-2 (8-11, 11-3, 7-11, 11-6) marking the first draw match in Mens Table Tennis history and the first of many in this tournament, with Qiu narrowly edging Salah out in total points, massing 36 points compared to Salahs 32 points. With the new playing format in Stage 1 and only one spot into the next stage per group, every game and point becomes crucial.

Day 1 kick off: Anton Kallberg and Shin Yubin claim first victories

Day 1 is officially underway at Galaxy Arena, Macao with Anton Kallberg kicking off his campaign defeating Izaac Quek 4-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-8, 11-7). Over in the Womens Singles, seed no.7 Shin Yubin successfully holds off Jian Zeng after 3-1 after losing 11-0 in the first game (0-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-9).