GB star Anna Hursey was invited to compete at the current WTT Champions event in Macao as a wildcard after a fantastic season. Hursey was given the toughest draw possible on her WTT Champions debut, as she was drawn to face China’s Sun Yingsha, the current world number 1, two time World Champion, Olympic Team Event Champion and singles silver medallist.

An epic season of performances in the 24/25 season, saw the young Welsh star take several European titles and compete at a wide range of elite competitions. The season started with Anna competing at her first Olympic Games in Paris, of which she qualified for at just 17 years old. Throughout the season she went on to win both the U21 & U19 European Championships Singles titles, plus her first WTT title in Manchester, and achieved a WTT Youth Ranking of number 4 in the world.

The match got off to a quick start for the Chinese superstar, who has one of the biggest fan followings in the entire sport. Sun Yingsha raced into an early lead, with an 8-3 advantage, Hursey continued to battle her way into the game and eventually lost out 11-7. Anna hit back in the second game, in a game that swung both ways on multiple occasions. Hursey taking a 4-1 lead before Yingsha clawed back to a 5-4 lead, which forced the Welsh youngster to take an early timeout. However, the run of points for the world number one continued, as she led 7-4. Hursey then won the next six points to earn herself game points leading 10-7. Sun Yingsha used all her experience to level the game at 10-10, before Hursey managed to clinch the game 12-10.

The third and fourth end were a slightly different story, as the world number one took control of the match, racing into a 10-2 lead in the third and 10-4 leads in the fourth, before completing her victory over the GB talent. A fantastic performance by Anna overall, and plenty of lessons will be learnt from taking on the ultimate force in women’s table tennis.

WTT Champions Macao Results –
Women’s Singles Last 32
Sun Yingsha (CHN) bt Anna Hursey 3-1 (11-7, 10-12, 11-3, 11-4)