Dina Meshref stuns world number five Wang Yidi at WTT Macao

Egypt’s Dina Meshref produced a major upset at the WTT Macao event by defeating China’s Wang Yidi, the world number five, 3-1 in the women’s singles competition.

Meshref, ranked 35th in the world, overcame one of the leading players in women’s table tennis to reach the last 16 in Macao.

Wang Yidi is regarded as one of the most prominent names in the women’s game and her position among the world’s top five made the result a significant achievement for Meshref and Egyptian table tennis.

The Egyptian’s victory means she has advanced to the round of 16 at the World Table Tennis Series event in Macao. The result is one of the most notable wins of her career, given the gap between the two players’ world rankings and Wang Yidi’s status at the tournament.

Meshref’s success also created a new milestone for Egypt in the World Table Tennis Series. She is now the second Egyptian player to defeat a Chinese opponent in the competition’s series of events.

Her compatriot Hanaa Goda was the first Egyptian to achieve that feat. Goda beat China’s Chen Xingtong at the WTT event in Montpellier, France, in 2024.

That victory had established Goda as the first Egyptian player to defeat a Chinese opponent in the World Table Tennis Series. Meshref has now followed her by claiming a 3-1 win over Wang Yidi in Macao.

The result marks a notable moment for Meshref, who entered the contest ranked 35th in the world against an opponent ranked fifth. Despite the difference in their positions, she secured the match and progressed to the last 16 of the women’s singles draw.

Wang Yidi’s defeat brought an early end to her participation in the women’s singles competition in Macao, while Meshref continues her campaign after delivering one of the event’s biggest surprises.

For Egypt, the win adds to the country’s growing list of achievements against China’s leading players. Goda’s success in Montpellier in 2024 had previously been the only victory by an Egyptian player over a Chinese opponent in the World Table Tennis Series.

Meshref’s result now gives Egypt two such wins, with the latest coming against a player ranked fifth in the world.