Lily Zhang hopes viral Anthony Edwards interaction, US Smash can raise sport's profile in the States

Remember when Lily Zhang and Anthony Edwards challenged each other to an unlikely sports cross-over at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games?

With basketball star Edwards convinced he could take points off of Zhang and her USA Table Tennis teammates, their banter was one of the many viral storylines from Paris.

More importantly, though, it gave the profile of table tennis a boost in the United States ahead of the country hosting the next Olympic Games at LA 2028.

This week, Las Vegas, Nevada, holds the first-ever World Table Tennis United States Smash from 3–13 July – the first time one of the sport's Grand Smashes, the top tier of the global circuit akin to the golf majors or tennis grand slams, is played in the United States.

It'll be another chance for Zhang and her teammates – as well as the sport's big names from around the world, who'll be travelling to play in front of a U.S. audience for the first time – to propel table tennis into the consciousness of sports fans in the country.

"It was great that we got more eyes on the interaction but also our sport," Zhang told Olympics.com at the recent World Championships of her exchanges with Edwards in Paris. "[Table tennis] is not the biggest sport in the U.S. yet, so we're always looking to get more exposure."

Having a major tournament on home soil is an opportunity to raise the profile of table tennis in the U.S. once more. It'll be an occasion for Zhang and her teammates to show the country that they're still around, not just a once-every-four-years team which pops up during the Olympics.

"I think any time we come out to international tournaments to represent our country, to leave our heart out on the tables, I feel like people see that and appreciate that," Zhang said. "We're all just trying our best to represent our country as best as we can, and hopefully that brings more eyes to the sport.

"I think once people get a chance to watch and to come out and support [in person], they really enjoy it and find themselves getting into it."

There's another thing Zhang hopes to achieve at the United States Smash in Vegas: Remind the next generation of players that pursuing table tennis is a viable career option – especially with LA28 coming up.

"Hopefully, inspire younger players to pick up the racquet – and to keep playing as well, not just start. In the U.S., a lot of players stop when they go to university, so to be able to have a pathway for a professional career in table tennis, is really the main goal."

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