Beijing, Sep 13 (IANS): World Table Tennis (WTT) on Tuesday announced plans for the 2023 edition of the WTT Singapore Smash, with a wider range of participants to compete in the event next March.

China's Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng were crowned the first Grand Smash champions in Singapore in March.

According to the WTT, the inaugural event was broadcast in 196 countries and regions, reaching a cumulative audience of more than 160 million.

The WTT confirmed that the mixed doubles draw will increase from 16 pairs to 24 pairs for the 2023 event, and the number of seeds in the singles competitions will increase from 8 to 16 players, reports Xinhua.

The Singapore Smash 2023 will feature 64-player men's and women's singles draws, and 24-pair doubles and mixed competitions.

The main draw of the Singapore Smash 2023 will take place between March 11 and 19, and the singles qualifying competitions will be held from March 7 to 9.