The World Table Tennis Championships single event kicked off National Table Tennis ushered in a key battle for the Paris Olympics

The 2023th World Table Tennis Championships in Durban in 57 will officially kick off on the 20th. At present, the representative teams have entered the competition venue for training to adapt to the venue. This event is a major test of the ability of the Chinese table tennis team to participate in the Paris Olympic Games, and it is also a test for the new coaching team. National Table Tennis will participate in all competitions in five sports, with the goal of winning all five championship trophies.

The lineup of National Table Tennis this time is "old, middle and young" combined

The Durban World Table Tennis Championships will be held from May 5 to 20. This is the first time that the World Table Tennis Championships have settled in South Africa, and it is also the first time that Africa has hosted the Table Tennis World Series since the 28 Cairo World Table Tennis Championships. In early April, National Table Tennis announced the list of participants in the Durban World Table Tennis Championships: the men's singles are Fan Zhendong, Ma Long, Wang Chuqin, Liang Jingkun, Lin Gaoyuan; The women's singles are Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng, Wang Manyu, Wang Yidi, Chen Xingtong; Men's doubles are Fan Zhendong/Wang Chuqin, Lin Gaoyuan/Lin Shidong; The women's doubles are Sun Yingsha/Wang Manyu, Chen Meng/Wang Yidi; The mixed doubles are Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha, Lin Shidong/Qu Man.

Among the 12 athletes, there are veteran "double-lap Grand Slam" winners like Ma Long, as well as stalwarts such as Fan Zhendong and Sun Yingsha, who have long been ranked first in the singles world. At the same time, from the perspective of training and echelon construction, the doubles lineup of National Table Tennis has a new face, and the young player combination Lin Shidong/Qu Man played in mixed doubles. Different from previous editions, National Table Tennis prepares for the competition by means of competition training and strives to win five championships.

Men's singles Liang Jingkun blocked Zhang Benzhihe

In the men's singles, the "troika" composed of Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin and Ma Long performed well in the competition. Fan Zhendong has long occupied the world number one in men's singles, and as long as he maintains a stable state, he is still the favorite to win the championship. Wang Chuqin, who was recently awarded the Beijing Youth May Fourth Medal, is at his peak, and his personal achievements have soared in the past two years. Malone World Series is experienced and consistency can still be trusted. Lin Gaoyuan and Liang Jingkun's recent performance, comprehensive ability, and external and internal situation are very good.

Men's singles signing table, Fan Zhendong and Liang Jingkun are in the top half of the area, and the two sit in the 1/4 and 2/4 districts respectively. Seeded players in the same 1/4 zone as Fan Zhendong include Hong Kong's Huang Zhenting, Germany's Ochalov, Sweden's Moregaard, etc. Liang Jingkun's biggest obstacle to advancing to the semifinals is Japan's Tomokazu Chang, who has met five times in the past, and Liang Jingkun has an absolute advantage of 5-4.

Ma Long, Lin Gaoyuan and Wang Chuqin are in the lower half of the district. Among them, Ma Long and Lin Gaoyuan jointly guard the 3/4 zone, and the strongest opponent in this area is Chinese Taipei's Lin Yunru. No. 4 seed Wang Chuqin is in the 4/<> zone, where he will compete with Japan's Yukiya Uda and Brazil's Hugo, Sweden's Falk, South Korea's Jang Yujin and Germany's Francesca for the same semifinalist spot.

Women's singles Chen Meng will meet Mimato Ito

It can be said that among the five events of the World Table Tennis Championships, the women's singles event is still the most stable one. Sun Yingsha has long been the first place in the women's singles and has the absolute strength to win the women's singles championship, but this tournament she has three times, which is also a major test of her energy and physical strength. Wang Manyu's outstanding performance in the WTT Macau Championship has been shaken off injury and is extremely likely to defend his title if he plays consistently. After more than a year, Chen Meng once again hit the Grand Slam, and the task before the semifinals was to block Japan's Mimato Ito. Wang Yidi and Chen Xingtong have won the Durban World Table Tennis Championships singles qualification with their excellent external combat ability, and are currently in a critical period of competition for the Paris Olympic spots, and the two hope to break through themselves and strive for good results.

Sun Yingsha and Wang Yidi are in the same upper half of the area. Before the semifinals, Sun Yingsha's main opponents were Yuan Jianan, who played in France, and Han Ying, a German chipper. Zone 2/4 Wang Yidi is in the same zone as Japan's Hina Hayada, Miyu Nagasaki and Miyu Hirano. Chen Meng sits in Zone 3/4, and her biggest opponents on the way to promotion will be Japan's Miyu Kihara and Mimato Ito. Wang Manyu and Chen Xingtong jointly guard Zone 4/4, where they will compete for a place in the semifinals with seeded players such as Zhang An of the United States and Zheng Yijing of Chinese Taipei.

Men's doubles are the most worrisome

In the last 2021 World Table Tennis Championships in Houston, in addition to the men's doubles, the national table tennis won four championships. In this tournament, the men's doubles event is also the most worrying for the outside world. The main opponents of the national table tennis include the champions of the previous tournament, the runner-up Karlsson/Falk, Zhang Yuzhen/Lin Zhongxun, and the Le Brun brothers of the French team.

In the women's doubles arena, "Seafood Sisters" Sun Yingsha / Wang Manyu ranked first in the world and have won two consecutive World Championships and two WTT Singapore Grand Slam women's doubles titles. They will face the challenge of Mimato Ito/Hina Hayada, and Chinese Taipei team pair Zheng Yijing/Li Yuzhen.

In the mixed doubles competition, defending champions Wang Chuqin / Sun Yingsha are now ranked No. 1 in the world and have won titles in many competitions, and have rich experience and overall strength. Another young mixed doubles pair, Lin Shidong and Quang Man, is now ranked No. 7 in the world and has won five consecutive titles in the international arena. They will be challenged by the Japanese duo Tomokazu Chang / Hina Hayata and the French pair Lebesson/Yuan Jianan. Text/Reporter Zhou Xueshuai (Source: Beijing Youth Daily)