In the international field of table tennis, numbers and rankings are only the surface, and behind each ranking there is a wonderful story. Especially when we take note of the ITTF World Rankings in week 44 of 2023, which contains many unexpected surprises and changes.
In Men's Singles, the exciting news is that the 18-year-old Lin Shidong has made his debut in the top 10, showing us his glory over the year. What's even more interesting is that Liang Jingkun once again returned to the top five, followed by Lin Gaoyuan. Although Tomokazu Zhang has declined slightly and retreated to seventh, he still maintains his position in the top 10. At present, four of the top ten players in men's singles are post-00s, which is enough to prove that the table tennis world is experiencing a wave of youth.
When we re-examine the women's singles, Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng and Wang Manyu will continue to sit in the top three. However, there is a shining new star in the rankings: Japan's Hina Hayata. Not only did she manage to jump to fourth place, but she also surpassed China's Wang Yidi to set a new record of her own. Among them, her double victory against Wang Yidi at the World Table Tennis Championships and Asian Games is undoubtedly the key. At the same time, Qian Tianyi showed his extraordinary strength and rose to sixth place. But the positions of Chen Xingtong and Ito Misei have changed a lot.
In the doubles competition, the duo of Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin continued to be consistent and continued to dominate the men's doubles rankings. At the same time, the mixed doubles partnership of Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha is also firmly in the first place as always. South Korea's Tian Zhixi and Shin Yubin excelled in the women's doubles and held the top spot.
However, this ranking update is not just due to the players' recent performances. Points for last year's 2022 WTT World Cup have expired, causing some players to shake up their rankings. For example, Hina Hayada did not participate in the past WTT World Cup, so her points were not deducted. Her recent wins in WTT Oman and Turkey have also seen her points total continue to rise.
Today, Frankfurt, Germany, is hosting the exciting WTT Championship. The results of this event are bound to have a new impact on the next rankings. But there's no need to worry too much or try to predict, just be patient and see which athlete can create a new legend in the next races.