Daniel Habesohn (R) returns the ball during the men's singles qualifying Round 2 match between Daniel Habesohn of Austria and Niagol Stoyanov of Italy at the World Table Tennis Star Contender European Summer Series 2022 in Budapest, Hungary on July 11, 2022. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)
BUDAPEST, July 11 (Xinhua) -- The World Table Tennis (WTT) Star Contender European Summer Series 2022 kicked off at the Olympic Center here on Monday.
Liu Dingshuo, the only Chinese paddler who needs to vie for a main draw position through qualifications, had a bye in the first round and will take part in the second-round qualifying match on Tuesday.
The Star Contender consists of five events: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles as well as mixed doubles.
For the Chinese team, the men's singles players who directly enter the main competition include Ma Long, Liang Jingkun, Wang Chuqin, Lin Gaoyuan and Yuan Licen, and the women's singles players include Chen Meng, Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Wang Yidi, Liu Weishan and Fan Siqi.
Moreover, Liang Jingkun/Lin Gaoyuan, Ma Long/Wang Chuqin will participate in the men's doubles, Sun Yingsha/Wang Manyu, Chen Meng/Wang Yidi will be paired to compete in the women's doubles. Wang Chuqin/Wang Manyu will take part in the mixed doubles.
The European Summer Series 2022 consists of the WTT Star Contender, WTT Feeder and WTT Champions. Among them, the WTT Star Contender will be held from July 11-17, the WTT Champions from July 18-23 and the WTT Feeder from July 18-22. ■
