Ma Long of China serves during his men's singles semifinal against Alexis Lebrun of France at the WTT Champions Macao 2023 in Macao, China, April 22, 2023. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)
by sportswriters Su Bin and Xie Jiang
It's no secret that China always aims to sweep every available title at any major table tennis tournament, but who may stand in their way in Durban?
DURBAN, South Africa, May 18 (Xinhua) -- With two days until the start of the 2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) Finals in Durban, excitement is boiling over in South Africa for the prestigious event, held in Africa for the first time since 1939.
For China, it's no secret that its star players aim to sweep all available titles at any major table tennis tournament, but who may stand in their way this time?
Kristian Karlsson (1st L) and Mattias Falck (2nd L) of Sweden celebrate after their men's doubles quarterfinal win against Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin of China at the 2021 World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Houston, the United States on Nov. 27, 2021. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)
Mattias Falck and Kristian Karlsson did so at the 2021 World Championships in Houston, the United States, as the Swedish pair dispatched two Chinese pairs, Fan Zhendong/Wang Chuqin and Liang Jingkun/Lin Gaoyuan, on their way to the men's doubles crown, the only title not to fall to China in the last two editions of the tournament.
Two years later, China's table tennis team remain upbeat about their campaign in Durban. "Our goal remains the same: to try to win gold in every event," said chief coach Li Sun when the tournament roster was announced in early April.
Featuring both veterans and new blood in their squad, the team is not only targeting the present, but also has one eye on the future.
Ma Long, 34, will play in his eighth World Championships, with the legendary paddler winning all three titles between 2015 and 2019. The reigning Olympic champion will contend for glory with men's world No. 1 Fan Zhendong and rising star Wang Chuqin, along with their teammates Liang Jingkun and Lin Gaoyuan.
Fan Zhendong of China celebrates during his men's singles round of 32 match against Patrick Franziska of Germany at the WTT Champions Macao 2023, April 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)
Like their men's counterparts, China's female paddlers competing in the singles event are also the same as those who helped China win their fifth straight title at the World Team Table Tennis Championships last year in southwest China's Chengdu.
Bidding for her first world singles championship, top-ranked Sun Yingsha expects a tough challenge from her compatriots Chen Meng, Wang Manyu, Wang Yidi and Chen Xingtong.
Chinese paddlers have demonstrated their dominance in the women's singles event in recent World Table Tennis (WTT) Series events, as they swept the final four spots at both the Champions Xinxiang and the Champions Macao.
Recovering from injuries, Olympic gold medalist Chen Meng and reigning world champion Wang Manyu got back to winning ways at the WTT Champions Macao, where Wang emerged as the eventual winner.
Wang Yidi and Chen Xingtong also emerged victorious in WTT events this year, as Wang took the Star Contender Goa title, while Chen became a triple crown champion in the women's singles, women's doubles and mixed doubles at the Star Contender Bangkok.
As top five female paddlers in the world rankings, the Chinese quintet will target glory at the worlds.
In the doubles category, China's roster features new faces like teenagers Lin Shidong and Kuai Man.
Sitting seventh in the mixed doubles world rankings, the post-2000s duo is the highest-ranked Chinese pair after world No. 1 Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha, claiming five straight WTT titles in a fruitful 2023. Their selection is deemed as a maneuver of the coaching group eyeing the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
"In terms of their ages and playing style, they can compliment each other quite well," explained Xiao Zhan, head of China's mixed doubles coaching group.
Arriving in Durban on May 12, China became the first team to land at the competition site in preparation for the event, and started their final preparations on May 13.
Harimoto Tomokazu of Japan hits a return during his men's singles quarterfinal against Darko Jorgic of Slovenia at the WTT Champions Macao 2023, April 21, 2023. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)
Familiar faces remain in the way for the Chinese paddlers. Fourth-placed Japanese prodigy Tomokazu Harimoto will be among the male paddlers to watch, and last edition's finalist Truls Moregard of Sweden and Brazilian ace Hugo Calderano are other standouts taken into consideration.
China's prominent figures should also beware of freak occurrences, like Fan's stunning loss to French youngster Alexis Lebrun in WTT Champions Macao quarterfinals.
Truls Moregard of Sweden hits a return during his men's singles semifinal against Wang Chuqin of China at the WTT Champions Macao 2022, Oct. 22, 2022. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)
On the women's side, Japanese duo Mima Ito and Hina Hayata will be the biggest threats to China, although Ito fared below par in Japan's recent trial for the 2024 Olympics, failing to reach the quarterfinals of that tournament. Besides them, Germany's veteran chopper Han Ying and Cheng I-Ching of Chinese Taipei may also cause a stir for Chinese participants down the stretch.
Japan's Ito Mima (L) and Hayata Hina in action during their women's doubles semifinal against Lee Ho Ching and Chen Szu-Yu at the World Table Tennis Star Contender European Summer Series 2022 in Budapest, Hungary on July 16, 2022. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)
After landing Sweden's first men's doubles world champion in three decades, Falck and Karlsson aim to repeat their success in Durban. Houston Worlds finalists Jang Woo-jin and Lim Jong-hoon of South Korea will also attempt to reach the same stage, while France's Lebrun brothers are expected to display their talents as well.
Ito and Hayata will be the biggest obstacle for China in the women's doubles, while Li Yu-Jhun and Cheng I-Ching of Chinese Taipei can also leave their mark on the game.
For China's mixed doubles pairs, their main challengers are Hayata and Harimoto and French duo Yuan Jianan and Emmanuel Lebesson.
Liu Guoliang, president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA), said he expects the ITTF WTTC Finals to be a fierce competition as all elite paddlers will participate.
"It will be a comprehensive test of our strength in 2023, so as to lay a solid foundation in our Paris Olympics preparation," he told Xinhua.
84 years after its last hosting of the global table tennis showpiece, Africa is buzzing with anticipation ahead of the Durban Worlds, with top players looking forward to showcasing their skills in front of enthusiastic crowds.
"This is a great thing for Africa. It's an opportunity to showcase to the world what Africa has to offer, from our hospitality to our culture and, of course, our top-level table tennis action," said Omar Assar of Egypt after claiming the men's singles title at the ITTF Africa Cup.
Quadri Aruna of Nigeria serves during his men's singles round of 32 match against Ma Long at the WTT Champions Macao 2023, April 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)
His opponent in the final, Quadri Aruna of Nigeria, also expressed his hope to inspire and help the next generation of players through the World Championships.
"It's significant that the World Championships are being held here in Africa. It's a platform to show Africans the thrill of the sport, to inspire young players, and to get more fans. This is a positive step forward towards having more people loving the sport and wanting to be part of it," said Aruna, the world's highest-ranked African player, at No. 12.
The Durban worlds will bear witness to Ni Xialian's legendary story, as the 59-year-old will represent Luxembourg in three categories at the biennial competition, which will take place at the Durban International Convention Center from May 20 to 28. ■
