BEIJING, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's Wang Manyu returned to the top of the women's singles world rankings released by the International Table Tennis Federation on Monday after successfully defending her title at the 2026 WTT China Smash.
Wang swept Japan's Hitomi Sato 4-0 in Sunday's final at Beijing's Shougang Park, earning 2,000 ranking points to overtake compatriot Sun Yingsha.
Wang first reached world No. 1 in September but subsequently slipped to second after the ranking points from her 2025 China Smash victory expired.
Sato climbed five places to eighth, while Japan's Miwa Harimoto remained third, followed by China's Wang Yidi and Kuai Man.
In the men's singles rankings, Japan's Sora Matsushima retained the top spot after winning the China Smash title. France's Felix Lebrun ranked second, followed by Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto, Sweden's Truls Moregard and China's Wang Chuqin.
Under ranking regulations introduced by the ITTF in 2022, a player's ranking points are calculated primarily from their eight best results over the preceding 12 months.
In doubles, French brothers Alexis and Felix Lebrun topped the men's rankings, while Japan's Hina Hayata and Miwa Harimoto led the women's standings. South Korea's Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin held the top spot in mixed doubles. ■
