by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor
Likewise, Fan Zhendong, the man to beat Ma Long in the Chengdu final, can expect and invitation to Doha; he remains in second spot (1,700 points), ahead of Chinese National Team colleagues, Xu Xin (1,300 points) and Zhang Jike (1,225 points).
Next in line is Japan’s Jun Mizutani (713 points), he is one place ahead of Chinese Taipei’s Chuang Chih-Yuan and Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus who share sixth spot (700 points).
Hong Kong’s Wong Chun-Ting who caused a major upset in Chengdu by beating Xu Xin at the quarter-final stage of the Men’s Singles event completes the top eight names (619 points); like the seven higher, he can now look forward to a Grand Finals invitation.
Wong Chun-Ting caused major upset
Notably Jun Mizutani and Chuang Chih-Yuan did not compete in the SheSays 2016 ITTF World Tour China Open.
Vladimir Samsonov and Wong Chun-Ting were both on duty; Vladimir Samsonov was beaten by Ma Long at the quarter-final stage, one round later, Wong Chun-Ting experienced defeat at the hands of Fan Zhendong.
Place cemented
Top place maintained on the Men’s Singles Standings, in the counterpart Women’s Singles Standings it is top place cemented.
Previously Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen shared first place but with Ding Ning beating Liu Shiwen in the all-Chinese Chengdu final, she moves clear in top spot (19,000 points), Liu Shiwen is now in second spot (1,700 points).
She is followed immediately by colleague Zhu Yuling (800 points) and Japan’s Kasumi Ishikawa (681 points) with Singapore’s Feng Tianwei (612 points) and Tie Yana (550 points) next in the order of merit; all have sufficient points to expect an invitation to the Grand Finals in Doha.
Similar to the leading male players, all have met the criteria of competing in five tournaments this year.
Enter list
Meanwhile, on the Men’s Doubles Standings Ma Long and Zhang Jike, the winners in Chengdu, enter the list at no.10 (300 points); Fan Zhendong and Xu Xin, the runners up, likewise make their debut, they appear at no.16 (150 points).
Xu Xin and Zhang Jike retain top spot (600 points) but they have only competed as partners in two tournaments; Japan’s Masataka Morizono and Yuya Oshima, not on duty in Chengdu, occupy second place (594 points) and have met the basic criteria for Grand Finals qualification. The have competed in the mandatory four tournaments.
First appearance
Similarly, Cheng Meng and Zhu Yuling, the Women’s Doubles winners at the SheSays 2016 ITTF World Tour China Open, make their first appearance of the year on the Standings; they enter at no.5 (300 points).
Beaten finalists in Chengdu, Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen retain their top billing (1,050 points) and have met the four tournament requirement to qualify for the Grand Finals.
New leaders
No change at the very top of the Men’s Doubles and Women’s Doubles Standings; that is not the situation in the Under 21 Men’s Singles and Under 21 Women’s Singles events where respective winners in Chengdu now occupy pole position.
Hong Kong’s Ho Kwan Kit now heads the Under 21 Men’s Singles (877 points) ahead of Japan’s Yuto Muramatsu (725 points), the player he beat in the Chengdu final; not present in the Chinese city, Korea’s Lim Junghoon, the previous leader, in now at no.3 (690 points).
Somewhat similarly, on the Under 18 Women’s World Rankings, Zeng Jian heads the list (1,239), she is one position ahead of Yu Hammamoto (1,030 points), the previous leader. Doo Hoi Kem, the beaten finalist in Chengdu moves from no.23 to no.12 (238 points) but she must compete in one more ITTF World Tour tournament this year to meet the criteria of playing in four events in two continents.
Download latest standings
ITTF World Tour: Latest Standings following SheSays 2016 ITTF World Tour China Open