by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor
It is for Chen Xingtong, the highest status of her career, for Yan An he approaches his previous best of no.7, a position he held from December 2013 to April 2014.
Both follow in the footsteps of compatriots who have reached the heights; however, there is one player who is setting new heights for his country and continent, step forward Hugo Calderano.
The 20 year old from Rio de Janeiro who gave Yan An a stern examination in the second round test in Budapest, extending the champion elect to seven games, moves from no.20 to no.17.
Quite simply it means that he is not only the highest ever ranked Brazilian; also he is the highest ever from Latin America. He now passes Ubiraci Rodrigues da Costa, always known as Biriba; in 1961 following the World Championships in Beijing, he was listed at no.19.
Also making progress following a semi-final appearance in Budapest, is Germany’s Ruwen Filus, he climbs from no.56 to no.40 and approaches his previous best of no.32 in July 2015. Likewise, amongst the top 100 names, there is a notable climb and a career high for Frenchman Quentin Robinot; he is now at no.84, previously he was in the no.96 spot.
Similarly, on the Women’s World Rankings, in addition to Chen Xingtong, China Yui Hamamoto and Britt Eerland of the Netherlands made major progress and scale new heights.
Yui Hamamoto moves from a prior best of no.22 to no.16, Britt Eerland from no.67 to no.59. The previous highest ranking for Britt Eerland was no.63 in October 2014.
Progress and there are promiment names who return to the World Rankings as a result of their appearance at the Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour Hungarian Open.
On the Men’s list, in addition to Yan An, colleagues Shang Kun, Lin Gaoyuan and Liang Jingkun all appear as does Frenchman Adrien Mattenet. Shang Kun is at no.47, Lin Gaoyuan at no.55, Liang Jingkun at no.55; Adrien Mattenet is at no.59.
Likewise on the Women’s World Rankings, also from China, Wen Jia returns at no.38, Li Jiayi at no.71.
Higher listings; conversely there are those who move in the opposite direction; the most noticeable being in the Men’s list. Frenchman Stéphane Ouaiche drops from no.55 to no.67; Brazil’s Gustavo Tsuboi from no.79 to no.90, compatriot Cazuo Matsumoto from no.86 to no.96.
World Rankings: Wednesday 1st February 2017
World Rankings: Basic Description
World Rankings: Rating Points and Bonus Points Tables
World Rankings: Ranking Default Policy for No Show
World Rankings: Policy for Inclusion in 2017 ITTF Calendar