by Ian Marshall, Editor

It was a situation that applied also to her colleague, Ding Ning, the reigning Olympic and World champion, one of the greatest players in the history of the sport!

Seeding at the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum Qatar Open was based on the February World Rankings. In the Women’s order of merit, Ding Ning stood at no.21, Liu Shiwen at no.23; neither commanded a direct entry. The last name on the list was that of the Korea Republic’s Suh Hyowon, she was named at no.18 on the rankings; the top names in the qualification tournament were those of Japan’s Hitomi Sato and Austria’s Sofia Polcanova.

Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen who, combined owned more major trophies than the rest of the players in the tournament put together, were the next in line.

Both duly negotiated the qualification stage without alarm, Ding Ning beat Japan’s Miyu Kihara and Thailand’s Tamolwan Khetkhuan, Liu Shiwen accounted for colleague Wu Yang and Singapore’s Lin Ye. Alas for Ding Ning, after beating Su Hyowon in the opening round, it was a second round defeat at the hands of colleague Chen Meng; for Liu Shiwen, she went from strength to strength.

She beat compatriots, Zhu Yuling and Chen Xingtong, before ending Japanese hopes in the guise of Hitomi Sato and Kasumi Ishikawa to book her place in the final, where another colleague awaited. She overcame Wang Manyu to become the second player to win a Women’s Singles title at an ITTF World Tour Platinum Open tournament; the other occasion had been just under nine months earlier when Sun Yingsha, also from China, had won in Japan.

The effect was that when the Women’s World Rankings were announced for April, Ding Ning appeared in the no.11 position, Liu Shiwen one place higher at no.10; for the rest of the year it was direct entries to the main draw.

Notably Liu Shiwen ended the year in the no.6 spot, Ding Ning in the no.2 position; moreover when the rankings are announced for January 2018, Ding Ning will head the list.