On Tuesday 24 November 2020, the draw ceremony was held at the Galaxy Macau Hotel, where players learnt their fate ahead of the next five days of drama that will unfold at the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion in Macao.
TOP 4 SEED BATTLE
Over the first two days of action (24-25 November 2020), the top four seeds will each play two matches to determine the order of seeds for the quarter-finals. Day One will see the top seed face off against seed 4, with seed 2 taking on seed 3. From those matches, there will be follow-up encounters on Day Two between the two winners and between the two losers from Day One.
In the men’s singles, China’s Xu Xin, top seed, will lock horns with Brazil’s Hugo Calderano, the highest-ranked player from the Pan America region. Chinese legend Ma Long, the reigning Olympic and World champion, will be looking to kick on from his recent success at the ITTF Finals. He meets compatriot Lin Gaoyuan on Day One.
In the women’s singles, China’s Chen Meng is the top seed and favourite to win in Macao, off the back of her two titles earlier this month at the Women’s World Cup and ITTF Finals. Chen opens her campaign against Ding Ning, the reigning Olympic champion. In Wednesday’s other match, Chinese rising stars Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu will look to claim an advantage heading into Day Two.
BATTLE ONE
Players ranked 9-16 were drawn randomly to play one another in elimination matches, carried out on Day One for the right to advance to Day Two.
In the men’s singles, Korea Republic’s Jang Woojin, seed 10, meets England’s Liam Pitchford, seed 9. Jang is a man in form, having reached the semi-finals at both the Men’s World Cup and ITTF Finals, while Pitchford reached the main draw of the former.
China’s Fang Bo, seed 16, meets Austria’s Robert Gardos, seed 13; Egypt’s Ahmed Saleh, seed 15, clashes with Hong Kong China’s Wong Chun Ting, seed 11; and China’s Zhao Zihao, seed 12, takes on Brazil’s Gustavo Tsuboi, seed 14.
In the women’s singles, USA’s Lily Zhang, seed 15, is up against Germany’s Petrissa Solja, seed 12. Zhang, the 2019 Breakthrough Star, impressed on her way to this year’s Women’s World Cup quarter-finals, while Solja reached the same stage of the recently concluded ITTF Finals.
Further eye-catching contests will be played out between Korea Republic’s Jeon Jihee, seed 10, and Puerto Rico’s Adriana Diaz, seed 11; Hong Kong China’s Doo Hoi Kem, seed 9, and Romania’s Bernadette Szocs, seed 14; and between Korea Republic’s Suh Hyowon, seed 13, and China’s Liu Weishan, seed 16.
BATTLE TWO
The winners from Battle One will advance to Battle Two, on Thursday 26 November, where they will face players ranked 5-8. The contests will be arranged as follows:
Men’s singles:
Lin Yun-Ju (Chinese Taipei) seed 5 vs lowest ranked winner from Battle One
Mattias Falck (Sweden) seed 6 vs second lowest ranked winner from Battle One
Wang Chuqin (China) seed 7 vs second highest ranked winner from Battle One
Jeoung Youngsik (Korea Republic) seed 8 vs highest ranked winner from Battle One
Women’s singles:
Cheng I-Ching (Chinese Taipei) seed 5 vs lowest ranked winner from Battle One
Feng Tianwei (Singapore) seed 6 vs second lowest ranked winner from Battle One
Wang Yidi (China) seed 7 vs second highest ranked winner from Battle One
Chen Xingtong (China) seed 8 vs highest ranked winner from Battle One
FINAL THREE DAYS
The race for silverware will intensify from Friday 27 November when the quarter-finals get under way. The semi-finals will be played on Saturday 28, with final showdowns in both men’s and women’s singles competitions staged on Sunday 29 November.
For more information and updates about WTT Macao, please visit ITTF.com.
