World no 1:- Ma Long
Ma Long (simplified Chinese: 马龙; traditional Chinese: 馬龍; pinyin: Mǎ Lóng; born 20 October 1988) is a Chinese male table tennis champion.[1] As of May 2016, he is ranked number 1 in the world by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), which he has been for a total of 46 months, more than anybody else other than Wang Liqin (54 months).[2] Ma was born in Anshan, Liaoning, China. He won a record 5 ITTF World Tour tournaments in a row, including a streak of 35 sets. Starting in December 2007, he has been in the top 5 in the ITTF World Ranking, and has been in the top 3 since September 2011. Since March 2015, he has been world #1.
Playing style and Career
Ma is arguably the best two-winged looper in table tennis history. His serves appear to be traditional pendulum serves, but are some of the most visually deceptive in the world. Ma's playing style is that of the modern strategy of close-range third ball play, as his range of attack is nearly unparalleled. At the beginning of his career, his play strategy was primarily forehand-oriented, dominating play with powerful forehand loops, only using his backhand for controlled returns and to set up the forehand. He still plays a forehand-oriented style, but his backhand has become more consistent and stable as his career has progressed. Ma uses his backhand mainly to aggressively block incoming loops, but will occasionally loop himself. Opponents are usually caught off guard when he suddenly loops with his backhand, which he can do near the table or away from it. Compared to when he was younger, he is much more confident using his backhand to attack and defend. He is also the most prominent employer of the chop block on the Chinese National Team, which he uses to counter slow loops with heavy side spin.
After winning both the Asian and World Junior Championships, Ma became the youngest world champion at 18 years old after he participated in the 2006 Bremen World Team Championship. Ma developed his foundations under the tutelage of Wang Hao and former Chinese National Team coach Ma Kai Xuan before studying under Qin Zhi Jian. Before turning 22, he had great success in singles, reaching the finals of 11 ITTF World Tour tournaments (winning 8). He won the Asian Cup and World Tour Grand Finals twice, and also made it to the final round of the Asian Championships two times (losing to Wang Hao in 2007 and winning in 2009). In addition, he played in the finals of the China National Games and All China Championships, losing both matches to Wang.
Despite being the #1 player in the world for much of 2010–2012 stretch he was not chosen to represent China at the 2012 Olympics due to his temporary dip in ratings following a 560-day win streak on the ITTF World Tour. He first lost to Lee Sang-su at the 2012 Korea Open, 4-1, and then was upset by Koki Niwa in six games at the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament. Players were selected based on the ITTF World rankings list. As a result, he was not given an opportunity to win an Olympic medal in singles at the time when he was widely accepted as the best table tennis player in the world.
Chinese National Team coach Liu Guoliang remarked that Ma had all the tools necessary to be the best, yet at major tournaments, he had so far lacked sufficient mental toughness to play to his full ability when under pressure. This was evident in his losses to Timo Boll and Vladimir Samsonov in the 2008 and 2009 World Cup semifinals as well as his defeats to Wang Hao (4-1, 4-2, 4-2) in the semifinals of three consecutive World Championships (2009, 2011, and 2013). Although he performed well on the ITTF World Tour and in domestic competitions, Ma never made it to the final of the World Championship in his first four attempts. This led to many believing he was inferior to compatriot Zhang Jike, who completed his Grand Slam in just over a year.
After his third defeat to Wang Hao at the WTTC in 2013, Ma had a successful year. He won the China Open at two different locations (beating Wang and then Xu Xin in the final), the Asian Championships (for the third time), and the China National Games in a full-stretch match against phenom Fan Zhendong. However, Xu defeated him 4-3 at the end of the year at the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals.
In March 2014, he won the Asian Cup for the fourth time, again defeating Fan in seven games. At the 2014 WTTTC, he didn't lose a single set. In the final against Germany, he played a pivotal role, beating Timo Boll in the opening match and defeating Dimitrij Ovtcharov for the win. For his efforts, he was awarded the Victor Barna Award as the tournament's best player. He then won the China Open for the fifth time, which tied him with Wang Liqin for the most ever. Ma's first encounter with Zhang Jike at a Grand Slam competition came in October 2014, at the World Cup in Düsseldorf. Although he was leading 3-2 in sets, Ma lost the match, saving two match points in the deciding game but still losing 10-12. This led to further criticism of his inability to come through on the biggest stages at the toughest moments. In November, he reached the final of the All China Championships, but was defeated by Fan, 4-2, again ending the year on a sour note.
However, 2015 would prove to be Ma's year. He won the Kuwait Open, beating Xu Xin 4-1 in the final, and then the German Open, getting revenge on Zhang Jike in an intense final after being down 3-1. But his biggest win came at the 2015 WTTC, where he did not drop more than one set until the final where he defeated tournament sensation Fang Bo in six games. This was a huge breakthrough for him, as his only other major singles title was the 2012 World Cup. After a surprising 4-1 loss to Shang Kun at the Japan Open, Ma won the China Open for a record sixth time, winning 4-1 against Xu Xin. In September, he led Ningbo over Fan Zhendong and Bayi to win the Chinese Super League championship. Injuries prevented him from competing at the Asian Championships, but he participated in the World Cup in Halmstad in October. Following a dropped set to Omar Assar in the round of 16, he did not lose another game in the competition, allowing his opponents to score an average of 6 points per set the rest of the tournament. He did not participate in the last two World Tour tournaments of the year, again due to injuries, but still was seeded first at the World Tour Grand Finals because he had won 3 other World Tour tournaments. In the final, he faced Fan again, winning 11-9 in the last game of a full-stretch match, coming back from being down 3-2 in sets (after being up 2-0), including down 8-6 in the sixth and 6-2 in the decider (when he won 8 points in a row). In 2015, Ma only lost once in international competition and just five times overall. Winning the World Cup, along with the WTTC, the ITTF World Tour tournaments, and the Grand Finals, in addition to being number one in the world, puts Ma in excellent position to contend for a spot in the singles at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2016, Ma Long won the German Open, beating Vladimir Samsonov 4-1 in the final, but Zhang Jike beat him in the final of the Kuwait Open 4-1.
There is a lot at stake for Ma in the upcoming Olympics: if he wins, he will be the fifth male player to complete a Grand Slam, and the second male player ever to be the defending champion of all three majors at the same time (Zhang Jike being the first). In addition, he will have won every important singles competition possible, from majors to the ITTF World Tour to domestic competitions. The only other player who has done that is Deng Yaping.
Career records
Singles
⦁ World Championships: winner (2015); SF (2009, 2011, 2013); round of 16 (2007).
⦁ World Cup: winner (2012, 2015); runner-up (2014); SF (2008, 2009).
⦁ ITTF World Tour winner (22): Kuwait, German Open 2007; Korea, Singapore Open 2008; Danish, Kuwait, China (Suzhou), English Open 2009; German Open 2010; China (Suzhou), Austrian, Swedish Open 2011; Hungarian Open 2012; Qatar, China (Changchun), China (Suzhou) Open 2013; China (Chengdu) Open 2014; Kuwait, German, China (Chengdu) Open 2015; German, Qatar Open 2016.
⦁ Runner-up (11): German Open 2005; Japan, Swedish Open 2007; UAE, China (Shenzen) Open 2011; Slovenian, China (Shanghai) Open 2012; Kuwait, Korea, UAE Open 2013; Kuwait Open 2016
⦁ ITTF World Tour Grand Finals: winner (2008, 2009, 2011, 2015); runner-up (2013); SF 2007).
⦁ Asian Games: winner (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: winner (2009, 2011, 2013); runner-up (2007).
⦁ Asian Cup: winner (2008, 2009, 2011, 2014).
⦁ China National Games: winner (2013), runner-up (2009), SF (2005).
⦁ All China Table Tennis Championships: winner (2011); runner-up (2004, 2007, 2014); SF (2008).
⦁ World Junior Championships: winner (2004); QF (2003).
⦁ Asian Junior Championships: winner (2004)
Men's Doubles
⦁ World Championships: winner (2011); runner-up (2009); round of 16 (2007).
⦁ World Tour winner (16): China (Harbin) Open 2005; Slovenian Open 2006; Swedish Open 2007; Danish, Qatar, English Open 2009; Kuwait, German Open 2010; China (Shenzen), Austrian Open 2011; Slovenian, Korea, China (Shanghai) Open 2012; China (Suzhou), China (Changchun) Open 2013; China (Chengdu) Open 2014.
⦁ Runner-up (10): China (Shenzhen) Open 2005; Singapore Open 2006; China (Shenzhen) Open 2007; Qatar, Korea Open 2008; Kuwait Open 2009; China (Suzhou) Open 2011; Kuwait, Qatar, Korea Open 2013, China Open 2014.
⦁ SF (1): Kuwait Open 2016.
⦁ ITTF World Tour Grand Finals: winner (2006); runner-up (2011); SF (2007).
⦁ Asian Games: winner (2014); SF (2006).
⦁ Asian Championships: winner (2007, 09, 13); SF (2011).
⦁ China National Games: SF (2005).
⦁ All China Table Tennis Championships: winner (2010, 2015); runner-up (2006, 2007,
2014); SF (2008).
⦁ World Junior Championships: runner-up (2004).
⦁ Asian Junior Championships: runner-up (2003, 2004).
Mixed Doubles
⦁ Asian Games: QF (2006).
⦁ Asian Championships: winner (2009); SF (2005).
⦁ China National Games: winner (2013).
⦁ All China Table Tennis Championships: winner (2012); runner-up (2008).
⦁ World Junior Championships: runner-up (2003, 2004).
⦁ Asian Junior Championships: winner (2004).
Team
Olympics: 1st (2012)
⦁ World Championships: 1st (2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016).
⦁ World Team Cup: 1st (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015).
⦁ Asian Games: 1st (2006, 2010, 2014).
⦁ Asian Championships: 1st (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015).
⦁ China National Games: 3rd (2009, 2013)
⦁ All China Table Tennis Championships: 1st (2011, 2012); 3rd (2007, 2008, 2010).
⦁ Chinese Super League: 1st (2009, 2012, 2013, 2015); 3rd (2014).
⦁ World Junior Championships: 1st (2003, 2004).
⦁ Asian Junior Championships: 1st (2004).
Summary of Accomplishments
⦁ Olympic Champion (1 Team)
⦁ 8x World Champion (1 Singles, 1 Doubles, 6 Team)
⦁ 7x World Cup winner (2 Singles, 5 Team)
⦁ 38x ITTF World Tour winner (22 Singles, 16 Doubles)
⦁ 5x ITTF World Tour Grand Finals Champion (4 Singles, 1 Doubles)
⦁ 5x Asian Games winner (1 Singles, 1 Doubles, 3 Team)
⦁ 12x Asian Champion (3 Singles, 2 Doubles, 1 Mixed Doubles, 6 Team)
⦁ 4x Asian Cup winner (4 Singles)
⦁ 2x China National Champion (1 Singles, 1 Mixed Doubles)
⦁ 6x All-China Champion (1 Singles, 2 Doubles, 1 Mixed Doubles, 2 Team)
⦁ 4x Chinese Super League Champion (4 Team)
⦁ 3x World Junior Champion (1 Singles, 2 Team)
⦁ 3x Asian Junior Champion (1 Singles, 1 Mixed Doubles, 1 Team)
⦁ 2015 ITTF Male Star of the Year
Other
⦁ Went unbeaten for 40 singles matches by December 2011.[4]
⦁ Did not drop a set in 5 tournaments: Swedish Open 2011, WTTC 2012, World Team
Classic 2013, WTTC 2014 and 2016.
⦁ In singles, he has won the World Tour Grand Finals 4 times, the China Open 6 times, the Asian Championships 3 times, and the Asian Cup 4 times, the most ever
⦁ One of two players to sweep all four medals in an Asian Championship (FaZhendong).
⦁ Most ITTF World Tour singles titles (26) of any male Chinese player ever.
⦁ Does not have a losing head to head record with any players who he played more than once (counting Chinese competitions, not counting injury withdrawals). His worst records are against Wang Hao (21-17) and Vladimir Samsonov (8-5). The only players who have a winning record against him are Daniel Gorak and Koji Matsushita, who both won their only meetings with Ma in 2006.
World no 2:- Fan Zhendong
Fan Zhendong (Chinese: 樊振东; born 22 January 1997) is a Chinese table tennis player. He is ranked number 2 in the official ITTF world rankings as of June 2016.[1]
Playing style and equipment
Fan is a Stiga sponsored athlete. He uses a Stiga Carbonado 190, with black DHS Hurricane 3 neo National Blue Sponge for forehand and red Airoc Astro M for backhand.[citation needed]
A right-handed shakehand-grip player, Fan plays an attacking style of table tennis using his explosive footwork and thunderous forehand loops to finish off his opponents. Emerging as a 16-year-old wonderkid, Fan's playing style is often compared to his senior compatriot Ma Long. In addition to being trained by national team coaches, he has been specially trained by both Wang Hao and Ma Lin. His encounters against senior players in the Chinese national team drew much speculation and anticipation. His fearlessness and technique allow him to challenge highly rated, experienced players, sometimes even beating top players in thrilling style.
Achievements
⦁ 2012 World Junior Table Tennis Championships: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles, men's team, and mixed doubles; Med 2.png runner-up, men's doubles[3]
⦁ 2013 ITTF Pro Tour, Poland: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles
⦁ 2013 ITTF Pro Tour, Germany: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles
⦁ 2013 ITTF Pro Tour, Sweden: Med 2.png Runner-up, men's singles
⦁ 2014 ITTF Pro Tour, Kuwait: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles
⦁ 2014 ITTF Pro Tour, China: Med 1.png Champion, men's doubles
⦁ 2014 World Team Table Tennis Championships: Med 1.png men's team
⦁ 2014 Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Table Tennis Event: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles
⦁ 2014 Asian Games: Med 1.png Champion, men's team
⦁ 2014 Asian Games: Med 2.png Runner-up, men's singles
⦁ 2014 China Nationals, Table Tennis Event: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles
⦁ 2014 China Nationals, Table Tennis Event: Med 1.png Champion, men's doubles
⦁ 2014 Table Tennis Asian Cup: Med 2.png Runner-up, men's singles
⦁ 2015 World Team Table Tennis Cup: Med 1.png men's team
⦁ 2015 Table Tennis Asian Cup: Med 2.png Runner-up, men's singles
⦁ 2015 World Table Tennis Championships: Med 3.png Bronze, men's singles
⦁ 2015 World Table Tennis Championships: Med 2.png Runner-up, men's doubles
⦁ 2015 ITTF Asian Championships: Med 1.png Gold, men's singles
⦁ 2015 ITTF Asian Championships: Med 1.png Gold, men's doubles
⦁ 2015 ITTF LIEBHERR Men's World Cup, Sweden: Med 2.png Runner-up, men's singles
⦁ 2015 ITTF World Tour, Polish Open: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles
⦁ 2015 ITTF World Tour, Swedish Open: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles
⦁ 2016 World Team Table Tennis Championships: Med 1.png men's team
World no 3:- Xu Xin
Xu Xin (simplified Chinese: 许昕; traditional Chinese: 許昕; pinyin: Xǔ Xīn; born 8 January 1990) is a Chinese table tennis player and is currently the No. 3 ranked player in the world, as of May 2016.[1]
Equipment/Playing Style
Xu Xin is a STIGA sponsored athlete. He uses a STIGA Intensity NCT as his blade, a custom made DHS Hurricane 3 NEO rubber for his backhand (red), and a DHS NEO Skyline 3 TG3 (Blue Sponge) for his forehand (black).
Xu Xin is one of the few penhold grip players in China, especially among the younger generation who are mostly shakehand players. He follows the footsteps of other penhold champions such as Wang Hao and Ma Lin.
With his long arms and frame, he is able to more easily reach balls hit wide. His long arms enable a graceful, unique forehand loop, with his arm almost fully outstretched. He has also adopted the reverse penhold backhand grip, a recent development for China's backhand penholders, allowing a two winged attack. He still uses a traditional penhold backhand to block, lob, and push the ball with the forehand side of his racket.
Xu Xin's main strength is his shot variation and blazing forehand loops at mid to far distance. He is also a good lob defender, with great serves and decent footwork. However, his preference to play at a far distance is also one of his main weaknesses. While giving himself more time between shots, it also gives his opponents more time to react and he can be tamed by skillful attackers with good shot selection and neat placement. He is also somewhat of a 'crowd entertainer' often coming up with wild, and sometimes inappropriate shots. This is perhaps due to his playful nature and confidence in playing. He admitted that he hopes to try to be more efficient and effective with his shot selection as he matures and carries more responsibilities.
In January 2013, he reached the No. 1 spot in the World Rankings thanks to the points obtained by winning the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in December 2012.
In January 2014, Xu Xin defended his title by beating world No. 1 ranked Ma Long in the finals match of the 2013 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals held in Dubai.
Career records
Singles
⦁ World Championships: SF (2013).
⦁ World Cup appearances: 2. Record: 4th (2012); winner (2013).
⦁ World Tour winner (×8): Kuwait Open 2010; Slovenian Open 2011, Qatar Open 2011; Qatar Open 2012; China Open 2012, Russian Open 2012, Korea Open 2013; Japan (Yokohama) Open 2015.
⦁ Runner-up (×2): Belarus Open 2008; Korea Open 2012.
⦁ World Tour Grand Finals appearances: 4. Record: winner (2012, 2013), runner up (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: F (2015); SF (2009, 12).
⦁ Asian Cup: winner (2013, 16); 2nd (2011); 3rd (2010).
Men's Doubles
⦁ World Championships: winner (2011); runner-up (2009);winner (2015)
⦁ World Tour winner (×8): Slovenian, Danish, Qatar Open 2009; China Open 2010; English, Qatar Open 2011; Qatar Open 2012, Russian Open 2012; Kuwait Open 2013.
⦁ Runner-up (×6): China (Suzhou) Open 2009; Qatar, Kuwait Open 2010; UAE Open 2011; Hungarian, Slovenian Open 2012.
⦁ Asian Games: runner-up (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: winner (2009).
Mixed Doubles
⦁ World Championships: QF (2009), winner (2015).
⦁ Asian Games: winner (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: winner (2012), SF (2009).
Team
⦁ World Championships: winner (2010, 12, 14).
⦁ World Team Cup: winner (2009, 10, 11, 13).
⦁ Asian Games: winner (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: winner (2009, 12, 13).
World no 4:-Zhang Jike
Zhang Jike (simplified Chinese: 张继科; traditional Chinese: 張繼科; pinyin: Zhāng Jìkē; born 16 February 1988) is a Chinese table tennis player.[1][4] He was named after the Brazilian soccer player Zico.[5]
Zhang Jike is the reigning Olympic champion in singles. When he won the Olympic gold medal in singles,[6] he became the fourth male player in the history of table tennis to achieve a career grand slam. The others are Jan-Ove Waldner (in 1992), Liu Guoliang (in 1999) and Kong Linghui (in 2000).[7] Zhang, however, is the only one of the four who have been the reigning champion in all three competitions simultaneously. As he won consecutively first in WTTC 2011, then World Cup 2011, and then London Olympics 2012, he won the grand slam in only 445 days after his first major title, being the fastest player ever to do so.
Equipment and playing style
Zhang Jike is a Butterfly sponsored athlete. He uses Butterfly Viscaria for his blade, a Butterfly Tenergy 64 (red) on his backhand, and DHS Hurricane 3 neo National blue sponge (black) on his forehand .
Zhang Jike is a two-winged shakehand attacker, using a combination of quick topspin drive attacks, counters, and loops. He is primarily a speed-oriented player, using the harder blue sponge H3 for maximum drive. He stays very low to the ground and is exceptionally quick on his feet. He uses a backhand favored grip and does not change his grip for forehand shots. Among all the Chinese National team players, he is known for having the best backhand technique, often using it in the forehand corner, especially when returning heavy under-spin serves and pushes. His backhand on-the-table flick is widely regarded as one of the best in the world.
Zhang's serves are unpredictable and quite deceptive. His most famous serve is probably the reverse-pendulum short serve into both corners of the table. The side-spin on the serve, together with his deadly backhand flicks, lightning footwork and top-class anticipation has proven to be a frightening combination as he "opens up" top spin rallies to his advantage.
It is noticeable that he would play with a backhand oriented gameplan against big forehand loopers like Ma Long or Fan Zhendong. He would keep his opponents in their backhand corner and go for down-the-line blocking winners as the opposition steps around to use a forehand loop, or just simply use his superior control to pile up pressure on the opponent, resulting in bad shot selections and unforced errors.
One of Zhang Jike's most valuable asset is his mental toughness. His ability to win big points in major competitions under pressure, has amazed audiences.
In 2014, Zhang's world ranking dropped to 5th as a result of consecutive early world tour exits and title drought. Head coach Liu Guoliang criticized him for his lack of focus and techniques development. However, Zhang managed to lead his hometown team, Shandong, to the 2014 Chinese Table Tennis Super League championship, and he won the World Cup again in October.
Career records
Singles
⦁ Olympic Games: Winner (2012).
⦁ World Championships: Winner (2011, 13).
⦁ World Cup: Winner (2011, 14); Runner-up (2010).
⦁ Pro Tour Winner (6): China Open, Suzhou (2010); German Open (2011); Korean Open (2012), Slovenian Open (2012), Kuwait Open (2013). Runner-up (3): Qatar Open (2010); China Open, Suzhou (2011); Austrian Open (2011); Kuwait Open (2016).
⦁ Pro Tour Grand Finals: Runner-up (2011); SF (2009).
⦁ Asian Championships: Runner-up (2009, 12).
⦁ Asian Cup: Winner (2010).
Men's Doubles
⦁ World Championships: Winner (2015).
⦁ Pro Tour winner (6): Kuwait Open 2010; Slovenian, English, UAE, German, China (Suzhou) Open 2011.
⦁ Runner-up (7): Kuwait, Qatar Open 2008; China (Suzhou) Open 2009; German Open 2010; Qatar, China (Shenzen), Austrian Open 2011.
⦁ Pro Tour Grand Finals: Winner (2011).
⦁ Asian Games: Winner (2010, 14).
⦁ Mixed Doubles
⦁ World Championships: Runner-up (2009).
⦁ Asian Games: QF (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: Runner-up (2009).
World no 5:-Dimitrij Ovtcharov
Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Russian: Дмитрий Овчаров) or Dmytro Ovtcharov (Ukrainian: Дмитро Овчаров; born 2 September 1988) is a Ukrainian-born German table tennis player.[3] His father Mykhailo (himself national level table tennis player, and USSR National champion in 1982) has moved his family to Germany shortly after Dimitrij was born.
Career
At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Ovtcharov won the silver medal as part of the German men's team, together with Timo Boll and Christian Süß.[4][5]
He used a special technique in his serves, which was later picked by TIME as one of the top 50 innovations of 2008.[6]
On September 22, 2010 Ovtcharov had been suspended by the German Table Tennis Federation (DTTB) due to a positive A-sample test for Clenbuterol that may be used as performance-enhancing substance.[7] Ovtcharov himself denied the doping accusation and requested a B-sample analysis which still tested positive.[8][9] After hearings and further investigations, the hair sample voluntarily offered by Ovtcharov showed no evidence of clenbuterol and its abuse. DTTB later unanimously decided to abolish the suspension on October 15, 2010.[10] The decision was endorsed by ITTF.[11]
At the 2012 Summer Olympics Ovcharov was part of the German table tennis team and he won bronze medals in singles and team events respectively.
In June 2015, he competed in the inaugural European Games, for Germany in table tennis, more specifically, Men's singles. He earned a gold medal.
Equipment
Dimitrij Ovtcharov is right-handed and uses the shakehand grip. He is also a DONIC sponsored athlete. His blade is a Donic Ovtcharov Original Senso Carbon with Donic Bluefire M1 Black rubber on forehand and Donic Bluefire M1 Red on backhand.
Career records
Singles
⦁ Olympics: round of 16 (2008), Bronze medal (2012).[5]
⦁ World Championships: round of 16 (2009, 11, 13).
⦁ European Games: Gold medal (2015).
⦁ World Cup appearances: 5. Record: 5–8th (2008, 09, 10, 11).
⦁ World Tour winner (5): 2010 India Open. 2011 Brazil Open. 2011 Korea Open. 2012
German Open. 2014 German Open
⦁ Runner-up (2): 2009 Danish Open. 2010 Polish Open.
⦁ World Tour Grand Finals appearances: 5. Record: round of 16 (2007–2011).
⦁ European Championships: SF (2007). Winner (2013).
⦁ Europe Top-12: Winner (2012).
⦁ Europe Top-16: Winner (2015, 2016).
Men's Doubles
⦁ World Championships: round of 16 (2009).
⦁ Pro Tour winner (1): 2007 Chinese Taipei Open.
⦁ Pro Tour Grand Finals appearances: 1. Record: QF (2007).
Mixed Doubles
⦁ World Championships: round of 64 (2007).
Team
⦁ Olympics: 2nd (2008), 3rd (2012).
⦁ European Games: 4th (2015).
⦁ World Championships: 2nd (2010, 2012, 2014).
⦁ World Team Cup: 3rd (2009, 2011).
⦁ European Championships: 1st (2007–2011,2013) 2nd (2014,2015)
World no 6:-Jun Mizutani
Jun Mizutani (Japanese: 水谷 隼; born 9 June 1989) is a male Japanese table tennis player.[1] He became the youngest Japanese national champion at the age of 17.[3] His consecutive singles titles at the national championships from 2007 to 2011 made him the first man to win the event five times in a row.[4]
Career records
Singles
⦁ Olympics: round of 32 (2008).[6]
⦁ World Championships: QF (2011, 2015).
⦁ World Cup appearances: 3. Record: 4th (2010, 2011).
⦁ ITTF World Tour winner (4): Korea Open 2009; Hungarian Open 2010; Kuwait Open, Japan Open 2012. Runner-up (2): Japan Open 2010; Japan Open 2011, Austrian Open 2015, Polish Open 2016.
⦁ ITTF World Tour Grand Finals: winner (2010, 2014[7]).
⦁ Asian Games: SF (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: QF (2009, 2012).
⦁ Asian Cup: 3rd (2007).
Men's Doubles
⦁ World Championships: SF (2009).
⦁ ITTF World Tour winner (2): China (Suzhou), Japan Open 2009. Runner-up (4): Chinese Taipei Open 2006; German, English Open 2009; Hungarian Open 2010.
⦁ Asian Games: QF (2006).
⦁ Asian Championships: SF (2007).
Mixed Doubles
⦁ World Championships: round of 16 (2009).
Team
⦁ Olympics: 5th (2008).
⦁ World Championships: 3rd (2008, 10, 12).
⦁ World Team Cup: 5th (2009).
⦁ Asian Games: SF (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: 2nd (2007, 09, 12).
World no 7:-Chuang Chih-Yuan
Chuang Chih-Yuan (traditional Chinese: 莊智淵; simplified Chinese: 庄智渊; pinyin: Zhuāng Zhìyuān; born 2 April 1981) is a Taiwanese table tennis player.[4] Winner of ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals 2002. As of May 2016 he is ranked 7 in the world.[1]
Chuang's parents were both table tennis players in Taiwan.[5][6] His father was a national doubles champion, and his mother Li Kuei-Mei was a member of the national team. After the end of Li's career as a player, her son, Chih-Yuan, became one of her prodigies in table tennis.
Chuang started competing in 1989, at the age of 8.[4] From the age of 13 his mother sent him to China for training several times. Chuang first made it to the Taiwan national team in 1998. In 1999, Chuang made his World Championships and ITTF Pro Tour debut.[7] At the end of 2000, his mother decided to let Chuang train in Europe, including France and Germany. The process made his matches a combination of the Chinese and European playing styles.
2002 was a sparkling year in Chuang's career. He reached his first three finals on the Pro Tour, but ended them all as the runner-up. He entered the world Top 10 list in September, won the silver medal at the Asian Games and participated in his first World Cup. At the year's end, he consecutively faced the opponents who defeated him in the previous three finals of the Pro Tour, and recorded three straight wins at the Pro Tour Grand Finals.[8][9] He defeated Jean-Michel Saive in the quarter-final, Wang Hao in the semi-final, and Kalinikos Kreanga in the final, claiming the title of Grand Finals Champion.
Chuang won his first Singles title on the Pro Tour at the Brazil Open in 2003, and reached No. 3, the highest world ranking of his career, at the end of the year.[1] He advanced to the quarter-finals in the 2004 Athens Olympics, ending the Games with a loss to Wang Hao.[10] In the men's doubles, he and team-mate Chiang Peng-Lung reached the last 16, where they were beaten by Błaszczyk and Krzeszewski of Poland.[10]
In July 2008, his own table tennis stadium, Chih Yuan The Ping-Pong Stadium, opened in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The stadium not only operates for Chuang's training, but is opened for other players and the public.[11] At that year's Olympics, he was beaten in the third round by Yang Zi of Singapore.[10]
As of June 2012 Chuang plays for Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga in Germany (TTBL). He reached the bronze medal match at that year's Olympics, where he lost to Dimitrij Ovtcharov.[10]
In May 2013, in the 52nd World Table Tennis Championships held in Paris, France, Chuang Chih-yuan and Chen Chien-an defeated Hao Shuai and Ma Lin 9–11, 12–10, 11–6, 13–11, 9–11, 11–8 in the final, and won Men's Doubles title. Chuang and Chen became the first athletes in Taiwan to win any World Table Tennis Championship title.
Career summary
Singles
⦁ Olympics: semi-finals (2012)
⦁ World Championships: round of 16 (2003, 2007)
⦁ World Cup appearances: 10. Best record: quarter-finals (2006, 10)
⦁ ITTF World Tour titles: 3 (Brazil 2003, Chile 2011 and Spanish Open 2012). Runner-up: 10 (Qatar, Japan, Dutch Open 2002; Danish Open 2003; USA, Japan Open 2004; Singapore Open 2006; Austrian, German Open 2008; Hungarian Open 2010)
⦁ ITTF World Tour Grand Finals appearances: 12. Won in 2002.
⦁ Asian Games: runner-up (2002).
Awards
⦁ Best Male Athlete Award 2003 from Sports Affairs Council, Executive Yuan, Taiwan. [12]
⦁ 41st Ten Outstanding Young Persons (2003) from Ten Outstanding Young Persons' Foundation Co., Taiwan.[13]
World no 8:- Wong Chun Ting
Wong Chun Ting (Chinese: 黃鎮廷; pinyin: Huāng Zhèntíng; born 7 September 1991) is a male table tennis player.[2] He won his first doubles title on the ITTF World Tour in 2012 and won another three doubles titles in 2014.[3] In 2015, he won a bronze medal in mixed doubles event with Doo Hoi Kem at the World Championships.
World no 9:- Vladimir Samsonov
Vladimir Samsonov (Belarusian: Уладзімір Самсонаў, Łacinka: Uładzimir Samsonaŭ) (born April 17, 1976 in Minsk) is a Belarusian professional table tennis player, ranked 9th in the world as of June 2016.[2][4] He is known in China as the "Tai Chi Master" because of his superb all-around (both offensive and defensive) style.
He is known as Mr.ECL (European Champions League) for participating in the tournament for at least 15 years straight and because he currently holds nine (9) ECL winner titles - three with Borussia, five with Charleroi, and two with Fakel Orenburg. He began his European club career when he joined Borussia Düsseldorf in 1994, then seven years later moved to Royal Charleroi in Belgium. In 2008 he moved to Spain to play for Cajagranada, but the things didn't go the way he planned and two years later he decided to join Russian superleague club Fakel Orenburg.
He is famous for being a top-10 player longer than anyone else in official ranking history save for the legend of table tennis Jan-Ove Waldner. He first joined the top-10 in 1996, then climbed to the top position in 1998. He stayed in the top-10 for 15 years until November 2011. He is ranked #9 as of June 2016.[5] He also currently holds the distinction of being the player with most ITTF ProTour gold medals - 26 ProTour titles.
In June 2015, he competed in the inaugural European Games, for Belarus in table tennis, more specifically, Men's singles. He earned a silver medal.
Career records
Singles
Men's Doubles
Mixed Doubles
Team
Ma Long (simplified Chinese: 马龙; traditional Chinese: 馬龍; pinyin: Mǎ Lóng; born 20 October 1988) is a Chinese male table tennis champion.[1] As of May 2016, he is ranked number 1 in the world by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), which he has been for a total of 46 months, more than anybody else other than Wang Liqin (54 months).[2] Ma was born in Anshan, Liaoning, China. He won a record 5 ITTF World Tour tournaments in a row, including a streak of 35 sets. Starting in December 2007, he has been in the top 5 in the ITTF World Ranking, and has been in the top 3 since September 2011. Since March 2015, he has been world #1.
Playing style and Career
Ma is arguably the best two-winged looper in table tennis history. His serves appear to be traditional pendulum serves, but are some of the most visually deceptive in the world. Ma's playing style is that of the modern strategy of close-range third ball play, as his range of attack is nearly unparalleled. At the beginning of his career, his play strategy was primarily forehand-oriented, dominating play with powerful forehand loops, only using his backhand for controlled returns and to set up the forehand. He still plays a forehand-oriented style, but his backhand has become more consistent and stable as his career has progressed. Ma uses his backhand mainly to aggressively block incoming loops, but will occasionally loop himself. Opponents are usually caught off guard when he suddenly loops with his backhand, which he can do near the table or away from it. Compared to when he was younger, he is much more confident using his backhand to attack and defend. He is also the most prominent employer of the chop block on the Chinese National Team, which he uses to counter slow loops with heavy side spin.
After winning both the Asian and World Junior Championships, Ma became the youngest world champion at 18 years old after he participated in the 2006 Bremen World Team Championship. Ma developed his foundations under the tutelage of Wang Hao and former Chinese National Team coach Ma Kai Xuan before studying under Qin Zhi Jian. Before turning 22, he had great success in singles, reaching the finals of 11 ITTF World Tour tournaments (winning 8). He won the Asian Cup and World Tour Grand Finals twice, and also made it to the final round of the Asian Championships two times (losing to Wang Hao in 2007 and winning in 2009). In addition, he played in the finals of the China National Games and All China Championships, losing both matches to Wang.
Despite being the #1 player in the world for much of 2010–2012 stretch he was not chosen to represent China at the 2012 Olympics due to his temporary dip in ratings following a 560-day win streak on the ITTF World Tour. He first lost to Lee Sang-su at the 2012 Korea Open, 4-1, and then was upset by Koki Niwa in six games at the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament. Players were selected based on the ITTF World rankings list. As a result, he was not given an opportunity to win an Olympic medal in singles at the time when he was widely accepted as the best table tennis player in the world.
Chinese National Team coach Liu Guoliang remarked that Ma had all the tools necessary to be the best, yet at major tournaments, he had so far lacked sufficient mental toughness to play to his full ability when under pressure. This was evident in his losses to Timo Boll and Vladimir Samsonov in the 2008 and 2009 World Cup semifinals as well as his defeats to Wang Hao (4-1, 4-2, 4-2) in the semifinals of three consecutive World Championships (2009, 2011, and 2013). Although he performed well on the ITTF World Tour and in domestic competitions, Ma never made it to the final of the World Championship in his first four attempts. This led to many believing he was inferior to compatriot Zhang Jike, who completed his Grand Slam in just over a year.
After his third defeat to Wang Hao at the WTTC in 2013, Ma had a successful year. He won the China Open at two different locations (beating Wang and then Xu Xin in the final), the Asian Championships (for the third time), and the China National Games in a full-stretch match against phenom Fan Zhendong. However, Xu defeated him 4-3 at the end of the year at the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals.
In March 2014, he won the Asian Cup for the fourth time, again defeating Fan in seven games. At the 2014 WTTTC, he didn't lose a single set. In the final against Germany, he played a pivotal role, beating Timo Boll in the opening match and defeating Dimitrij Ovtcharov for the win. For his efforts, he was awarded the Victor Barna Award as the tournament's best player. He then won the China Open for the fifth time, which tied him with Wang Liqin for the most ever. Ma's first encounter with Zhang Jike at a Grand Slam competition came in October 2014, at the World Cup in Düsseldorf. Although he was leading 3-2 in sets, Ma lost the match, saving two match points in the deciding game but still losing 10-12. This led to further criticism of his inability to come through on the biggest stages at the toughest moments. In November, he reached the final of the All China Championships, but was defeated by Fan, 4-2, again ending the year on a sour note.
However, 2015 would prove to be Ma's year. He won the Kuwait Open, beating Xu Xin 4-1 in the final, and then the German Open, getting revenge on Zhang Jike in an intense final after being down 3-1. But his biggest win came at the 2015 WTTC, where he did not drop more than one set until the final where he defeated tournament sensation Fang Bo in six games. This was a huge breakthrough for him, as his only other major singles title was the 2012 World Cup. After a surprising 4-1 loss to Shang Kun at the Japan Open, Ma won the China Open for a record sixth time, winning 4-1 against Xu Xin. In September, he led Ningbo over Fan Zhendong and Bayi to win the Chinese Super League championship. Injuries prevented him from competing at the Asian Championships, but he participated in the World Cup in Halmstad in October. Following a dropped set to Omar Assar in the round of 16, he did not lose another game in the competition, allowing his opponents to score an average of 6 points per set the rest of the tournament. He did not participate in the last two World Tour tournaments of the year, again due to injuries, but still was seeded first at the World Tour Grand Finals because he had won 3 other World Tour tournaments. In the final, he faced Fan again, winning 11-9 in the last game of a full-stretch match, coming back from being down 3-2 in sets (after being up 2-0), including down 8-6 in the sixth and 6-2 in the decider (when he won 8 points in a row). In 2015, Ma only lost once in international competition and just five times overall. Winning the World Cup, along with the WTTC, the ITTF World Tour tournaments, and the Grand Finals, in addition to being number one in the world, puts Ma in excellent position to contend for a spot in the singles at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2016, Ma Long won the German Open, beating Vladimir Samsonov 4-1 in the final, but Zhang Jike beat him in the final of the Kuwait Open 4-1.
There is a lot at stake for Ma in the upcoming Olympics: if he wins, he will be the fifth male player to complete a Grand Slam, and the second male player ever to be the defending champion of all three majors at the same time (Zhang Jike being the first). In addition, he will have won every important singles competition possible, from majors to the ITTF World Tour to domestic competitions. The only other player who has done that is Deng Yaping.
Career records
Singles
⦁ World Championships: winner (2015); SF (2009, 2011, 2013); round of 16 (2007).
⦁ World Cup: winner (2012, 2015); runner-up (2014); SF (2008, 2009).
⦁ ITTF World Tour winner (22): Kuwait, German Open 2007; Korea, Singapore Open 2008; Danish, Kuwait, China (Suzhou), English Open 2009; German Open 2010; China (Suzhou), Austrian, Swedish Open 2011; Hungarian Open 2012; Qatar, China (Changchun), China (Suzhou) Open 2013; China (Chengdu) Open 2014; Kuwait, German, China (Chengdu) Open 2015; German, Qatar Open 2016.
⦁ Runner-up (11): German Open 2005; Japan, Swedish Open 2007; UAE, China (Shenzen) Open 2011; Slovenian, China (Shanghai) Open 2012; Kuwait, Korea, UAE Open 2013; Kuwait Open 2016
⦁ ITTF World Tour Grand Finals: winner (2008, 2009, 2011, 2015); runner-up (2013); SF 2007).
⦁ Asian Games: winner (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: winner (2009, 2011, 2013); runner-up (2007).
⦁ Asian Cup: winner (2008, 2009, 2011, 2014).
⦁ China National Games: winner (2013), runner-up (2009), SF (2005).
⦁ All China Table Tennis Championships: winner (2011); runner-up (2004, 2007, 2014); SF (2008).
⦁ World Junior Championships: winner (2004); QF (2003).
⦁ Asian Junior Championships: winner (2004)
Men's Doubles
⦁ World Championships: winner (2011); runner-up (2009); round of 16 (2007).
⦁ World Tour winner (16): China (Harbin) Open 2005; Slovenian Open 2006; Swedish Open 2007; Danish, Qatar, English Open 2009; Kuwait, German Open 2010; China (Shenzen), Austrian Open 2011; Slovenian, Korea, China (Shanghai) Open 2012; China (Suzhou), China (Changchun) Open 2013; China (Chengdu) Open 2014.
⦁ Runner-up (10): China (Shenzhen) Open 2005; Singapore Open 2006; China (Shenzhen) Open 2007; Qatar, Korea Open 2008; Kuwait Open 2009; China (Suzhou) Open 2011; Kuwait, Qatar, Korea Open 2013, China Open 2014.
⦁ SF (1): Kuwait Open 2016.
⦁ ITTF World Tour Grand Finals: winner (2006); runner-up (2011); SF (2007).
⦁ Asian Games: winner (2014); SF (2006).
⦁ Asian Championships: winner (2007, 09, 13); SF (2011).
⦁ China National Games: SF (2005).
⦁ All China Table Tennis Championships: winner (2010, 2015); runner-up (2006, 2007,
2014); SF (2008).
⦁ World Junior Championships: runner-up (2004).
⦁ Asian Junior Championships: runner-up (2003, 2004).
Mixed Doubles
⦁ Asian Games: QF (2006).
⦁ Asian Championships: winner (2009); SF (2005).
⦁ China National Games: winner (2013).
⦁ All China Table Tennis Championships: winner (2012); runner-up (2008).
⦁ World Junior Championships: runner-up (2003, 2004).
⦁ Asian Junior Championships: winner (2004).
Team
Olympics: 1st (2012)
⦁ World Championships: 1st (2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016).
⦁ World Team Cup: 1st (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015).
⦁ Asian Games: 1st (2006, 2010, 2014).
⦁ Asian Championships: 1st (2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015).
⦁ China National Games: 3rd (2009, 2013)
⦁ All China Table Tennis Championships: 1st (2011, 2012); 3rd (2007, 2008, 2010).
⦁ Chinese Super League: 1st (2009, 2012, 2013, 2015); 3rd (2014).
⦁ World Junior Championships: 1st (2003, 2004).
⦁ Asian Junior Championships: 1st (2004).
Summary of Accomplishments
⦁ Olympic Champion (1 Team)
⦁ 8x World Champion (1 Singles, 1 Doubles, 6 Team)
⦁ 7x World Cup winner (2 Singles, 5 Team)
⦁ 38x ITTF World Tour winner (22 Singles, 16 Doubles)
⦁ 5x ITTF World Tour Grand Finals Champion (4 Singles, 1 Doubles)
⦁ 5x Asian Games winner (1 Singles, 1 Doubles, 3 Team)
⦁ 12x Asian Champion (3 Singles, 2 Doubles, 1 Mixed Doubles, 6 Team)
⦁ 4x Asian Cup winner (4 Singles)
⦁ 2x China National Champion (1 Singles, 1 Mixed Doubles)
⦁ 6x All-China Champion (1 Singles, 2 Doubles, 1 Mixed Doubles, 2 Team)
⦁ 4x Chinese Super League Champion (4 Team)
⦁ 3x World Junior Champion (1 Singles, 2 Team)
⦁ 3x Asian Junior Champion (1 Singles, 1 Mixed Doubles, 1 Team)
⦁ 2015 ITTF Male Star of the Year
Other
⦁ Went unbeaten for 40 singles matches by December 2011.[4]
⦁ Did not drop a set in 5 tournaments: Swedish Open 2011, WTTC 2012, World Team
Classic 2013, WTTC 2014 and 2016.
⦁ In singles, he has won the World Tour Grand Finals 4 times, the China Open 6 times, the Asian Championships 3 times, and the Asian Cup 4 times, the most ever
⦁ One of two players to sweep all four medals in an Asian Championship (FaZhendong).
⦁ Most ITTF World Tour singles titles (26) of any male Chinese player ever.
⦁ Does not have a losing head to head record with any players who he played more than once (counting Chinese competitions, not counting injury withdrawals). His worst records are against Wang Hao (21-17) and Vladimir Samsonov (8-5). The only players who have a winning record against him are Daniel Gorak and Koji Matsushita, who both won their only meetings with Ma in 2006.
World no 2:- Fan Zhendong
Playing style and equipment
Fan is a Stiga sponsored athlete. He uses a Stiga Carbonado 190, with black DHS Hurricane 3 neo National Blue Sponge for forehand and red Airoc Astro M for backhand.[citation needed]
A right-handed shakehand-grip player, Fan plays an attacking style of table tennis using his explosive footwork and thunderous forehand loops to finish off his opponents. Emerging as a 16-year-old wonderkid, Fan's playing style is often compared to his senior compatriot Ma Long. In addition to being trained by national team coaches, he has been specially trained by both Wang Hao and Ma Lin. His encounters against senior players in the Chinese national team drew much speculation and anticipation. His fearlessness and technique allow him to challenge highly rated, experienced players, sometimes even beating top players in thrilling style.
Achievements
⦁ 2012 World Junior Table Tennis Championships: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles, men's team, and mixed doubles; Med 2.png runner-up, men's doubles[3]
⦁ 2013 ITTF Pro Tour, Poland: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles
⦁ 2013 ITTF Pro Tour, Germany: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles
⦁ 2013 ITTF Pro Tour, Sweden: Med 2.png Runner-up, men's singles
⦁ 2014 ITTF Pro Tour, Kuwait: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles
⦁ 2014 ITTF Pro Tour, China: Med 1.png Champion, men's doubles
⦁ 2014 World Team Table Tennis Championships: Med 1.png men's team
⦁ 2014 Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Table Tennis Event: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles
⦁ 2014 Asian Games: Med 1.png Champion, men's team
⦁ 2014 Asian Games: Med 2.png Runner-up, men's singles
⦁ 2014 China Nationals, Table Tennis Event: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles
⦁ 2014 China Nationals, Table Tennis Event: Med 1.png Champion, men's doubles
⦁ 2014 Table Tennis Asian Cup: Med 2.png Runner-up, men's singles
⦁ 2015 World Team Table Tennis Cup: Med 1.png men's team
⦁ 2015 Table Tennis Asian Cup: Med 2.png Runner-up, men's singles
⦁ 2015 World Table Tennis Championships: Med 3.png Bronze, men's singles
⦁ 2015 World Table Tennis Championships: Med 2.png Runner-up, men's doubles
⦁ 2015 ITTF Asian Championships: Med 1.png Gold, men's singles
⦁ 2015 ITTF Asian Championships: Med 1.png Gold, men's doubles
⦁ 2015 ITTF LIEBHERR Men's World Cup, Sweden: Med 2.png Runner-up, men's singles
⦁ 2015 ITTF World Tour, Polish Open: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles
⦁ 2015 ITTF World Tour, Swedish Open: Med 1.png Champion, men's singles
⦁ 2016 World Team Table Tennis Championships: Med 1.png men's team
World no 3:- Xu Xin
Xu Xin (simplified Chinese: 许昕; traditional Chinese: 許昕; pinyin: Xǔ Xīn; born 8 January 1990) is a Chinese table tennis player and is currently the No. 3 ranked player in the world, as of May 2016.[1]
Equipment/Playing Style
Xu Xin is a STIGA sponsored athlete. He uses a STIGA Intensity NCT as his blade, a custom made DHS Hurricane 3 NEO rubber for his backhand (red), and a DHS NEO Skyline 3 TG3 (Blue Sponge) for his forehand (black).
Xu Xin is one of the few penhold grip players in China, especially among the younger generation who are mostly shakehand players. He follows the footsteps of other penhold champions such as Wang Hao and Ma Lin.
With his long arms and frame, he is able to more easily reach balls hit wide. His long arms enable a graceful, unique forehand loop, with his arm almost fully outstretched. He has also adopted the reverse penhold backhand grip, a recent development for China's backhand penholders, allowing a two winged attack. He still uses a traditional penhold backhand to block, lob, and push the ball with the forehand side of his racket.
Xu Xin's main strength is his shot variation and blazing forehand loops at mid to far distance. He is also a good lob defender, with great serves and decent footwork. However, his preference to play at a far distance is also one of his main weaknesses. While giving himself more time between shots, it also gives his opponents more time to react and he can be tamed by skillful attackers with good shot selection and neat placement. He is also somewhat of a 'crowd entertainer' often coming up with wild, and sometimes inappropriate shots. This is perhaps due to his playful nature and confidence in playing. He admitted that he hopes to try to be more efficient and effective with his shot selection as he matures and carries more responsibilities.
In January 2013, he reached the No. 1 spot in the World Rankings thanks to the points obtained by winning the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in December 2012.
In January 2014, Xu Xin defended his title by beating world No. 1 ranked Ma Long in the finals match of the 2013 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals held in Dubai.
Career records
Singles
⦁ World Championships: SF (2013).
⦁ World Cup appearances: 2. Record: 4th (2012); winner (2013).
⦁ World Tour winner (×8): Kuwait Open 2010; Slovenian Open 2011, Qatar Open 2011; Qatar Open 2012; China Open 2012, Russian Open 2012, Korea Open 2013; Japan (Yokohama) Open 2015.
⦁ Runner-up (×2): Belarus Open 2008; Korea Open 2012.
⦁ World Tour Grand Finals appearances: 4. Record: winner (2012, 2013), runner up (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: F (2015); SF (2009, 12).
⦁ Asian Cup: winner (2013, 16); 2nd (2011); 3rd (2010).
Men's Doubles
⦁ World Championships: winner (2011); runner-up (2009);winner (2015)
⦁ World Tour winner (×8): Slovenian, Danish, Qatar Open 2009; China Open 2010; English, Qatar Open 2011; Qatar Open 2012, Russian Open 2012; Kuwait Open 2013.
⦁ Runner-up (×6): China (Suzhou) Open 2009; Qatar, Kuwait Open 2010; UAE Open 2011; Hungarian, Slovenian Open 2012.
⦁ Asian Games: runner-up (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: winner (2009).
Mixed Doubles
⦁ World Championships: QF (2009), winner (2015).
⦁ Asian Games: winner (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: winner (2012), SF (2009).
Team
⦁ World Championships: winner (2010, 12, 14).
⦁ World Team Cup: winner (2009, 10, 11, 13).
⦁ Asian Games: winner (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: winner (2009, 12, 13).
World no 4:-Zhang Jike
Zhang Jike (simplified Chinese: 张继科; traditional Chinese: 張繼科; pinyin: Zhāng Jìkē; born 16 February 1988) is a Chinese table tennis player.[1][4] He was named after the Brazilian soccer player Zico.[5]
Zhang Jike is the reigning Olympic champion in singles. When he won the Olympic gold medal in singles,[6] he became the fourth male player in the history of table tennis to achieve a career grand slam. The others are Jan-Ove Waldner (in 1992), Liu Guoliang (in 1999) and Kong Linghui (in 2000).[7] Zhang, however, is the only one of the four who have been the reigning champion in all three competitions simultaneously. As he won consecutively first in WTTC 2011, then World Cup 2011, and then London Olympics 2012, he won the grand slam in only 445 days after his first major title, being the fastest player ever to do so.
Equipment and playing style
Zhang Jike is a Butterfly sponsored athlete. He uses Butterfly Viscaria for his blade, a Butterfly Tenergy 64 (red) on his backhand, and DHS Hurricane 3 neo National blue sponge (black) on his forehand .
Zhang Jike is a two-winged shakehand attacker, using a combination of quick topspin drive attacks, counters, and loops. He is primarily a speed-oriented player, using the harder blue sponge H3 for maximum drive. He stays very low to the ground and is exceptionally quick on his feet. He uses a backhand favored grip and does not change his grip for forehand shots. Among all the Chinese National team players, he is known for having the best backhand technique, often using it in the forehand corner, especially when returning heavy under-spin serves and pushes. His backhand on-the-table flick is widely regarded as one of the best in the world.
Zhang's serves are unpredictable and quite deceptive. His most famous serve is probably the reverse-pendulum short serve into both corners of the table. The side-spin on the serve, together with his deadly backhand flicks, lightning footwork and top-class anticipation has proven to be a frightening combination as he "opens up" top spin rallies to his advantage.
It is noticeable that he would play with a backhand oriented gameplan against big forehand loopers like Ma Long or Fan Zhendong. He would keep his opponents in their backhand corner and go for down-the-line blocking winners as the opposition steps around to use a forehand loop, or just simply use his superior control to pile up pressure on the opponent, resulting in bad shot selections and unforced errors.
One of Zhang Jike's most valuable asset is his mental toughness. His ability to win big points in major competitions under pressure, has amazed audiences.
In 2014, Zhang's world ranking dropped to 5th as a result of consecutive early world tour exits and title drought. Head coach Liu Guoliang criticized him for his lack of focus and techniques development. However, Zhang managed to lead his hometown team, Shandong, to the 2014 Chinese Table Tennis Super League championship, and he won the World Cup again in October.
Career records
Singles
⦁ Olympic Games: Winner (2012).
⦁ World Championships: Winner (2011, 13).
⦁ World Cup: Winner (2011, 14); Runner-up (2010).
⦁ Pro Tour Winner (6): China Open, Suzhou (2010); German Open (2011); Korean Open (2012), Slovenian Open (2012), Kuwait Open (2013). Runner-up (3): Qatar Open (2010); China Open, Suzhou (2011); Austrian Open (2011); Kuwait Open (2016).
⦁ Pro Tour Grand Finals: Runner-up (2011); SF (2009).
⦁ Asian Championships: Runner-up (2009, 12).
⦁ Asian Cup: Winner (2010).
Men's Doubles
⦁ World Championships: Winner (2015).
⦁ Pro Tour winner (6): Kuwait Open 2010; Slovenian, English, UAE, German, China (Suzhou) Open 2011.
⦁ Runner-up (7): Kuwait, Qatar Open 2008; China (Suzhou) Open 2009; German Open 2010; Qatar, China (Shenzen), Austrian Open 2011.
⦁ Pro Tour Grand Finals: Winner (2011).
⦁ Asian Games: Winner (2010, 14).
⦁ Mixed Doubles
⦁ World Championships: Runner-up (2009).
⦁ Asian Games: QF (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: Runner-up (2009).
World no 5:-Dimitrij Ovtcharov
Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Russian: Дмитрий Овчаров) or Dmytro Ovtcharov (Ukrainian: Дмитро Овчаров; born 2 September 1988) is a Ukrainian-born German table tennis player.[3] His father Mykhailo (himself national level table tennis player, and USSR National champion in 1982) has moved his family to Germany shortly after Dimitrij was born.
Career
At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Ovtcharov won the silver medal as part of the German men's team, together with Timo Boll and Christian Süß.[4][5]
He used a special technique in his serves, which was later picked by TIME as one of the top 50 innovations of 2008.[6]
On September 22, 2010 Ovtcharov had been suspended by the German Table Tennis Federation (DTTB) due to a positive A-sample test for Clenbuterol that may be used as performance-enhancing substance.[7] Ovtcharov himself denied the doping accusation and requested a B-sample analysis which still tested positive.[8][9] After hearings and further investigations, the hair sample voluntarily offered by Ovtcharov showed no evidence of clenbuterol and its abuse. DTTB later unanimously decided to abolish the suspension on October 15, 2010.[10] The decision was endorsed by ITTF.[11]
At the 2012 Summer Olympics Ovcharov was part of the German table tennis team and he won bronze medals in singles and team events respectively.
In June 2015, he competed in the inaugural European Games, for Germany in table tennis, more specifically, Men's singles. He earned a gold medal.
Equipment
Dimitrij Ovtcharov is right-handed and uses the shakehand grip. He is also a DONIC sponsored athlete. His blade is a Donic Ovtcharov Original Senso Carbon with Donic Bluefire M1 Black rubber on forehand and Donic Bluefire M1 Red on backhand.
Career records
Singles
⦁ Olympics: round of 16 (2008), Bronze medal (2012).[5]
⦁ World Championships: round of 16 (2009, 11, 13).
⦁ European Games: Gold medal (2015).
⦁ World Cup appearances: 5. Record: 5–8th (2008, 09, 10, 11).
⦁ World Tour winner (5): 2010 India Open. 2011 Brazil Open. 2011 Korea Open. 2012
German Open. 2014 German Open
⦁ Runner-up (2): 2009 Danish Open. 2010 Polish Open.
⦁ World Tour Grand Finals appearances: 5. Record: round of 16 (2007–2011).
⦁ European Championships: SF (2007). Winner (2013).
⦁ Europe Top-12: Winner (2012).
⦁ Europe Top-16: Winner (2015, 2016).
Men's Doubles
⦁ World Championships: round of 16 (2009).
⦁ Pro Tour winner (1): 2007 Chinese Taipei Open.
⦁ Pro Tour Grand Finals appearances: 1. Record: QF (2007).
Mixed Doubles
⦁ World Championships: round of 64 (2007).
Team
⦁ Olympics: 2nd (2008), 3rd (2012).
⦁ European Games: 4th (2015).
⦁ World Championships: 2nd (2010, 2012, 2014).
⦁ World Team Cup: 3rd (2009, 2011).
⦁ European Championships: 1st (2007–2011,2013) 2nd (2014,2015)
World no 6:-Jun Mizutani
Jun Mizutani (Japanese: 水谷 隼; born 9 June 1989) is a male Japanese table tennis player.[1] He became the youngest Japanese national champion at the age of 17.[3] His consecutive singles titles at the national championships from 2007 to 2011 made him the first man to win the event five times in a row.[4]
Career records
Singles
⦁ Olympics: round of 32 (2008).[6]
⦁ World Championships: QF (2011, 2015).
⦁ World Cup appearances: 3. Record: 4th (2010, 2011).
⦁ ITTF World Tour winner (4): Korea Open 2009; Hungarian Open 2010; Kuwait Open, Japan Open 2012. Runner-up (2): Japan Open 2010; Japan Open 2011, Austrian Open 2015, Polish Open 2016.
⦁ ITTF World Tour Grand Finals: winner (2010, 2014[7]).
⦁ Asian Games: SF (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: QF (2009, 2012).
⦁ Asian Cup: 3rd (2007).
Men's Doubles
⦁ World Championships: SF (2009).
⦁ ITTF World Tour winner (2): China (Suzhou), Japan Open 2009. Runner-up (4): Chinese Taipei Open 2006; German, English Open 2009; Hungarian Open 2010.
⦁ Asian Games: QF (2006).
⦁ Asian Championships: SF (2007).
Mixed Doubles
⦁ World Championships: round of 16 (2009).
Team
⦁ Olympics: 5th (2008).
⦁ World Championships: 3rd (2008, 10, 12).
⦁ World Team Cup: 5th (2009).
⦁ Asian Games: SF (2010).
⦁ Asian Championships: 2nd (2007, 09, 12).
World no 7:-Chuang Chih-Yuan
Chuang Chih-Yuan (traditional Chinese: 莊智淵; simplified Chinese: 庄智渊; pinyin: Zhuāng Zhìyuān; born 2 April 1981) is a Taiwanese table tennis player.[4] Winner of ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals 2002. As of May 2016 he is ranked 7 in the world.[1]
Chuang's parents were both table tennis players in Taiwan.[5][6] His father was a national doubles champion, and his mother Li Kuei-Mei was a member of the national team. After the end of Li's career as a player, her son, Chih-Yuan, became one of her prodigies in table tennis.
Chuang started competing in 1989, at the age of 8.[4] From the age of 13 his mother sent him to China for training several times. Chuang first made it to the Taiwan national team in 1998. In 1999, Chuang made his World Championships and ITTF Pro Tour debut.[7] At the end of 2000, his mother decided to let Chuang train in Europe, including France and Germany. The process made his matches a combination of the Chinese and European playing styles.
2002 was a sparkling year in Chuang's career. He reached his first three finals on the Pro Tour, but ended them all as the runner-up. He entered the world Top 10 list in September, won the silver medal at the Asian Games and participated in his first World Cup. At the year's end, he consecutively faced the opponents who defeated him in the previous three finals of the Pro Tour, and recorded three straight wins at the Pro Tour Grand Finals.[8][9] He defeated Jean-Michel Saive in the quarter-final, Wang Hao in the semi-final, and Kalinikos Kreanga in the final, claiming the title of Grand Finals Champion.
Chuang won his first Singles title on the Pro Tour at the Brazil Open in 2003, and reached No. 3, the highest world ranking of his career, at the end of the year.[1] He advanced to the quarter-finals in the 2004 Athens Olympics, ending the Games with a loss to Wang Hao.[10] In the men's doubles, he and team-mate Chiang Peng-Lung reached the last 16, where they were beaten by Błaszczyk and Krzeszewski of Poland.[10]
In July 2008, his own table tennis stadium, Chih Yuan The Ping-Pong Stadium, opened in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The stadium not only operates for Chuang's training, but is opened for other players and the public.[11] At that year's Olympics, he was beaten in the third round by Yang Zi of Singapore.[10]
As of June 2012 Chuang plays for Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga in Germany (TTBL). He reached the bronze medal match at that year's Olympics, where he lost to Dimitrij Ovtcharov.[10]
In May 2013, in the 52nd World Table Tennis Championships held in Paris, France, Chuang Chih-yuan and Chen Chien-an defeated Hao Shuai and Ma Lin 9–11, 12–10, 11–6, 13–11, 9–11, 11–8 in the final, and won Men's Doubles title. Chuang and Chen became the first athletes in Taiwan to win any World Table Tennis Championship title.
Career summary
Singles
⦁ Olympics: semi-finals (2012)
⦁ World Championships: round of 16 (2003, 2007)
⦁ World Cup appearances: 10. Best record: quarter-finals (2006, 10)
⦁ ITTF World Tour titles: 3 (Brazil 2003, Chile 2011 and Spanish Open 2012). Runner-up: 10 (Qatar, Japan, Dutch Open 2002; Danish Open 2003; USA, Japan Open 2004; Singapore Open 2006; Austrian, German Open 2008; Hungarian Open 2010)
⦁ ITTF World Tour Grand Finals appearances: 12. Won in 2002.
⦁ Asian Games: runner-up (2002).
Awards
⦁ Best Male Athlete Award 2003 from Sports Affairs Council, Executive Yuan, Taiwan. [12]
⦁ 41st Ten Outstanding Young Persons (2003) from Ten Outstanding Young Persons' Foundation Co., Taiwan.[13]
World no 8:- Wong Chun Ting
Wong Chun Ting (Chinese: 黃鎮廷; pinyin: Huāng Zhèntíng; born 7 September 1991) is a male table tennis player.[2] He won his first doubles title on the ITTF World Tour in 2012 and won another three doubles titles in 2014.[3] In 2015, he won a bronze medal in mixed doubles event with Doo Hoi Kem at the World Championships.
World no 9:- Vladimir Samsonov
Vladimir Samsonov (Belarusian: Уладзімір Самсонаў, Łacinka: Uładzimir Samsonaŭ) (born April 17, 1976 in Minsk) is a Belarusian professional table tennis player, ranked 9th in the world as of June 2016.[2][4] He is known in China as the "Tai Chi Master" because of his superb all-around (both offensive and defensive) style.
He is known as Mr.ECL (European Champions League) for participating in the tournament for at least 15 years straight and because he currently holds nine (9) ECL winner titles - three with Borussia, five with Charleroi, and two with Fakel Orenburg. He began his European club career when he joined Borussia Düsseldorf in 1994, then seven years later moved to Royal Charleroi in Belgium. In 2008 he moved to Spain to play for Cajagranada, but the things didn't go the way he planned and two years later he decided to join Russian superleague club Fakel Orenburg.
He is famous for being a top-10 player longer than anyone else in official ranking history save for the legend of table tennis Jan-Ove Waldner. He first joined the top-10 in 1996, then climbed to the top position in 1998. He stayed in the top-10 for 15 years until November 2011. He is ranked #9 as of June 2016.[5] He also currently holds the distinction of being the player with most ITTF ProTour gold medals - 26 ProTour titles.
In June 2015, he competed in the inaugural European Games, for Belarus in table tennis, more specifically, Men's singles. He earned a silver medal.
Career records
Singles
- Olympics: QF (1996, 2000).[1]
- European Games: runner-up 2nd (2015)
- World Championships: runner-up 2nd (1997).
- World Cup appearances: 13.
- winner 1st (1999, 2001, 2009); runner-up 2nd (2013) 3rd 3rd (1996,1997, 2012).
- World Tour winner 1st (×26)
- World Tour Grand Finals appearances: 12. Record: winner 1st (1997); runner-up 2nd (1996); SF 3rd (2008, 2010).
- European Championships: winner 1st (1998, 2003, 05); runner-up 2nd (2007, 2008,2013).
- Europe Top-12: winner 1st (1998, 99, 2001, 2007); 2nd 2nd (1997, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011).
Men's Doubles
- Olympics: lost 1st stage (1996, 2000).
- World Championships: runner-up 2nd (1995); SF 3rd (1999).
- World Tour winner 1st (×1): Austrian Open 1997.
- Runner-up 2nd (×1): Croatian Open 1999.
- World Tour Grand Finals appearances: 3.
- Record: runner-up 2nd (1996, 1997).
- European Championships: winner 1st (1998); runner-up 2nd (2005); SF 3rd (1994,2012).
Mixed Doubles
- World Championships: round of 16 (1995).
- European Championships: winner 1st (1996).
Team
- World Championships: 7th (2010).
- European Championships: 1st 1st (2003); 2nd 2nd (2008, 2010); 3rd 3rd (2013,2015).
World no 10:- Timo Boll
Timo Boll (born 8 March 1981) is a German professional table tennis player who currently plays with Borussia Düsseldorf and is ranked second in the German Table Tennis National League.[3] He is currently 11th in the ITTF world rankings as of April 2016, having previously been number one.[1][3]
Childhood
Boll was born in Erbach im Odenwald, Hessen. At the age of four, Boll was playing table tennis and at that time was coached by his father. In 1987 he became a member of TSV Höchst and played there at association level. At the age of eight years he was discovered by Helmut Hampel, a Hessian trainer who promoted him. In 1990, he started to train at the training centre Pfungstadt and four years later changed teams to FTG Frankfurt (de) with whom he took part in the second division, at which time other table tennis associations became interested in him. TTV Gönnern (de) hired him in 1995. Timo Boll was put in position five on the team but, nevertheless, lost only one match in the whole season and thus contributed to the rise of the team in the table tennis national league.
Career
National league and international junior results
At the age of 14, Timo Boll held, together with Frank Klitzsch, the title of the youngest player of the national league. Timo Boll celebrated his first international results during the student European championships in Den Haag 1995, where he won three gold medals. After a second-place finish in his first junior European Championship 1996, he won the singles title at that championships for the following two years, as well as in the doubles and with the team. He finished school with a secondary school level I certificate. website dungbongban.com
International results
In 2002, Timo Boll enlisted the ranks of the world top 10 players with his Europe-Top-12-Tournament victory against Vladimir Samsonov. He reached the final of the European Table Tennis Championships in Zagreb in the singles and in the doubles with Zoltan Fejer-Konnerth (de). The German team was defeated in the final by the Swedish team. The score was 2–3. With his victory in the 2002 Table Tennis World Cup held in Jinan, China (where he beat the world champion Wang Liqin and the Olympic champion Kong Linghui), Timo Boll finished the year in first position in the world rankings. During the European Championship 2003, Vladimir Samsonov led the Belorussian team to victory in the final against the German team. After his elimination in the 2003 singles world championship in the second round, Boll lost the rank of the world's number one table tennis player.
Injury and comeback
Back problems troubled Boll during the first half of 2004. These problems handicapped his preparation for the 2004 Summer Olympics, in which he was outclassed in the quarterfinal by Jan-Ove Waldner. After a period marked by public criticism, Timo Boll registered tournament victories in Poland, Austria and Germany. He also reached the semifinal of the Pro Tour in Peking, where he was edged out 3–4 in games by Ma Lin. Early in the 2005 season, Boll's back problems struck again; nevertheless, he won the silver medal in doubles with Christian Süß at the World Championship. After correcting a referee's wrong decision in favour of his opponent in the singles round of sixteen (in which he was defeated), he received the Fair Play Award from the ITTF. The year ended well as he won the Champions League with TTV RE-BAU Gönnern (de), and the world cup tournament in Liège in Belgium, in which he defeated all three Chinese first-class players. In 2007, he won the European Championship in singles, doubles, and in the team competition.
Draft to Borussia Düsseldorf
In December 2006, Timo Boll signed a 3-year contract with Borussia Dusseldorf (de). Apart from the financial weakness of his old team and various other considerations, Timo Boll moved for the good training possibilities, in view of the upcoming Olympic Games 2008 and because of the possibility to be able to train there with his doubles partner Christian Süß.
During the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing he participated again with the German national team. After victories over Croatia, Canada, Singapore and Japan in preliminary rounds and the semi-final, the team lost 0–3 against the host Chinese team.[4] As the first-seeded player in 2008, Boll defended his three European Champion titles from the year before.
At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Boll lost in the last 16 to Adrian Crisan but the German team won the bronze medal in the men's team event, losing to China in their semi-final but beating Hong Kong in the bronze medal deciding match.
Technique
Timo Boll is a left-handed player whose best weapon is his forehand topspin drive but is also noted for his extremely quick backhand loop. His blade is the "Timo Boll ALC" with Tenergy 05 rubbers on both sides. His present doubles partner is Ma Long.
Personal life
Timo Boll married his longtime girlfriend, Rodelia Jacobi, on December 31, 2002.
Awards
- 1997 Table Tennis Junior Player of the Year
- 1998 German Table Tennis player of the Year
- 2005 Bambi Sport
- 2005 German Sportsmen of the Year 3rd position
- 2006 Sportsmen of the Year in Hessen
- 2007 Fair-Play-Award of Minister (Secretary) of the Interior Home Secretary
- 2007 German Sportsmen of the Year 2nd position
- 2008 Sportsmen of the Year in Hessen
- 2010 Sportsmen of the Year in Hessen
- 2010 German Sportsmen of the Year 2nd position
Titles
- World Cup 2002 and 2005
- Single European Champion 2002, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012
- Team European Champion 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011
- Europe Top-12 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2010[5]
- European Super Cup 2007, 2008 and 2009
- ITTF Pro Tour (18) and Grand Finals (1): Brasil 2001, Austria 2002, Japan 2003, Poland, Germany and Austria 2004, Japan, Sweden and Grand Finals 2005, China, Germany and Poland 2006, Austria, Germany and Poland 2008, Qatar, Germany, and Poland 2009, Japan 2010.
- Double: European Championship 2002 (together with Zoltan Fejer-Konnerth (de)), 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 (together with Christian Süß), Japan Open 2005, Pro Tour Grand Final 2005, 2009 (together with Christian Süß)
- Double: 2nd position World Championship 2005, 3rd position European Championship 2005 together with Christian Süß
- Team: 2nd position Olympic Games 2008; 3rd position Olympic Games 2012; 2nd position European Championship 2000, 2002, 2003, 2nd position World Championship 2004, 2010; 3rd position World Championship 2006.
- German Championship: 9-times Single-Winner (1998, 2001–2007,2009), 3-times Double-Winner (1999 together with Lars Hielscher (de), 2005 and 2007 together with Christian Süß
- Champions League: Winner 2005 and 2006 with TTV RE-BAU Gönnern (de)
- 3rd position Qatar and Kuwait Open Single 2007
- 3rd position World Championship Single 2003, 2006
- As the first German number one of the world table tennis rankings (January 2003 )
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