(by Steve Hopkins, photo ITTF)
Wang Chuqin has started 2025 exactly where he ended 2024 – at the top the ITTF Rankings. Chuqin’s 7367 points has him firmly at the top of the rankings, but only 100 points ahead of second place Lin Shidong. Tomokazu Harimoto is in third position, and after two great finishes (first place in the first WTT event of the year, and runner up in the second WTT event of the year), he has started this year off headed in the right direction.
France’s phenom, Felix Lebrun is the top European player at No. 4. Liang Jingkun is fifth. Hugo Calderano remains the top non-Euro/non-Asian player at No. 6. Truls Moregard, Patrick Franziska, Lin Gaoyuan, and Dan Qiu round out the top ten. Interestingly, with the retirement of Ma Long and Fan Zhendong from the rankings, this is the first time in many years that only four Chinese players appear in the Top 20.
The second ten are Jorgic at 11, then Lin Yun-Ju, Woojin, Alexis Lebrun, Duda, Kallberg, Ovtcharov, Groth, Assar, and Aruna. USA’s top player in the Rankings is Kanak Jha at No. 58. USA’s Ma Jinbao is No. 89. While there are no other Americans in the Men’s Top 100, Canada’s Edward Ly is No. 35, and Puerto Rico’s Daniel Gonzalez and Brian Afanador are Nos 85 and 99).
In the Women’s rankings, Chinese players hold the top four spots (Yingsha, Manyu, Yidi, Xingtong). Four others in the Top 10 are from Japan: Hayata (No. 5), Harimoto (No. 6), Odo (No. 7), and Ito (No. 10). The other two players in the Top 10 are Cheng I-Ching at No. 8, and Shin Yubin at No. 9. Other players of note from the region include Adriana Diaz (No. 15) of Puerto Rico, and USA’s Lily Zhang at No. 33, Canada’s Mo Zhang at No. 46, and USA’s Amy Wang at No. 50.
Visit ButterflyOnline.com for the latest table tennis news and results.
