(by Steve Hopkins)
Wang Chuqin has built a commanding lead in the latest rankings with 7600 points. Fan Zhendong trails about 1700 behind at 5963. Liang Jingkun is third with 4850 and Ma Long is in fourth with 3885.
The top non-Chinese player is Felix Lebrun at No. 5. Lin Yun-Ju, Hugo Calderano, Lin Gaoyuan, Tomokazu Harimoto and Dang Qiu round out the Top 10. The top American is Ma Jinbao at No. 94 – and of the two Americans still alive in the hunt for an Olympic singles birth, Nikhil Kumar is No. 286 and Kanak Jha is currently unranked.
There are no changes in the Topo 10 on the Women’s side. Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu lead the way. Hina Hayata is the top non-Chinese player at No. 6. Adriana Diaz is the top player from this hemisphere at No. 10. Lily Zhang is No. 32, and Amy Wang is No. 35 and USA’s third Olympic team member is Rachel Sung at World No. 203.
There won’t be a lot of movement at the top of the rankings until mid-May, as the next big tour event is the Saudi Smash which runs from May 1 – May 11.
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