(by Steve Hopkins)

Qatar will host the WTT Champions to start the 2026 tour.  The event will be played from January 7-11 in Doha and all but 2 of the World Top 20 will be competing.  World No. 1 Wang Chuqin is nursing a back injury (he withdrew from the World Cup two weeks ago), and World No. 19 Lee Sang-Su has retired.  Kanak Zha will be there representing the USA in the Men’s event, and Lily Zhang will be there representing us in the Women’s event.

Here are some interesting points to watch.  The winner receives 2000 points for a WTT Champions event and while Lin Shidong is 2500 points behind World No. 1 Chuqin, he could narrow that gap significantly and lay the groundwork to challenge for the top spot in the rankings (over the absent Chuqin).  Outside of that top spot, many other players have an opportunity to make a major jump with a strong showing.  Calderano, Harimoto, and Moregard are all within reach of World No. 2 – and all close enough to each other that whoever finishes highest among them is likely to move up to World No. 3.  Felix Lebrun could gain 2 or 3 spots from his current World No. 6 spot.   And for USA’s Kanak Jha, he is only 45 points away from reaching the Top 20, so winning one match could be enough for his next big step forward.

Draws will be out next week.  Make sure to check back for updates.

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