(by Steve Hopkins)
The ITTF Rankings come out every week. Sometimes its interesting to watch large jumps (up or down) as new players burst on to the scene, and sometimes its important to follow a more nuanced slow climb as points are accumulated and players carefully pick and choose events. With all of the top players in action this week in Singapore – and many Rankings stories to follow towards the end of the month – this seems like a good time for an overview. This week, we’ll look not just at the individuals on our leaderboard, but also how the teams are coming together. Right now, we are just under one year from the 2024 World Team Table Tennis Championships (which will be held in Busan, South Korea). What will the seedings look like going into the 2024 Teams?
Right now, China holds the top three spots in the Rankings. Assuming that Fan Zhendong, Ma Long, and Wang Chuqin are healthy and that there are no surprise retirements this year – China will be a heavy favorite to win every match easily. In fact, with Liang Jingkun moving up this week to No. 6, Lin Gaoyuan as a dangerous No. 12, and Lin Shidong climbing the rankings as fast as anyone in the last decade (he is No. 19 after having been outside of the top 100 a year ago), its lucky for the world that the rules are as they are or China might be in position to enter the top two seeds in the Teams.
The real intrigue is about which team will be the second seed. Right now, Tomokazu Harimoto is the World’s No. 4, Calderano, is World No. 5, Truls Moregard is World no. 7, Lin Yun-Ju is World No. 8, and Darko Jorgic is World No. 10. Any of them could be in the Top 5 a year from now – but none of them have had a second strong player from their home country. Harimoto may have the best help on the way – as Japan’s second highest ranked player (Uda) at No. 20 has moved up a few spots recently. Japan also has Shinozuka at 29, and Togami has had inconsistent flashes of brilliance – including defeating Harimoto in the All-Japan Final. So Japan has strength at the top, and three players in the mix who may be improving.
Sweden has a similar situation. With Moregard, they have a player who can compete against anyone in the World – but then the next two ranked players are Karlsson and Kallberg (at 21 and 22), and the sometimes dangerous Mattias Falck at No. 36 whose forehand pips allow him stand out from the crowd. Lin Yun-Ju is currently No. 8 but his next two teammates would currently be at No. 18 (Chuang Chih-Yuan) and No. 69 (Feng Yi-Hsin), so Taipei has a lot or work to do this year to be competitive.
If the tournament were held today, Germany would be the second seed. With Ovtcharov at No. 9, Dang Qiu and No. 11, Franziska at No. 13, and Timo Boll at No. 15 – the depth of the German squad could/should carry them to a medal. And once we start considering depth – don’t count out the host team. Korea has two players in the Top 20 (Lim Jonghoon and Jang Woojin at No. 17 and 18) and Lee Sangsu at No. 26. They also have An Jaehyuan at No. 50 and Cho Seungmin at 57. Another dark horse might be France – where their top player currently is World No. 28 (Alexis Lebrun) – but the Lebrun brochures have both jumped up considerably over the last year, so its possible that the trend will continue into next year and the brothers could be dangerous Top 20 players. Add in seasoned pros Gauzy and Lebesson (currently 32 and 55) and France could be a medal contender as well.
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