(by Steve Hopkins)

China currently holds the top three spots in the ITTF World Rankings, so heading into a 3-person team format at the World Team Championships next month, they would be heavy favorites.  That dominant position may have changed today as China announced that neither Ma Long nor Xu Xin will compete.

Fan Zhendong (World No. 1) will anchor the team, and he will have a supporting cast of lesser known stars with him: Lin Gaoyuan (World No. 7), Liang Jingkun (World No. 12), Wang Chuqin (World No. 17), and Zhao Qihao (World No. 26).

China will still hold the top seed in the event, but the playing field looks much more even now.  The 1/7/12 ranking numbers that China can field in their top three will match up well against the next seeds: Japan (4, 18, 22), Korea (11, 13, 20), Germany (10/15/36 without Ovtcharov) and Taipei (6, 25, 74) and Sweden (9, 28, 44).

On the Women’s side, China will be bringing their strongest three.  Chen Mens (World No. 1), Sun Yingsha (World No. 2), and Wang Manyu (World No. 4) will lead the way.  The second seed will be Japan with Mima Ito (World No. 3), Kasumi Ishikawa (World No. 9), and Miu Hirano (World No. 12).  Even with that very strong lineup, Japan would need at least two major upsets to top the Chinese team.

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