Chinese table tennis team to stage two selection events for ITTF WTTC Finals Durban

Members of team China and president of Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) Liu Guoliang pose for photos during the awarding ceremony at the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province on Oct. 9, 2022. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

Chinese table tennis team plans to stage two selection competitions for the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals.

BEIJING, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese table tennis team will stage two competitions to select players for the upcoming ITTF World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) Finals, the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) announced on Tuesday.

The first selection competition will be held in Beijing from February 18-23, while the second will take place after the WTT Singapore Smash, with both consisting of men's singles, women's singles and mixed doubles.

During the WTTC Asia Continental Stage in January, China ensured its full quota at the WTTC Finals in Durban, South Africa from May 20-28, meaning five spots each in the men's and women's singles, and two berths apiece in the three doubles events.

According to the CTTA, winners in singles categories from any of the two selection competitions will directly earn qualifications to the WTTC Finals, while for the mixed doubles, only one pair will get a ticket to the tournament in Durban.

Winning the men's and women's singles titles at the WTT Singapore Smash scheduled for March 7-19 will be another pathway for Chinese paddlers to compete in the WTTC Finals.

The remaining spots of the Chinese team will be decided by the coaching group in terms of players' world rankings, performances when playing against opponents from other associations, technical characteristics and other factors.

Coach Li Sun (C), players Wang Yidi (L) and Chen Xingtong of China react during the women's teams final at the 2022 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province on Oct. 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)

"We hope to provide a platform for all players to compete in an open, fair and equitable manner. Whether Olympic champions or young players, they need to fully unleash their potential in this process," said Li Sun, who was appointed the Chinese team's chief coach in December last year.

16 male and 13 female players, all ranked among the Top 100 in the 2023 Week 5 ITTF singles world rankings, will participate in the first selection competition, including prominent figures Fan Zhendong, Ma Long, Sun Yingsha and Chen Meng.

Mixed doubles matches comprised of preliminaries and a main draw, as 11 pairs will directly advance to the main draw and five other pairs will qualify through the preliminaries.

The first stage of the main draw adopts a round-robin format as players are divided into four groups. The top finishers from each group will contend for the championship during the second stage, while playoff and third-place matches will also be staged to decide the final position for each participant.

The CTTA said that every player will earn respective ranking points, which serve as criteria for placing and grouping in the second selection competition.