Tokyo 2020: Olympic champion Ma Long and world No 1 Fan Zhendong in powerful Chinese table tennis squad for Games
- Ma and Fan both lost to Zhou Qihao in the recent China Olympic simulation competition but their high world rankings ensured a place in the squad
- World No 1 Chen Meng and No 3 Sun Yingsha will play in the women’s singles with men’s No 2 Xu Xin and women’s world champ Liu Shiwen also selected
Reigning Olympic champion Ma Long and world No 1 Fan Zhendong were on Sunday named in China’s table tennis squad for the Tokyo but the man who beat them both is ranked too low to be considered.
World No 122 Zhou Qihao defeated 32-year-old Ma 4-3 in the semi-finals of the Chinese Olympic simulation tournament in Xinxiang, Henan in early May before upsetting Fan 4-2 in the final for an unexpected triumph.
Zhou, however, was always going to be left out because of his ranking, with Ma at No 3 in the world and more experienced in top-class tournaments having also won three world titles.
Ma and Fan will be joined by second-ranked Xu Xin in the men’s team event. Top-ranked Chen Meng and No 3 Sun Yingsha will compete in the women’s singles competition and join forces with world champion Liu Shiwen in the team event. Xu and Liu will combine in the mixed doubles.
“There are too many unsure things and challenges, and we need a squad full of experience and confidence, adding to top-class individual skills,” Liu Guoliang, president of the Chinese Table Tennis Association, who is also a former Olympic champion, was quoted as saying by Xinhua. “I want an all-around plan from the coaching staff who are preparing for the worst even before the Olympic Games get under way.”