• HOME
• PRODUCTS
  • Balls|
  • Bulk|
  • Gear|
  • Net & Court Accessories|
  • Rackets|
  • Pool Table Conversion Tops|
  • Racket Care|
  • Robots|
  • Tables
• GO PLAY
  • Clubs|
  • Leagues|
  • Tournaments|
• NEWS
• DEALERS
• PLAYERS
• RULES
• FAQ
• ABOUT US
• CONTACT US

May 7, 2009

Olympic Champion, World Champion and Top Ranking Retained

Zhang Yining, simply the best. Photo By: Ayoade Ademakinwa

Courtesy of ITTF Olympic champion and World champion; China’s Zhang Yining holds the two most prestigious titles in the sport of table tennis and, on Wednesday May 6, 2009, she was confirmed as the best female player on planet earth, retaining her no.1 position on the Women’s World Rankings issued by the International Table Tennis Federation.

She leads a field packed with the names of Chinese stars with the next in line, her compatriots also retaining the places they occupied in April.

Guo Yue, the beaten finalist in the Women’s Singles event at the H.I.S. World Championships, is at no.2 followed by Li Xiaxia, Guo Yan and Wang Nan; the name of Wang Nan will soon disappear from the listing, the three times Women’s Singles World champion, now having retired from international play.

Progress for Liu Shiwen
The top six all remain the same with Singapore’s Feng Tianwei being ranked at no.6; however, one place below there is player making progress and unsurprisingly the name is Chinese.

Eighteen year old Liu Shiwen is at no.12, climbing five places following her defeat of Guo Yan in Yokohama.

It is her highest ever world ranking.

Progress for Liu Shiwen and there is also progress for those who excelled at the H.I.S. World Championships.

Higher Status
Korea’s Dang Ye Seo, victorious over Li Jiao of the Netherlands in Yokohama and a quarter-finalist, eventually losing to Li Xiaoxia, moves from no.25 to no.17 while Germany’s Elke Schall who broke Japanese hearts in Yokohama by beating Ai Fukuhara progresses from no.45 to no.38.

However, there is good news for Japan, Mikie Tasei moves from no.63 to no.50.

European Progress
Similarly there is progress for the young lady who flew the European banner high in Yokohama; the Czech Republic’s Iveta Vacenovska who reached the quarter-final stage of the Women’s Singles event is rewarded for her efforts.

She moves from no.90 to no.77; the one casualty in the higher echelons is Japan’s Sayaka Hirano. She falls from no.19, to no.25 having lost in Yokohama to Slovakia’s, Eva Odorova. The Slovakian moves from no.94 to no.88.

Little Change
Meanwhile, in the age group lists there is minimal change at the top.

The Chinese trio of Guo Yue, Li Xiaoxia and Liu Shiwen occupy the top three places in the Under 21 list while in the Under 15 Rankings it is no change at the top. China’s Chen Meng is at no.1 followed by Korea’s Yang Ha Eun and Germany’s Petrissa Solja.

It is only in the Under 18 list where there is a change.

Reward for Fine Effort
Liu Shiwen remains in top spot with Japan’s Kasumi Ishikawa, a quarter-finalist at the H.I.S. World Championships moving from no.3 to no. 2; she changes places with Liu Shiwen’s colleague, Wu Yang.