TABLE TENNIS Preview: Another sweep for China in the China Open Platinum?

China's Zhendong Fan (Photo: ITTFworld)

After winning “only” two of four divisions in the 2017 China Open, the Chinese entries swept all five events in last year’s China Open, a Platinum-level ITTF tournament. Another sweep coming up?

The tournament not only offers high prize money, and the stars have turned out. The top 17 in the ITTF men’s World Rankings are in and 16 of the top 17 women. The top seeds:

Men/Singles:
1. Zhendong Fan (CHN: 1) ~ 2016 China Open winner
2. Xin Xu (CHN: 2) ~ 2012 China Open winner
3. Gaoyuan Lin (CHN: 3)
4. Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN: 4)
5. Timo Boll (GER: 5)

Men/Doubles:
1. Youngsik Jeong/Sangsu Lee (KOR)
2. Cheng-Ting Liao/Yun-Ju Lin (TPE)
3. Woojin Jang/Jonghoon Lim (KOR)
4. Ovidiu Ionescu (ROU)/Alvaro Robles (ESP)
5. Siu Hang Lam/Chun Ting Wong (HKG)

Women/Singles:
1. Ning Ding (CHN: 1) ~ Three-time China Open winner
2. Yuling Zhu (CHN: 2) ~ 2015 China Open winner
3. Meng Chen (CHN: 3) ~ 2012 China Open winner
4. Manyu Wang (CHN: 4) ~ Defending Champion
5. Shiwen Liu (CHN: 5) ~ Two-time China Open winner

Women/Doubles:
1. Manyu Wang/Yuling Zhu (CHN)
2. Barbora Balazova (SVK)/Hana Matelova (CZE)
3. Hoi Kem Doo/Wing Nam Ng (HKG)
4. Ho Ching Lee/Wai Yam Soo (HKG)
5. Hyo Sim Cha/Nam Hae Kim (PRK)

Mixed Doubles:
1. Chun Ting Wong/Hoi Kem Doo (HKG)
2. Lubomir Pistej/Barbora Balasova (SVK)
3. Kwan Kit Ho/Ho Ching Lee (HKG)
4. Yun-Ju Lin/I-Ching Cheng (HKG)
5. Xin Xu/Meng Chen (CHN)

In the men’s field, six-time China Open winner Long Ma is seeded 11th and 2017 winner Dmitrij Ovtcharov is seeded 12th.

The tournament began in 1988 and China has dominated from the start. In recent years, it has swept the four events – the Mixed Doubles was added in 2018) in 16 of the last 18 years.

Look for results here.