TABLE TENNIS Preview: Best in the world lined up in Hokkaido for the Japan Open

China's top-ranked Zhendong Fan.

One of the prestige tournaments on the ITTF World Tour is the Japan Open and this year’s edition – the 31st – at the Hokkaido Sports Center has attracted the top seven in the men’s world rankings and the top 16 women. The top seeds:

Men/Singles:
1. Zhendong Fan (CHN: 1)
2. Gaoyuan Lin (CHN: 2)
3. Xin Xu (CHN: 3)

Men/Doubles:
1. Cheng-Ting Liao/Yun-Ju Lin (TPE)
2. Siu Hang Lam/Chun Ting Wong (HKG)
3. Jingkun Liang/Gaoyuan Lin (CHN)

Women/Singles:
1. Ning Ding (CHN: 1)
2. Meng Chen (CHN: 2)
3. Manyu Wang (CHN: 3)

Women/Doubles:
1. Yingsha Sun/Manyu Wang (CHN)
2. Hoi Kem Doo/Wai Yam Minnie Soo (HKG)
3. Ho Ching Lee/Wing Nam Ng (HKG)

Mixed Doubles:
1. Sangsu Lee/Jihee Jeon (KOR)
2. Chun Ting Wong/Hoi Kem Doo (HKG)
3. Kwan Kit Ho/Ho-Ching Lee (HKG)

In the men’s Singles, defending champion Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN) is seeded fourth and 2017 winner Long Ma (CHN) is seeded fifth. Top-seed Fan won this tournament in 2016 and Xu was the winner in 2015.

Among the women, defending champ Mima Ito (JPN), is seeded seventh; 2017 winner Shiwen Liu (CHN) is seeded fourth and second-seed Chen won in 2015.

Look for results here.