Table tennis player Zhang Rui competes at a match in Shenzhen, China on January 2, 2019. Photo: VCG

The Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) on Wednesday unveiled the selection methods of the all-time leading Chinese national team for the Chengdu 2022 World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals later in 2022.

According to the CTTA's statement, four men and four women among the highest-ranked Chinese paddlers in the latest ITTF world rankings, which was released on Tuesday, have directly secured spots representing China at the competition. Fan Zhendong, Ma Long, Liang Jingkun and Wang Chuqin have been selected into the men's team, while Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng, Wang Manyu and Wang Yidi have secured the women's spots.

Athletes who are among world Top 50 or claimed the singles titles at the World Table Tennis (WTT) European Summer Series or the WTT Middle East Hub, will vie for the fifth and last berth in the Chinese team to compete at the worlds.

Lin Gaoyuan, Xiang Peng, Yuan Licen, Liu Dingshuo, Lin Shidong and Zhao Zihao are candidates for the men's team.

"We have participated in several international tournaments, and players have competed against our main opponents," said Qin Zhijian, secretary-general of the CTTA.

"The latest world rankings reflect the players' capability. This is why we choose the four highest-ranked players for the team and leave one spot up for grabs," added Qin, also head coach of the Chinese men's team.

On the women's side, Fan Siqi, Zhang Rui, Liu Weishan, Kuai Man, Chen Xingtong, He Zhuojia and Qian Tianyi will compete for the team's final spot.

Different from the methods in place for their male counterparts, Chinese women's paddlers will contend for the last spot through two pathways.

Fan Siqi, Zhang Rui, Liu Weishan, Kuai Man and He Zhuojia will play in a round-robin selection competition in Chengdu. Chen Xingtong and Qian Tianyi will participate in the WTT Contender Muscat 2022 in Oman early in September, and the tournament's winner will secure the ticket to the World Championships. Otherwise, winner of the five-women selection competition will join the Chinese team at the worlds.

"The top four players have big advantages, and we will focus on selecting the fifth player," said Li Sun, head coach of the Chinese women's team.

"Chen and Qian withdrew from the WTT Contender Tunis before, and didn't join their teammates in Chengdu. As they are still in contention for the team's fifth selection, so we decided to offer two pathways for players to compete for the final spot," he further explained.

The CTTA said it will unveil five men's participants, four women's players who have already got the tickets, and one alternate women's player for the World Championships after the selection competition, and the team's final roster will be released on September 11.

The Chengdu 2022 World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals will be held from September 30 to October 9.

Xinhua