19-year-old Lin Shidong overtakes Olympic champion Fan Zhendong's world No. 2 spot in men's singles after finishing runner-up at the Asian Championships. Wang Chuqin continues to lead the rankings.
BEIJING, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Chinese paddler Lin Shidong, 19, has climbed to a career-high second place in the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) world rankings released on Tuesday.
Lin's rise follows his runner-up finish in the men's singles event at the Asian Championships, which concluded on Sunday. This achievement earned him 350 ranking points, allowing him to surpass compatriot Fan Zhendong, who has not competed in any international tournaments since winning gold at the Paris Olympics.
Additionally, Lin helped China secure the men's team title and won the mixed doubles crown alongside Kuai Man at the Asian Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan. The young Chinese pair rose to third in the mixed doubles rankings.
Wang Chuqin continues to hold the top spot in the men's rankings, followed by fellow Chinese players Liang Jingkun and Ma Long, who sit in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Other players in the top 10 include Hugo Calderano from Brazil, French teenager Felix Lebrun, Asian champion Tomokazu Harimoto from Japan, China's Lin Gaoyuan, and Sweden's Truls Moregard.
In the women's singles rankings, China's quartet of Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Chen Meng, and Wang Yidi continue to dominate the top four positions.
Japan's Hina Hayata, China's Chen Xingtong, Japan's Miwa Harimoto and Mima Ito, South Korea's Shin Yu-bin, and Cheng I-Ching from Chinese Taipei round out the top 10.
With 500 points from her victory at the Asian Championships, Kim Kum Yong from DPR Korea jumped an impressive 452 places to reach world No. 57. ■