The worlds of table tennis begin in Houston

The 2021 World Table Tennis Championships began Tuesday in Houston, USA, and the youthful Chinese team was among the stars in the galaxy for a week-long table tennis show.

The world’s top players will face each other until Nov. 29 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Bayou City. It is the first time a prestigious sporting event has been held in America.

In men’s singles, world number one Fan Zhendong leads China alongside Zhou Qihao, Lin Gaoyuan, Wang Chuqin and Liang Jingkun.

One of China’s main threats at the event in Japan are teenage sensation Tomokazu Harimoto, Koki Niwa, Yukiya Uda, Masataka Morizono and Shunsuke Togami.

Germany relies on veteran Timo Boll, Patrick Franziska, Benedikt Duda and Ruwen Filus to search for European teams.

Sweden’s Mathias Falck, the world’s second in the world in 2019 in Budapest, and Brazilian Hugo Calderano are also players to be watched in Houston.

Fascinating clashes are expected on the women’s field as seven of the top 10 players prepare for battle.

As the world’s two best paddlers, Chinese duo Chen Meng and Sun Yingsha are considered championship favorites, while the world’s third-ranked Japanese Mima Ito is expected to take on a serious challenge.

Meanwhile, China and the United States are joining forces with two pairs of paddlers from both countries to compete in mixed doubles worlds on the 50th anniversary of ping pong diplomacy.

Reigning champions Ma Long, Liu Shiwen and Xu Xin will not defend their championships in the event as China has decided to send younger players to prepare for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

The flagship event will feature 128 players in the men’s and women’s singles and 64 pairs in the men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles, competing for the first time in a revamped and expanded straight-knockout format.

The World Table Tennis Championships have a long history, and the first event was held in London in 1926. The prestigious event welcomes the world’s best table tennis players and has more than 500 million fans worldwide on television and digital platforms.