DOHA (Qatar): China’s world No.2 Xu Xin will be among the top-ranked paddlers who will be seen in action at the WTT Middle East Hub at Lusail Sports Arena between March 3-13.
Tomokazu Harimoto (Japan, WR #5), Hugo Calderano (Brazil, WR #6) and Lin Yun-Ju (Chinese Taipei, WR #7) will be other contenders in the men’s group.
Meanwhile, Sun Yingsha (China, WR #2), Mima Ito (Japan, WR #3), Liu Shiwen (China, WR #7) and Cheng I-Ching (Chinese Taipei, WR #8) will be leading the women’s events.
WTT Star Contender Doha will see more elite players taking to the table, including Mattias Falck (Sweden, WR #8), Jang Woojin (Korea Republic, WR #11) and Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Germany, WR #12) in the men’s draw and Kasumi Ishikawa (Japan, WR #9), Miu Hirano (Japan, WR #11) and Feng Tianwei (Singapore, WR #12) in the women’s draw.
The Middle East Hub marks the first official events of the WTT era. The brand-new event series is set to revolutionise the sport, and will feature two tiers.
The 2021 calendar will kick off with WTT Contender Doha before players move onto the first WTT Star Contender event the following week.
As hosts of the Middle East Hub, the Qatar Table Tennis Association (QTTA) will have the opportunity to include more of the world’s leading players or local stars.
