DOHA: The 31st edition of the Qatar International Table Tennis Championships, WTT Champions Doha 2026, got under way on Wednesday at the Lusail Sports Arena, bringing together world’s top-ranked players in men’s and women’s singles competition.
The tournament, which runs until Jan. 11, features the top 32 men from 16 countries and the top 32 women from 15 nations.
Leading the field are China’s Lin Shidong, ranked second in the world, and fellow Chinese player Wang Manyu, also world number two.
Opening-day action saw the completion of several round-of-32 matches.
In the men’s draw, Lin advanced comfortably with a 3-0 win over France’s Flavien Coton, while South Korea’s Jang Woojin edged France’s Alexis Lebrun 3-2. France’s Felix Lebrun, the world number six, defeated Germany’s Patrick Franziska 3-1, Japan’s Shunsuke Togami beat Egypt’s Omar Assar by the same score, and Japan’s Yuki Oda overcame Sweden’s Anton Kallberg 3-1.
In the women’s event, China’s Kuai Man progressed to the last 16 with a straight-games victory over Romania’s Elizabeta Samara. China’s Wang Yidi, ranked fifth in the world, also won 3-0 against a Chinese Taipei opponent, while Japan’s Miwa Harimoto, the world number six, defeated South Korea’s Shin Yubin in straight games. South Korea’s Kim Nayeong advanced after a 3-2 win over Singapore’s Zhang Jian.
The remaining round-of-32 matches will be played on Thursday, with the last-16 ties scheduled for Friday, followed by the quarter-finals on Saturday.
The tournament will conclude on Sunday with the semi-finals and finals of both men’s and women’s singles.
Doha will continue to host a packed international table tennis calendar after the Champions event, starting with a Star Contender tournament from January 13-18, featuring around 170 players.
This will be followed by the Youth Contender (Jan. 19-22), the Youth Star Contender (Jan. 23-25), and the Feeder event from Jan. 27-31, which offers valuable world ranking points and will include 114 players.
The WTT Champions Doha 2026 carries total prize money of $500,000, while the Star Contender event offers $300,000.
