Doha: The curtains will come down on the first of Qatar’s combined table tennis championships at Lusail Sports Arena, as the Qatar International Table Tennis Championship –WTT Champions Doha 2026 reaches its climax with the men’s and women’s singles finals on Sunday evening.
The women’s singles final will take place at 6:30 pm, followed by the men’s final at 7:30 pm, bringing an end to the 31st edition of one of the region’s most prestigious table tennis events.
The WTT Champions tournament is the first in a series of combined championships hosted by Qatar through the end of January, featuring a total prize purse of USD 500,000.
The packed calendar continues with the Star Contender event from January 13 to 18, attracting 170 players from around the world and offering USD 300,000 in prize money.
This will be followed by the Youth Contender (January 19–22), Youth Star Contender (January 23–25), and concludes with the Feeder Series from January 27 to 31.
The Qatar International Championship delivered high drama throughout the knockout stages, with intense competition among the world’s elite players.
One of the biggest surprises came in the men’s draw, where Sweden’s Truls Möregårdh, the fourth seed and world No.5, was eliminated by South Korea’s Jang Woo-jin (world No.18) in a shock 4–1 defeat.
Top seed Lin Shidong of China avoided an upset, overcoming compatriot Liang Jingkun, the sixth seed, 4–2 in a thrilling quarter-final.
In the women’s competition, the biggest shock saw Chinese top seed Wang Manyu crash out in the quarter-finals after a dramatic 4–3 loss to Germany’s Ying Han, ranked 22nd in the world.
The marathon match, lasting over an hour, swung back and forth before Han clinched the deciding game 11–6 to seal one of the most memorable upsets of the tournament.
Reflecting on her victory, Ying Han said it was one of the greatest wins of her career, adding that defeating a player of Wang Manyu’s stature has given her a huge confidence boost and reaffirmed her belief in hard work and perseverance.
