by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor
Similarly, Liu Shiwen retains the no.2 spot. She is followed, as the previous month by Chinese national team colleague, Zhu Yuling, the player against whom she experienced a semi-final defeat at the Liebherr 2017 World Championships.
Singapore’s Feng Tianwei continues at no.4 with Chen Meng, also from China and Japan’s Kasumi Ishikawa, the next in line, as they were in May.
However, one place below is 17 year old Miu Hirano, like Kasumi Ishikawa from Japan; she changes places with Chinese Taipei’s Cheng I-Ching. In Düsseldorf, she advanced to the Women’s Singles semi-final losing to Ding Ning.
Next in line to Cheng I-Ching is Germany’s Han Ying with, as before, Japan’s Mima Ito, China’s Wu Yang and Hitomi Sato, also from Japan, completing the top 12 names.
Progress for Miu Hirano, it means that she occupies the highest position of her young career. It is the same for four further players who make notable advances on the June list, with Japan being very much to the fore.
Honoka Hashimoto climbs from no.22, the position she has held for the last two months and her prior best, to no.16. Similarly, Miyu Kato moves from no.32 to no.25 and thus exceeds her previous high of no.29 in June 2016.
It is a very similar situation for Spain’s Maria Xiao and Hungary’s Szandra Pergel. Maria Xiao advances from no.100 to no.73, her former highest ranking being no.88 earlier this year in April; likewise Szandra Pergel is now at no.84, having one month earlier been at no.99. The previous highest status for Szandra Pergel was no.90, three months ago in March.
Major progress, similarly Romania’s Daniela Monteiro Dodean advances from no.47 to no.39, Germany’s Kristin Silbereisen climbs from no.62 to no.49. Also, not to be left out is Korea’s Lee Zion; she is now at no.78, having previously been ten places lower at no.78.
Meanwhile, progress on the Women’s World Rankings means that Miu Hirano retains top place on both the Under 21 Women’s and Under 18 Girls’ World Rankings, being followed as before by Mima Ito on both lists. Third place on the former is now occupied by Hitomi Sato, who on the May list was in equal second place with Mima Ito; on the latter Hina Hayata, also from Japan, is in the third place.
Japan at the helm, it is the same on the Under 15 Girls’ World Rankings, Miyu Nagasaki continues to lead followed by colleague, Miyuu Kihara.
One place lower is Crystal Wang who returns to the order, United States colleague Amy Wang falls one place and now occupies the no.4 spot.
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