The official player seeding list for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has been released with China’s Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng unveiled as the top-seeded entries for the Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles categories.
Making his first appearance on the Olympic stage in Tokyo, Fan Zhendong, 24, is bidding to become the sixth Chinese player to take home Men’s Singles gold. Meanwhile, fellow countryman Ma Long, who has been named as the number two seed, attempts to recapture the magic of five years ago as he defends his highly sought-after title at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
The two Chinese entries will undoubtedly play an important role in Tokyo however, they won’t be alone in shaping the narrative. Seeded third, 18-year-old Tomokazu Harimoto is bound to catch the eye as the ever-improving teenager looks to guide Japan to a historic first gold medal in the category. Elsewhere, Brazil’s Hugo Calderano and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju have been named the fourth and fifth seeds in the Men’s Singles draw, ahead of Sweden’s Mattias Falck, London 2012 bronze medallist Dimitrij Ovtcharov and fellow German icon Timo Boll.
A new Women’s Singles champion will be crowned in the Japanese capital with all eyes firmly fixed on two Chinese debutants as the country looks to make it nine gold medals in a row. Located at the summit of the list, top seed Chen Meng leads the way with Sun Yingsha occupying the immediate position below on the list.
Competing with home advantage on their side, Japan’s Mima Ito and Kasumi Ishikawa, seeded third and fifth respectively, hold aspirations of a dream podium finish on home soil while Chinese Taipei’s Cheng I-Ching, a quarter-finalist at the 2016 Olympic Games, sits between the two Japanese stars in the fourth seeded position. Singapore’s Feng Tianwei, Korea Republic’s Jeon Jihee and Hong Kong China’s Doo Hoi Kem round out the top eight names on the list.
Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen of China have been named the top-seeded pairing for the Mixed Doubles tournament, a newly introduced fifth table tennis discipline brought in for Tokyo 2020. The reigning world champions face stiff competition in their hunt for gold with Japan’s Jun Mizutani and Mima Ito occupying the second seeded position in another potential medal avenue for the host nation.
China also leads the way in both the Men’s Team and Women’s Team events with the sporting powerhouse pursuing a fourth-straight gold medal finish in both categories. Named as top three seeded entries across the two events, Germany and Japan will also offer up a challenge having reached both finals on previous visits.
Players from the same National Olympic Committee (NOC) will be drawn into different halves of the draw.
For the full seeding list, click here:
Men’s Singles- https://www.ittf.com?media-alias=9328a9afb509a8cc5234
Women’s Singles- https://www.ittf.com?media-alias=716046c9d028f9a7c78c
Mixed Doubles- https://www.ittf.com?media-alias=9ccfbd5ec0a1f04e5ac8
Men’s Team- https://www.ittf.com?media-alias=eaa339f794cb648308a3
Women’s Team- https://www.ittf.com?media-alias=2b463f04067c3c3d5b7c
Details for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games can also be accessed here.
The rescheduled Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo will be held from July 23 to August 8 with the Table Tennis competitions set to take place at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium from 24 July to 6 August, 2021.
Stay tuned for the latest Tokyo 2020 news on ITTF.com & Worldtabletennnis.com