参考消息

China's table tennis team announced its roster for next month's ITTF Men's and Women's World Cup on Tuesday, with the 10-player list featuring prominent names

The ITTF Men's and Women's World Cup will be held in Macao, China, from April 14 to 20. The Chinese men's representatives include Lin Shidong, Wang Chuqin, Liang Jingkun, Lin Gaoyuan, and Huang Youzheng, while the women's team will feature Sun Yingsha, Wang Manyu, Wang Yidi, Chen Xingtong, and Kuai Man.

Wang Chuqin of China competes during Men's Singles Gold Medal Match of table tennis at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Oct. 2, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Xu)

The qualification pathway for the World Cup, released by the ITTF in February, includes automatic qualification for current world champions, U19 world champions, and players qualifying through Continental Cups and world rankings.

As a result, reigning Olympic champion Fan Zhendong, who withdrew from the world rankings at the end of 2024, was also invited to participate. However, he decided not to compete due to personal considerations.

Wang Hao, head coach of the Chinese men's team, hopes his players can give their all in the tournament.

"As none of these players has ever won the Singles World Cup, they are eager for the championship. Hopefully, they can showcase their level with the best mentality and form, and one of them can make a breakthrough," he noted.

Since the start of 2025, the Chinese women's team has displayed remarkable consistency, sweeping semifinal spots at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash, Asian Cup, and WTT Champions Chongqing.

"The performances of these five players are the most consistent, and they have achieved favorable results against players from other teams," said Ma Lin, the team's head coach.

"We need to keep this momentum going, embrace the World Cup with better form, and strive for the best result," he added.