Table Tennis World Championships 2015: Daily Results, Schedule Info, Prize Money
The 53rd edition of the Table Tennis World Championships takes place in Suzhou, China, with the competition featuring in the nation for the fifth time.
The tournament is played from April 26, when qualification begins, until the conclusion on May 3, and it is set to be the most watched table tennis event in history.
Over 100 countries will participate in Suzhou, competing across five events: the men's and women's singles and doubles as well as the mixed doubles.
Significantly, for the first time ever the doubles pairings can consist of partners from different nations, opening up a host of opportunities.
Prize money in world table tennis has topped the $3,000,000 mark this season, per ITTF.com, with World Tour winners now pocketing $60,000 in the men's and women's singles.
Here, we take a look at the relevant schedule information and daily results:
(All stats courtesy of ITTF.com.)
Tournament Schedule
1 of 9
The 2015 Table Tennis World Championships have finished.
Day 8: Men's Singles, Women's Doubles Finals
2 of 9
World Rankings leader and top seed Ma Long finally won his first ever world title on Sunday, convincingly beating compatriot Fang Bo in the men's final in six games.
After winning three bronze medals over the course of his career, Long entered this year's tournament as the heavy favourite thanks to his fantastic form of late. He steamrolled the opposition all week and continued his dominance on Sunday, winning both of his matches with relative ease.
Fan Zhendong was the first victim in the semi-finals, but he was never really in the match and had no answer for Long's aggressive play on his forehand. Bo fared little better, although he managed to at least make the final somewhat competitive.
The duo traded the first two games before the in-form Long shifted gear, winning the next two games. Both showed incredible sportsmanship during the fourth game, each using their time-out to ensure the stoppages wouldn't affect the decisive games later in the match.
Bo rallied in the fifth game to hold off the onslaught, and eventually managed to pull one game back after several fantastic back-and-forths. But in the sixth game, there was no stopping the World No, 1. Long cruised to an 11-4 win and leapt onto the table to celebrate, before receiving congratulations from his opponent.
As shared by SNTV's Steve Moore, the 26-year-old is still undefeated in 2015:
"China's Ma Long remains unbeaten in 2015, wins #ITTFWorlds2015 men's singles title over teammate Fang Bo in six games pic.twitter.com/WBk8x7FXxQ
— steve moore (@singaporestevem) May 3, 2015"
China completed a clean sweep of the gold medals in the women's doubles, with Liu Shiwen―who lost the women's singles final on Saturday―partnering Zhu Yuling to a seven-game win over Ding Ning and Li Xiaoxia.
Ning won the women's singles on Saturday but badly injured her ankle in the final game. She was unable to give any post-match press conferences on court, and the medal ceremony had to be postponed until she returned from the hospital.
Despite these setbacks, she appeared in Sunday's doubles final and looked surprisingly mobile early. Unfortunately, she was unable to execute her patented forehand top spin and was relegated to playing counter backhands, which hurt her team's chances.
Ning and Xiaoxia managed to keep things close and even forced a decisive seventh game, but Yuling and Shiwen ultimately prevailed, 11-8.
Xiaoxia had nothing but praise for her injured team-mate, per the ITTF's official website, before indicating she is contemplating retirement:
"I must give great credit to Ding Ning for even playing in the final when she had an injury, it was a really brave effort.
"
My time in the Chinese National Team is coming to a close. Now my task is the help the young players and to enjoy the opportunities which may come my way.
China once again dominated the World Championships, and while their dominance was greatly helped by the failings of the Japanese team, it's clear the hosts are still the dominant nation in table tennis.
Europe has tried for decades to bridge the gap, but there's simply no coping with China's fantastic educational programs for young players. Xiaoxia may be close to retirement, but it almost feels inevitable someone will be there to take her place near the top of the women's rankings.
Day 7: Women's Singles and Men's Doubles Finals, Men's Singles Quarter-Finals
3 of 9
Ding Ning regained the women's world title in incredible fashion Saturday, beating upstart challenger Mu Zi in the semi-finals before recovering from injury to clinch the gold in one of the most dramatic finals we've seen in years.
Xu Xin bagged his second gold medal of the week, winning the men's doubles with Zhang Jike in dominant fashion. But all eyes turned toward the women's tournament, where the four remaining players produced one highlight after the other.
Ning won the title in 2013 but knew she would be in for a firm challenge from qualifier Zi, who had been shocking the crowd all week. She came incredibly close to yet another upset against the top seed but ultimately lost in seven games.
Experience ultimately made the difference in the final game, which Ning won 11-6 to book her spot in the final.
Defending champion Li Xiaoxia then suffered an upset at the hands of Liu Shiwen, losing in five games. Xiaoxia, who has been nearly unbeatable in the past 18 months, couldn't produce her best play and paid dearly for her mistakes.
If fans thought they had been treated to plenty of drama already, they were in for a rude shock. Ning and Shiwen went head-to-head throughout the final, barely giving each other an inch, and in the seventh and decisive game, down 2-0, Ning turned her ankle.
Event organisers gave the athlete an extended break before the match resumed, and Ning was clearly seen limping between and even during points. Incredibly, however, she managed to complete the comeback and win the final game, and she was immediately rushed to the hospital upon the conclusion—before the medal ceremony could even take place.
As shared by SNTV's Steve Moore, she returned in time to lift the trophy:
"World #1 Ding NIng of China fights thru 7th game ankle injury, wins #ITTFWorlds2015 women's singles title pic.twitter.com/0VUEv1wLoH
— steve moore (@singaporestevem) May 2, 2015"
The Chinese pair of Xin and Jike needed six games to win the men's doubles gold, overcoming 15th-seeded Fan Zhendong and Zhou You in front of a packed house. For Xin, it's his second gold medal of the World Championships, alongside Friday's win in the mixed doubles.
The men's singles tournament will reach its conclusion Sunday, and in Fan Zhendong, Ma Long, Fang Bo and and Jike, China has provided all four finalists. Saturday's results mean not a single Chinese player in the men's or women's singles tournament will have lost a match against a foreign opponent.
A full list of the qualifying matches and scores can be found on the event's official website.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Day 6: Mixed Doubles Finals, Men's Fourth Round, Women's Third Round
4 of 9
The first medals of the 2015 Table Tennis World Championships were handed out on Friday, as the pair of Xu Xin and Yang Haeun won the mixed doubles title after a one-sided final against the duo of Japan's Maharu Yoshimura and Kasumi Ishikawa (11-7, 11-8, 11-4, 11-6).
Playing together for the first time, the Chinese-Korean pair entered the tournament as the fifth seeds and easily worked their way to the final, behind the back of Xin's incredible forehand top spin.
The Japanese challengers never came close to winning even a single game, to the disappointment of the small contingent of fans who had travelled all the way to Suzhou.
Speaking to the ITTF's official website, Xin could only praise his partner and opponents:
"Yang Haeun played beyond the level I expected; her performance was quite outstanding.
"
They played very well; yesterday they beat Kim Hyok Bong and Kim Jong, the reigning champions; that was a very good performance. Actually, when I saw the draw I thought there was a possibility that we might play Maharu Yoshimura and Kasumi Ishikawa in the final.
Yoshimura and Ishikawa were all smiles after the final, even in defeat, knowing full well there was simply no stopping Xin and Haeun. Their performance marked the first time in nearly four decades a Japanese duo had made the final, an incredible feat in its own right.
Mu Zi continued her excellent run through the tournament with another upset win, this time over Singapore's Feng Tianwei. Zi needed just four games to eliminate one of the top seeds, but several others nearly fell as well.
Li Xiaoxia, the third seed, had to come back from two games down against 14-year-old supertalent Mima Ito, while top seed Ding Ning needed a deciding seventh game to get past compatriot Wu Yang. She'll face red-hot Zi in the semi-final.
There was no such drama in the men's tournament, where all of the top seeds comfortably advanced to the next round. Defending champion Zhang Jike gave up just one game against Belarus' Vladimir Samsonov and remains the favourite to win his second consecutive title.
A full list of the qualifying matches and scores can be found on the event's official website.
Day 5: Singles Third Round, Doubles Quarter-Finals, Mixed Doubles Semi-Finals
5 of 9
China's Mu Zi continued her march through this year's tournament, Japan's Jun Mizutani came back from the brink of elimination to clinch his spot in the next round and Germany's Patrick Franziska pulled off a massive upset by knocking Marcos Freitas out of the tournament on a wild day of table tennis action.
Franziska, who was pivotal in Germany's fine showing at the World Team Championships in 2014, needed only five games to beat Freitas, who came into the tournament as the eighth seed. It wasn't just Franziska's first win against the Portuguese star; it marked the very first time he even managed to win a single game.
It was a great day for Germany, who once again caused Portugal heartache when Timo Boll eliminated Joao Monteiro in a seven-game thriller. The final game went on and on, until Boll finally emerged the winner by a score of 12-10.
As he told the ITTF's official website, Monteiro certainly didn't make things easy on him: "Several times in the match I thought I had done enough to win the point but he kept returning the ball. In the seventh game I played some difficult shots and that helped me recover my confidence; certainly it was a tough mental battle."
Top men's seeds Ma Long and Zhang Jike needed just nine games between them to advance to the next round, winning in dominant fashion to underline their title credentials.
Zi also needed just four games to get past Japan's Kasumi Ishikawa, reminding the fans that just because she doesn't sit high on the world rankings doesn't mean she's not a force to be reckoned with.
The local favourite had to enter the tournament through the qualifying rounds due to a long absence from the table, but she's been racing though the pack of players since the opening day.
Chinese athletes dominated the women's division on Thursday, as usual, and Zi joins several other players as the favourite to win the title this year.
Japan's Mizutani hopes to do the same in the men's division after winning the World Tour Grand Finals, but he came close to elimination after trailing Korea's Jung Youngsik 7-10 in the decisive game. He recovered in time to take control of the match, winning the final game 13-11 to book his spot in the fourth round.
Per the ITTF's official website, he was more than a little excited after his comeback win, saying: “Now I feel really excited after the match. Never give up, keep fighting; that’s my approach.”
It was a tough pill to swallow for Youngsik, who missed a golden opportunity in the final match to grab the win, playing Mizutani away from the table but failing to finish the point.
The World Championships continue on Friday.
A full list of the qualifying matches and scores can be found on the event's official website.
Day 4: Mixed Doubles Quarter-Finals, Singles Second Rounds
6 of 9
The mixed doubles contenders advanced through two rounds of competition on Wednesday as the field was reduced to just four pairs, bursting through the fourth round and quarter-finals.
Among those to make it to Thursday's semi-finals is tenth-seeded Hong Kong pair Wong Chun Ting and Doo Hoi Kem, who staged a huge shock by defeating Koki Niwa and Sayaka Hirano of Japan, seeded fourth in the contest.
While Hong Kong compatriots Jiang Tianyi and Lee Ho Ching fell at the hands of Germany duo Steffen Mengel and Petrissa Solja in the other fourth-round clash, Wong and Doo were overjoyed to claim a straight games victory (11-7, 11-8, 11-5, 11-6).
Wong and Doo met their Japanese foes most recently in 2013, but the former explained that he and his partner had developed a lot since coming out on the worse end of their own 4-0 loss, per the official ITTF website:
"Simply two years ago we were not good enough and of course now we play with a different type of ball, I think that might have helped us. In that period of time, both Doo Hoi Kem and myself have developed as players; after Busan we did stop playing together but now we are partners again and we have trust in each other.
"
Japan did have some good fortune in the mixed doubles, however as Maharu Yoshimura and Kasumi Ishikawa, seeded 20th overall, just about edged Lee Sangsu and Park Youngsook of South Korea four games to three.
Yoshimura and Ishikawa continued their dream run later in the day, too, defeating Pak Sin Hyok and Kim Hye Song of North Korea to take their place in the semis alongside Wong and Doo, who saw off Polish pair Pawel Fertikowski and Katarzyna Grzybowska.
No. 1 seeded partnership Kim Hyok-Bong and Kim Jong gave North Korea an even greater chance at the mixed doubles, too, by beating China's An Yan and Yang Wu to make it two Korean teams in the last four.
In the singles, both men and women's competitions advanced through their respective second rounds, with Ding Ning and Wu Yang among China's biggest names to proceed into the third round.
It was also a positive day for Ukraine's female contenders as Ganna Gaponova, Margaryta Pesotska and Tetyana Bilenko booked their places in the next phase of the competition.
Chinese Taipei's Lee I-Chen went down to Gaponova, Pesotska dominated Turkey's Hu Melek 4-0 and Bilenko just about made it past Japan's No. 8 seed Ai Fukuhara 4-2, saying:
"I felt I had a good chance against Ai Fukuhara because I knew she had lost against Maria Dolgikh from Russia, so against defence she was maybe not that strong. In the first game I played too quickly, I needed to settle down, play with a great deal of backspin and, when the chance arose, attack. Today has been our day, we’ve not had any great preparation, it’s just gone our way. However, I did feel confident before the tournament, I had played well in Kuwait and Qatar earlier this year.
"
A full list of the qualifying matches and scores can be found on the event's official website, by clicking here.
Day 3: Men's Doubles, Women's Singles
7 of 9
Defending champions Chen Chien-An and Chuang Chih-Yuan easily managed to beat the Slovenian pair of Darko Jorgic and Jan Zibrat in straight games in their first match of the men's doubles tournament, but all eyes were on Nigeria's Olufunke Oshonaike, who left the arena smiling after her defeat against top favourite Ding Ning.
Oshonaike couldn't win a single game, won just five point in the first two games and never came close to pulling off a miraculous upset. And yet, at the end of the match, the crowd gave the Nigerian athlete a standing ovation.
She told the ITTF's official website what it meant for her to even have the opportunity to play Ning, the top seed in the women's tournament:
"Today it’s my birthday and it is a wonderful gift for me to have had the opportunity to play against her. Today is my birthday; why should I be sad?
Even when I was young I have always dreamed about this kind of opportunity; without a coach it made no difference.
"
Ning of China predictably advanced to the next round, as did compatriots Liu Shiwen, Li Xiaoxia, Zhu Yuling and Wu Yan. In fact, not a single top seed suffered a defeat in the opening round of the women's tournament.
Not to be outdone, Chinese Taipei's Chien-An and Chih-Yuan made quick work of Jorgic and Zibrat, winning in four games, 11-4, 11-2, 11-2, 11-6. Compatriots Chiang Hung-Chieh and Huang Sheng-Sheng, who entered the tournament as top seeds, needed six games to overcome India's Soumyajit Ghosh and Sanil Shetty.
Sheng-Sheng admitted he and his partner struggled, but stated that was to be expected in their first match of the tournament, via ITTF.com:
"The first match in the tournament, I felt nervous before we started and I have a cold. It was difficult to become acclimatised to the conditions; I really didn’t have a good feeling for the ball.I think that the main reason why we eventually won the match was because we were faster and more powerful. They were effective when blocking but they did not play aggressively.
"
As in the women's tournament, there were no major surprises in the men's doubles in the first round. All top seeds proceeded, and fans got to enjoy a second-round battle between Xu Xin and Zhang Jike and Timo Boll and Ma Long. The local favourites started out slow, falling behind 2-0, before winning four straight matches to book their spot in the third round.
A full list of the qualifying matches and scores can be found on the event's official website, by clicking here.
Day 2: Singles Qualifiers, Mixed Doubles and Women's Doubles 1st Round
8 of 9
The second day of the 2015 World Championships almost produced a first massive upset, as the host nation's mixed doubles duo of Yan An and Wu Yang nearly bowed out of the tournament, needing all seven games to get past the four-time European champions, Serbia’s Aleksandar Karakasevic and Lithuania’s Ruta Paskauskiene.
Fans were left disappointed with the draw, pitting two of the top duos in the tournament against each other on the second day of competition, but those in attendance witnessed an epic duel that was ultimately decided by just three points.
An and Yang took the first two sets before the European duo battled back to force a deciding game, where the two teams went head-to-head until 5-5. The Chinese duo eventually pulled away and held on for an 11-8 lead, to the enjoyment of the local fans.
Karakasevic wasn't as happy during his post-match interview, however, which you can watch by clicking here.
His criticism of the seeding system is warranted, with the European championships no longer hosting a mixed-doubles tournament. With limited match rhythm under their belts coming into this match, the Europeans can look back on their performance with pride.
Singapore’s Yang Zi and Yu Mengyu had to overcome a match point against Padasak Tanviriyavechakul and Suthasini Sawettabut of Thailand but managed to pull through Monday, winning their match 4-3 to advance to the next round. The eighth-seeded team has high hopes for this year's tournament, but they will have to vastly improve if they are to medal this week.
The third round will continue Tuesday.
A full list of the qualifying matches and scores can be found on the event's official website, by clicking here.
Day 1: Preliminary Qualifiers
9 of 9
Sunday, April 26
China's Mu Zi made short work of her opponents on Sunday, as the classy competitor cruised through her opening matches.
She defeated Switzerland’s Rahel Aschwanden and Megan Phillips from Wales and is set to face Scotland’s Corinna Whittaker in Monday's concluding group game.
The former World Doubles winner has been forced to take the qualification route at the tournament due to her recent absence from competition.
Kazakhstan’s Nataliya Sladkova also impressed on Sunday as she swept to the top of her group, placing herself in pole position.
A full list of the qualifying matches and scores can be found here.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
