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Stephy Zhang

Already missing Fan Zhendong for this year’s Asian Games, China’s men will have to defend their titles without the services of Liang Jingkun too.
The national team vice-captain withdrew from trials for the multi-sport event through injury, having previously opted out of the WTT United States Smash event, which starts in Los Angeles on Friday.
China coaches released the squads for September’s competition in Japan on Thursday, and said world No 10 Xiang Peng had been handed the final spot after winning a selection tournament.
“Because the World Championships took a massive physical and mental toll on him [Liang], leaving him exhausted, and combined with the recurrence of an old injury, [Liang] plans to use the break to treat and rehabilitate his injuries and plan his future tournament schedule,” Wang Hao, the men’s head coach, said.
Wang Chuqin, Lin Shidong, and Wen Ruibo secured direct spots on the men’s team based on their singles world rankings, while Huang Youzheng was selected via his combined individual rankings in doubles and mixed doubles.

Liang’s absence drew widespread attention, coming just a day after World Table Tennis confirmed his withdrawal from the second major of the season.
The final men’s roster renewed concerns among local fans, with Zhou Qihao, another member of the side that won gold at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in May, also withdrawing through injury.
“There is really no one left,” many social media users lamented. Others worried whether Liang was gradually retiring from the sport.
“I hope he is just taking a temporary rest and will recover soon to return to the table,” one fan wrote.
On the women’s side, Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu gained direct entry into the squad through their singles world rankings.
Kuai Man qualified via her combined individual doubles and mixed doubles rankings, while Chen Yi secured her spot as the highest-ranked player born after 2004.
The final women’s spot was also determined via trials. To provide more competitive opportunities for younger athletes, the coaching staff decided to hold a competition among U22 team members.
“With an eye on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and nurturing talent for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic cycle,” Ma Lin, the head coach, said. “The coaching staff decided after collective deliberation that the final spot would be determined via trials for athletes born on or after January 1, 2004.”
Ma said the selection format involved two separate knockout tournaments. If the same player won both, they would automatically qualify; otherwise, the two winners would face off in a play-off match.
A total of 13 eligible players competed earlier this month, with Fan Shuhan ultimately beating Qin Yuxuan 3-0 in the play-off to secure her spot after two rounds of knockout competition.
General coach Qin Zhijian stated that the selection was geared towards the Olympics and focused on match-testing.
“With the Los Angeles Olympics introducing doubles and mixed-team events, the individual event line-ups were determined through comprehensive consideration,” Qin said.
“In the men’s and women’s doubles, the team balanced the dual goals of winning gold medals and long-term planning, hoping to use the Asian Games platform to conduct match-play testing for new doubles combinations.”


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China

Liang Jingkun makes himself unavailable for multi-sport event, but World Championships star Xiang Peng is not a bad replacement


Liang Jingkun makes himself unavailable for multi-sport event, but World Championships star Xiang Peng is not a bad replacement.


China table tennis fans fear ‘there’s no one left’ after Liang quits Asian Games

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Liang Jingkun makes himself unavailable for multi-sport event, but World Championships star Xiang Peng is not a bad replacement

Liang Jingkun makes himself unavailable for multi-sport event, but World Championships star Xiang Peng is not a bad replacement