This year brought plenty of memorable runs at the World Table Tennis Championships, World Cup, and other major competitions. The most consistent performer throughout the year was the Chinese international and the reigning World champion, Wang Chuqin.
The 25-year-old did not disappoint Team China fans at the WTTC, winning the gold medal in the singles event and leaving no chance for Hugo Calderano. This title crowned Wang Chuqin as the new leader of Team China. He proved that the coaching staff can rely on him in the most important tournament of the year.
Wang Chuqin rarely lost any games, and he wasn’t as dominant as Wang Liqin, Ma Long, or Fan Zhendong during their prime. Still, he won the most important tournament of the year. Losses in the World Cup or WTT Cup Finals are not that crucial. The World champion’s title overshadows everything.
Among honorable mentions, Hugo Calderano definitely deserves recognition for the most successful year in his career. His World Cup win in Macao ignited plenty of interest prior to the World Championships in Qatar. The 29-year-old Brazilian did not disappoint, and he was able to reach the final. After years of missing the medal at the major tournaments, Calderano finally wrote his name into the list of table tennis legends.
Truls Möregårdh and Liang Jingkun were among the finest performers of 2025. The Swede was able to win another medal at the World Championships, and he is slowly cementing his legacy to reach the status of a legend that many of his predecessors had.
Liang Jingkun began this year already in a legendary status for his past achievements, but his fourth bronze in the singles event at the World Championships once again proved his underrated greatness. Liang Jingkun is one of eight players in table tennis history who have won a medal in the singles event in four consecutive World Championships. That’s an incredibly difficult feat to achieve.
It will be interesting to see who will step up in 2026 and whether there will be any serious contender to challenge Team China in the most important competitions. Can Hugo Calderano continue his successful run, or 2025 will remain a one-hit wonder? Plenty of questions to be answered!
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