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The TOP 10 highest ranked players at 2023 WTTC – looking back at their past success
An infographic featuring the Top 10 highest-ranked players before the 2023 World Table Tennis Championships in Durban.
As the World Championships is approaching, we recently published a video about the 10 most accomplished players in WTTC history. Definitely give it a watch.
However, the question of, who will see the glory in Durban, remains to be answered. Obviously, the Chinese national team is keen to take all the gold medals possible, and they will present all their best players in South Africa. Fan Zhendong, Wang Chuqin, and of course, the legendary Ma Long as well.
In the infographic below, you can see all the highest-ranked players before the World Championships, and the amount of success they had in previous WTTC editions. Some are well-accomplished already, but most of them are still dreaming of their first gold at the biggest stage. The Brazilian star Hugo Calderano is yet to enjoy the feeling winning of a medal at the World Championships since he’s the only one from the Top 10 who has never won any.
Will there be any massive surprises, or this will be another tournament of China’s continued success? We will find that out very soon!
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Wilfried Lieck – one of the greatest blockers in table tennis history
Proper blocking is one of the most underrated skills in table tennis. When we think of the masters of this skill, the first world-class names that come to mind probably are, Jan-Ove Waldner, Oh Sang-Eun, and Vladimir Samsonov. Back in the 60s, there was a young German player on the rise who perfected the blocking skill and earned plenty of accolades in the next few decades. His name is Wilfried Lieck.
Born in 1945, the future German international won his first medal at the national championships in 1965. Soon, he joined the national team and successfully represented Germany in the international arena, for almost two decades. Shot-blocking became the key element in Lieck’s playing style. He played close to the table and relied on this element a lot. To block the shots efficiently, a great feeling and control of the ball are crucial. Lieck had it all, and his rare style of play brought a lot of success, both – nationally and internationally.
Throughout his career, he became the most successful German player on the national level, with a total of 16 gold medals in the German National Championships. Timo Boll and Jörg Roßkopf have the same amount of gold medals, but Lieck was able to win more medals in total. He was also very successful in the German Bundesliga, winning four titles during his career.
In the international arena, Lieck won silver and bronze medals in the team event of the World Championships together with other renowned German players, such as Eberhard Schöler. In 1978, Wilfried Lieck became the European champion in the mixed doubles event. On the professional circuit, the German international won two singles titles.
Despite his rare playing style, the success was there. Lieck is without a doubt – one of the greatest shot-blockers in table tennis history. Every top-class player can have a sequence during the game where he uses blocking as his main weapon. However, there is a massive difference between using this element occasionally and building the whole game around it. On the top level, Lieck and the Englishman, Desmond Douglas were the only two players who managed to achieve success at the major tournaments by keeping close to the table and being able to return the variety of the opponent topspins with confidence and great consistency.
Lieck played in an era when top-class players had very different styles, tactics, and characters. Unfortunately, nowadays, you won’t see this kind of player succeed. Even the defenders are the dying breed of table tennis, and blocking is more of a supplementary element for the top players rather than a cornerstone of their game. Luckily, we can at least enjoy some of the highlights, from the games of Wilfried Lieck. Such one-of-a-kind players made the game truly exciting to watch.
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44-year-old Vallot Vainula rewrites the history at the Estonian National Championships
The living Estonian table tennis legend became the absolute champion in the 2023 national championships, also setting a new record.
Prior to this year’s tournament, the Estonian veteran had 36 gold medals on his resume. Just one less than the 1973 World Championships bronze medalist Rein Lindmäe. Vallot Vainula had a chance to rewrite history and become the most accomplished player in the national championship’s history. As you can already guess, he excelled in this task.
Teaming up with Aleksandr Smirnov, they won the doubles event, overcoming Aleksandr Lušin and Stanislav Strogov in the final 3-1. In the mixed doubles final, Vainula and Airi Avameri won against Aleksandr Smirnov and Katlin Põldveer 3-1.
The journey toward the gold medal in the singles event was the most challenging one. Experienced Vainula had plenty of trouble in the semi-final against the 16-year-old Estonian talent Markkos Pukk. He had a 3-2 and 9-6 lead, however, Vainula remained focused and was able to take the game to the seventh set. The decider was close, but the experience took over youth and Vainula advanced to the final.
In the final, his opponent was Mart Luuk, who had a successful start, having a 2-1 lead. The next three sets were tight and Luuk put up a great fight. However, Vainula won all three sets in a row and won his 9th singles gold and 39th gold medal overall.
The future tournaments will be interesting to follow, as Aleksandr Smirnov will continue to pursue gold medals to overcome Vallot Vainula as the most accomplished Estonian table tennis player of all time. After this tournament, Smirnov has 36 gold medals. Since he is seven years younger than Vainula, the age difference might be an advantage at one point. Who will be the Estonian all-time leader? The time will show.
2023 ESTONIAN TABLE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS MEDALISTS
SINGLES
Vallot Vainula
Mart Luuk
Aleksandr Smirnov Markkos PukkDOUBLES
Vallot Vainula/Aleksandr Smirnov Aleksandr Lušin/Stanislav Strogov Maksim Vuhka/Sergei Petrov Mart Luuk/Mihkel PaeMIXED DOUBLES
Vallot Vainula/Airi Avameri Aleksandr Smirnov/Katlin Põldveer Stanislav Strogov/Vitalia Reinol Maksim Vuhka/Valeria HachardDon’t miss out the news from Table Tennis Media, subscribing to our free newsletter and explore the premium content on our Patreon.
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International stars struggle, as Ryukyu Asteeda wins its second Japanese T-League title
The 2022/23 T-League season finished with a thrilling final, featuring some of the world’s best players.
Similar to previous seasons, the 2022/23 season featured four teams that played each other seven times during the regular season. The two best teams advanced to the final at the end of the season.
Aside from the local Japanese stars, such as Tomokazu Harimoto, Koki Niwa, and Maharu Yoshimura, T-League also presented some international stars, such as Hugo Calderano and Lin Yun-ju. The Brazilian superstar was a part of Kinoshita Meister Tokyo that finished the regular season in first place. Calderano contributed to its success with 6 wins, while he also lost 8 games.
In the final, the club from Tokyo met Ryukyu Asteeda, led by Tomokazu Harimoto and Maharu Yoshimura. The atmosphere was truly electrifying with more than 2000 spectators in the hall. Players were really passionate during the games, and Harimoto was shouting even louder than usual. However, it wasn’t the easiest day for the Japanese superstar.
Ryukyu Asteeda took a lead after the first match, as the Yoshimura brothers won the doubles against Hiroto Shinozuka and Yuya Oshima 2-1. Kinoshita Meister Tokyo made the game even after Mizuki Oikawa confidently won Kazuki Hamada 3-1. The next game had a clear favorite and Ryukyu Asteeda fans definitely expected to see their team taking a lead as Tomokazu Harimoto was about to play Hiroto Shinozuka. It turned out completely opposite. Harimoto looked powerless and Shinozuka took a very confident 3-0 victory. The overall result was 2-1 in favor of the Tokyo club, and they were just one win away from the title.
The current number five in the World Rankings, Hugo Calderano had a chance to become a hero of this match. All he had to do was to win against Maharu Yoshimura, who is an experienced player, but he has mostly excelled on the local level in recent years. The Japanese took the lead early, but Calderano was able to come back every time, taking it to the fifth set. This is where Yoshimura proved his quality, winning the decider 11-7 and taking down the Top 5 player in the World.
With the overall result 2-2, the 2022/23 champion of the T-League was decided in a one-set-showdown between Tomokazu Harimoto and Hugo Calderano. The Japanese quickly took a lead, Calderano tried to change the course of the game with a time-out, but it did not help. Harimoto won confidently 11-4 and the audience could the best of his emotions. It has been a truly great journey for Harimoto in T-League. In five seasons of its existence, the Japanese superstar has won four titles.
Overall, T-League is a really exciting competition to follow. From the 2023/24 season, there will be also two new teams joining the league, and there could be more international stars strengthening the squads of the Japanese teams. It looks like the T-League is on the way to becoming the world’s second-best club competition after the Chinese Super League. If the progress continues, it can definitely overcome German Bundesliga in the future.
2022/23 T-LEAGUE FINAL
3 –
Ryukyu Asteeda
2 – Kinoshita Meister Tokyo Maharu Yoshimura/Kazuhiro Yoshimura – Yuya Oshima/Hiroto Shinozuka 2-1 (11-7, 10-12, 12-10) Kazuki Hamada – Mizuki Oikawa 1-3 (8-11, 7-11, 11-8, 9-11) Tomokazu Harimoto – Hiroto Shinozuka 0-3 (8-11, 7-11, 8-11) Maharu Yoshimura – 
Hugo Calderano 3-2 (11-6, 6-11, 11-3, 9-11, 11-7) Tomokazu Harimoto – Hugo Calderano 1-0 (11-4)Don’t miss out the news from Table Tennis Media, subscribing to our free newsletter and explore the premium content on our Patreon.
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Marc Duran takes the crown at the Spanish National Championships in Jaen
The national championships in the European countries are on the way. Spanish table tennis fans already know their 2023 champions.
The 35-year-old Marc Duran repeated his 2022 success and won the singles event in Jaen. Since the leading Spanish player Alvaro Robles did not take part in this tournament, it evened the chances for other players and increased the intrigue. Plenty of players could have taken the title.
Duran is an experienced player. Prior to this tournament, he already had 11 national titles on his resume (8 in doubles, two in singles, and one, in a mixed doubles event). On the way to the final, Duran confidently got past Daniel Berzosa (4-1) in the 1/4 finals, and Alberto Lillo in the semi-final stage (4-2).
His opponent in the final, the 30-year-old Carlos Franco had a slightly more challenging path. In the 1/4 final, it took Franco seven sets to get past Juan Perez. In the semi-final, his opponent was the Spanish legend, the 42-year-old veteran Carlos Machado. He is an 11-time Spanish champion in singles. However, the experience did not help this time and Franco got a 4-2 lead.
The final did not turn out as a spectacle for the fans. Duran took a confident lead and gave away only one set to Franco. 4-1 and Duran got his third singles title! For Franco, a slight consolation was the doubles event where he managed to win the gold medal together with Miguel Angel Vilchez.
In the mixed doubles event, the 41-year-old penhold player Jesus Cantero added another gold medal to his collection. He repeated his 2022 success and together with Maria Xiao, they got a confident 3-1 win in the final against the young Universidad de Burgos players Daniel and Maria Berzosa.
2023 SPANISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS MEDALISTS
SINGLES
Marc Duran Carlos Franco Carlos Machado Alberto LilloDOUBLES
Carlos Franco/Miguel Angel Vilchez Rafael de las Heras/Angel Ayuso Francisco Ruiz/Jose Guillot Alvaro Gainza/Juan PerezMIXED DOUBLES
Jesus Cantero/Maria Xiao Daniel Berzosa/Maria Berzosa Miguel Pantoja/Eugenia Sastre Carlos Caballero/Sofia-Xuan ZhangDon’t miss out the news from Table Tennis Media, subscribing to our free newsletter and explore the premium content on our Patreon.
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Dimitrij Ovtcharov & Neu-Ulm vs. TTBL. Who Is Right In This Conflict?
Recently, after the semi-final of the Champions League, one of TTC Neu-Ulm’s leading players, Dimitrij Ovtcharov came up with criticism toward the German Bundesliga and the fact that Borussia Düsseldorf’s manager is a part of the supervisory board of the German Bundesliga. After a while, Ovtcharov edited his post and expressed doubts about the continuation of his career in the Bundesliga due to the suspensions and fines against his teammates – Lin Yun-Ju and Truls Moregardh. The situation evolved quickly, and soon Neu-Ulm club announced its withdrawal from Bundesliga and plans to continue playing only in the Champions League. Who is right in this situation? Actually, this is not one of those complex conflicts.
First of all, it’s obvious that Dimitrij Ovtcharov made a terrible decision to make these comments. Neu-Ulm has shown plenty of childish behavior and disrespect toward the fans and the Bundesliga. While other clubs have to write their history step by step and advance to the elite of German table tennis, TTC Neu-Ulm appeared out of nowhere in 2019 and got their place in Bundesliga only because of a wealthy owner. As you might guess, such a club does not get much love from German table tennis fans, and deservedly so.
The current situation just shows what comes with having these wealthy individuals in the league. They know what the rules are, players know what the rules are, and there is nothing wrong with Bundesliga fining anyone, who breaks those rules. If there is a rule that a Bundesliga player cannot play in any other country as long as he’s under a contract with a German club, it must be respected. Ovtcharov’s and Neu-Ulm’s criticism is unfair and has no context. Let’s take a simple analogy from football. Imagine, if Lionel Messi would ask PSG to occasionally allow him to play for Barcelona again. Do you think anyone would allow such nonsense? That’s pretty much what Ovtcharov and Neu-Ulm were unhappy about.
So clearly, Bundesliga has the right in this situation and Neu-Ulm’s withdrawal is not a big deal, in general. They anyway barely played their star players in Bundesliga games, mostly deploying their B squad. From the league’s standpoint, there is no reason to somehow allow a breach of rules for a team that openly downplays Bundesliga importance. Ovtcharov criticized Borussia Düsseldorf’s manager, but if you look at their approach, there is no B-squad. Fans can be sure that in most of the games, they will see Timo Boll, Anton Källberg, and Dang Qiu in action. No matter, whether it’s the German Bundesliga or Champions League. If Ovtcharov and his teammates wanted to play for different teams during this season, they could’ve signed contracts in Sweden or other countries that allow such an approach.
Such conflicts do not benefit table tennis as a sport, and it once again proves that such artificial projects as Neu-Ulm bring more bad than good. Table tennis is a poorly financed sport, compared to other sports, but German Bundesliga is by far the best and most competitive table tennis league in Europe. If players, like Ovtcharov, do not appreciate the opportunity to play there, it’s perfectly fine. At the same time, are there any better options? Chinese Super League rarely invites European players, and the Japanese T-League remains the only lucrative option outside of it.
Some might argue that it’s unfair to criticize Ovtcharov for his loyalty to Neu-Ulm’s policies. But there are two moments. First, nobody forced Ovtcharov to make any comments and then edit them. Second of all, he’s a seasoned veteran who knows the German system and rules perfectly. If he would be one of his younger and foreign teammates, there could be given some benefit of the doubt, since they are less familiar with Bundesliga. Honestly, in this situation, Ovtcharov simply seems to be bitter about his failure to get those crucial wins in the Champions League semi-finals, and his emotions went in the wrong direction. Still, it can’t be an excuse.
In conclusion, we might not see the TTC Neu-Ulm in the next Bundesliga season, and it’s not a loss at all. We never really saw its full power in the Bundesliga anyway. Judging by the table tennis fan reactions on social media, this club won’t be missed. The majority of the fans prefer to see the clubs that evolve and write their history naturally, by winning their way into the Bundesliga, not by simply purchasing it. Hopefully, Bundesliga management will also take a lesson, and won’t approve such clubs in the league again.
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A closer look at the 2023 Chinese World Championships Trials
Sixteen of the best Chinese players meet to battle for the opportunity to play in the 2023 World Championships in Durban.
Outside of Lin Shidong (he was replaced by Xu Haidong), who was diagnosed with COVID-19 after return from Amman, all the current leading Chinese players were ready to earn their ticket to Durban. However, as the event progressed, three more players withdrew due to fever – Xiang Peng, Chen Yuanyu and Zhou Kai.
One of the surprises of the group stage was the unsuccessful run of Lin Gaoyuan, who placed only third in his group after losing to Xue Fei and Liang Jingkun.
The main favorites proved their quality and won their respective groups. The winners of each group advanced to the semi-finals stage. Draw brought together Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin, as well as Ma Long and Liang Jingkun. Unfortunately, Wang Chuqin had to withdraw and join the list of players who were affected by the virus. It allowed Fan Zhendong to qualify for the final effortlessly and join Ma Long, who got a confident 3-1 win against Liang Jingkun.
In the final, Ma Long got a surprisingly confident 3-0 win against Fan Zhendong. It looks like the 34-year-old veteran remains the main favorite to win the singles title in Durban. This could be his fourth singles title – a unique feat in modern table tennis.
In mixed doubles event, Lin Gaoyuan and Chen Xingtong were the strongest pairing, overcoming Yu Ziyang and Sun Mingyang in the final.
FINAL
Ma Long
3-0 vs. Fan Zhendong (11-8, 11-5, 11-7)SEMI-FINALS
Fan Zhendong
W-0 vs. Wang Chuqin Ma Long
3-1 vs. Liang Jingkun (11-7, 11-5, 3-11, 13-11)GROUP STAGE
GROUP A
Player 1 2 3 4 Points Place Fan Zhendong3-1 3-1 3-0 6 1 Zhou Qihao1-3 W:0 3-1 5 2 Zhou Kai1-3 0:W 0:W 1 4 Liang Yanning1-3 0-3 W:0 4 3 GROUP B
Player 1 2 3 4 Points Place Ma Long3-0 3-1 3-2 6 1 Xu Yingbin0-3 3-1 3-0 5 2 Xu Haidong1-3 1-3 3-0 4 3 Yuan Licen2-3 0-3 0-3 3 4 GROUP C
Player 1 2 3 4 Points Place Wang Chuqin3-0 W:0 W:0 6 1 Liu Dingshuo0-3 3-0 W:0 5 2 Xiang Peng0:W 0-3 0:W 1 3 Chen Yuanyu0:W 0:W 0:W 0 4 GROUP D
Player 1 2 3 4 Points Place Liang Jingkun3-1 3-2 3-2 6 1 Lin Gaoyuan1-3 0-3 3-0 4 3 Xue Fei2-3 3-0 2-3 4 2 Zhao Zihao2-3 0-3 3-2 4 4 Don’t miss out the news from Table Tennis Media, subscribing to our free newsletter and explore the premium content on our Patreon.
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Shunsuke Togami does it again! 21-year-old Japanese wins his second All Japan Table Tennis Championships title in a row
The 2023 edition of the All Japan Table Tennis Championships brought another surprise in the singles event.
While in the international arena, the main Japanese hope is Tomokazu Harimoto, the internal competition has once again proved that Shunsuke Togami is ready to write his name among the greats of Japanese table tennis. Same as the year earlier, Togami managed to win the singles event. Last year, he overcame Kenta Matsuidara in the final 4-2. This year, the final’s result against Harimoto was the same.
Togami’s success will only strengthen his position in the Japanese national team before the upcoming World Championships in Durban. He has previously expressed a high motivation to earn his spot for the 2024 Olympic Games, and all the recent success only increases Togami’s chances to play in Paris alongside Harimoto.
As long as Harimoto continues to be among the leading players in the world, he remains pretty much untouchable in the Japanese team. A tougher internal competition can be seen as a positive thing. The recent Team World Championships showed that Harimoto is capable of winning against any opponent, but to win the gold medals, he needs help. Despite losing the singles final, Harimoto managed to earn two gold medals in this tournament, winning doubles and mixed doubles events.
This tournament proved to be a successful run for the 15-year-old talent Sora Matsushima, who reached the doubles final together with Mizuki Oikawa. Also worth mentioning is the bronze medal for Hiroto Shinozuka, who has been successful in the WTT tournaments during 2022 and is also slowly climbing up in the ranks of the Japanese team.
2023 ALL JAPAN CHAMPIONSHIPS MEDALISTS
SINGLES
Shunsuke Togami Tomokazu Harimoto Hiroto Shinozuka Kakeru SoneDOUBLES
Tomokazu Harimoto/Masataka Morizono Mizuki Oikawa/Sora Matsushima Kohei Sambe/Ryuzaki Tonin Tazoe Kenta/Yuya OshimaMIXED DOUBLES
Tomokazu Harimoto/Nina Hayata Yuta Tanaka/Chiaki Tanaka Shodai Sakane/Maki Shiomi Norihiro Ito/Natsuko HagiiDon’t miss out the news from Table Tennis Media, subscribing to our free newsletter and explore the premium content on our Patreon.
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Zhuang Zedong – three consecutive World Championships singles titles & a key role in Ping-pong diplomacy
Before the successful run of Ma Long, there was a Chinese international who dominated the World Table Tennis Championships in the 1960s.
Zhuang Zedong was a member of the talented Chinese generation that managed to break the dominance of Japanese, Hungarian and Czechoslovak table tennis legends. Until the 1960s, the players from these countries were winning gold medals in singles and team events. In 1959, Rong Guotuan managed to win the first singles title for China, beating Hungarian veteran Ferenc Sido in the final. It marked the shift in the course of table tennis history.
For the next three World Championships, the Chinese team dominated most of the events, and Zhuang Zedong was unbeatable in the singles event. In 1965, he won three gold medals out of four possible, only coming short in the semi-finals of the mixed doubles event.
Zedong had a very modern technique for the time, being able to attack from both sides and generate great spin with shorter strokes than most of his opponents. However, the Cultural Revolution that began in China in 1966 set his career on pause. Ongoing internal clashes left Chinese table tennis players isolated, and they could not take part in the 1967 and 1969 World Championships.
Even after a six-year absence from major international tournaments, Zedong proved his quality again in the 1971 World Championships in Nagoya, helping the Chinese team to win the gold medals in the team event and overcoming the biggest rivals – the Japanese team. However, this was the last major tournament for the 31-year-old World champion.
Unfortunately, Zhuang Zedong did not have a chance to win more titles during his athletic prime, but he was still able to become only the second player in history to win three consecutive singles titles in a row (first was Viktor Barna with four consecutive titles from 1932 to 1935). 54 years later, Ma Long repeated the achievement of his renowned compatriot.
The impact on table tennis history by Zedong went beyond his achievements. In 1971, the accidental meeting with the American player Glenn Cowan at the 1971 World Championships laid the foundation for the future meetings of Chinese and American politicians. Now, these events are known as Ping-pong diplomacy. Ironically, Zedong was in favor as long as Mao Zedong was in power. After the leader of the Chinese Communist Party died in 1976, Zedong fell out of favor and was imprisoned for four years.
Like most of the Chinese table tennis legends, Zhuang Zedong’s career largely depended on the political landscape in China. While modern-day stars enjoy more freedoms and opportunities to earn a comfortable life, Zedong’s gold medals did not bring him much comfort. Some of his teammates, like Rong Guotuan, faced an even more tragic fate.
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11-year-old Lee Seungsoo is the new hope of Korean table tennis
The new talent from Korea emerged in the international arena in 2022, and he might be the next big thing.
Korean table tennis has produced many well-known and accomplished names, such as the Olympic champions Ryu Seung-min and Yoo Nam-kyu, and World Championships medalists Kim Taek-soo and Oh Sang-eun. Koreans have strong traditions in table tennis, and occasionally, we see a rise in very talented young players. The 11-year-old Lee Seungsoo is one of them.
While he is already a well-known name in Korea and has appeared on TV many times, including playing a one-set showdown against Olympic champion Ryu Seung-min, in Europe, Lee Seungsoo’s name was unknown until May of 2022.
In Berlin, the Korean prodigy made his debut in the WTT Youth Contender, and it was an instant success. He competed against older opponents and became the champion in the U13 event. Lee Seungsoo repeated this success in the WTT Youth Contender Wladyslawowo in Poland, winning the U13 event and reaching the semi-finals in the U15 age group.
As the young Korean continued his journey in the WTT-organized tournaments in the second part of 2022, he competed in U15 and U17 age groups, twice reaching the semi-finals stage, and twice playing in the final of the U15 group. Overall, his results in WTT Youth Contenders have been very consistent in 2022, and it is no surprise that Lee Seungsoo is the World Ranking leader in the U13 group.
Looking at how the 11-year-old Korean has competed against older opponents so far, it is fair to assume that within the next few years, we might see his debut on the senior level. While Chinese table tennis coaches prefer to develop their talents in the local arena until the age of 16-17 without sending them to tournaments on the professional circuit, Japanese and Koreans are less strict in this regard.
There has been a successful example of Tomokazu Harimoto, who made his debut very early and soon cemented his place among the leaders of international table tennis. Of course, each career develops differently, and Lee Seungsoo might not take the same path as Harimoto, but it is clear that the talent is there. Hopefully, the progress will continue, and we will see another exciting player competing against the current table tennis stars.
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