Beijing: China’s Wang Chuqin topped the world ranking in men's singles table tennis, according to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)’s list on Tuesday.
Fan Zhendong, Wang's compatriot had been on the top for 142 consecutive weeks. With the ITTF world ranking points from Singapore Smash 2022 expiring, 23-year-old Wang claimed the top spot from Fan.
"This achievement marks a historic moment in Wang's remarkable journey, highlighting his exceptional talent and unwavering pursuit of greatness," read an article on the ITTF website.
Along with veteran Ma Long, the duo formed a leading Chinese trio in the men's world rankings.
Lin Gaoyuan, the newly-crowned champion at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Contender Zagreb, rose to sixth, ahead of fellow Chinese player Liang Jingkun in seventh.
Other men's world Top 10 players include Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto, Brazilian ace Hugo Calderano, Jang Woo-jin of South Korea, Slovenia's Darko Jorgic, and Lin Yun-Ju of Chinese Taipei.
On the women's side, Sun Yingsha, Wang Yidi, Chen Meng, Wang Manyu, Chen Xingtong, and Qian Tianyi claimed the top six positions for China, with Wang Yidi climbing two spots to a career-best second.
Female paddlers ranked seventh to tenth are Japanese duo Mima Ito and Hina Hayata, South Korean teenager Shin Yu-bin and German veteran Han Ying.
With inputs from IANS