Cape Town — China's world No 3 Ma Long, arguably the greatest table tennis player of all time, will be looking to claim a fourth men's singles title at the 2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championship Finals starting on Saturday.
Ma Long won back-to-back titles in 2015 (Suzhou), 2017 (Düsseldorf) and 2019 (Budapest). He did not make it onto the podium in Houston in 2021 when China's Fan Zhendong won the men's singles title.
Ma Long will meet Argentinian Olympian Gastón Alto in the men's singles opening round of 128 and is expected to advance to the next round. Ma Long's first real test will be in the semi-final round where he will cross paths with world No 2, left-hander Wang Chuqin.
Both Ma Long and Alto are regarded as the biggest threats to the defending champion and top seed Fan Zhendong.
Ma Long and compatriot Zhuang Zedong, a world-class player in the early sixties, each won the men's singles title three times. Another win for Ma Long will make him the leading Chinese singles player of all time.
The world record is held by Hungary's Viktor Barna who has five World Championship titles, won in the space of six years in the 1930s.
Africa's best singles hope rests on the shoulders of Nigerian Quadri Aruna, the world No 12. He has a tricky opening-round match against the seasoned Romanian Ovidiu Ionescu, who has enjoyed great success in doubles on the world circuit.
The other African player who could make an impact is Egypt's Omar Assar, the 2023 ITTF-Africa Cup men's singles champion. He meets Ecuadorian Olympian Alberto Miño in the opening round.
The two South Africans, Theo Cogill and Dean Levy, both have tough first-round matches. Cogill, the SA champion, goes up against Kao Cheng-Jui from Chinese Taipei. The 18-year-old Cheng-Jui rates as one of the world's most promising up-and-coming players.
The 18-year-old Levy will take on another African star, Senegalese Ibrahima Diaw.
In the women's singles, it could be third time lucky for China's Chen Meng who has won bronze and silver at the earlier Championship Finals events in Budapest and Houston.
This time Chen Meng will compete at the Championship Finals as the reigning Olympic gold medallist, and if she wins will join an elite group of players to win gold at the Olympics and Championships Finals.
Attempting to do their nation proud are South Africans Danisha Patel and Musfiqah Kalam, who could face each other in the round of 64 if they beat Japanese sensation Miyu Nagasaki and Puerto Rico’s Melanie Diaz respectively.
Dina Meshref of Egypt, Africa’s top-ranked female player, represents the continent’s hopes as she prepares to go up against Singaporean Zhou Jingyi.
The 2023 African Cup champion Hana Goda, also of Egypt, will face Swiss Rachel Moret.
IOL Sport