The Chinese Table Tennis Association has announced the country's 13-player squad for next month's Asian Table Tennis Championships on Wednesday, with men's singles world No.1 Xu Xin competing across all four categories, and captain Ma Long only taking part in the men's team event.
Having dominated the Asian Championships since the competition's inception in 1972, China is sending its best players to this year's event, with all the country's six female paddlers ranked among the world's top ten players, and five of the seven male players also being so.
Gold medalist Liu Shiwen (2nd to L) of China, silver medalist Chen Meng (L) of China , and bronze medalists Wang Manyu (R) and Ding Ning (2nd to R) of China on the podium at 2019 World Table Tennis Championships in Budapest, Hungary, April 27, 2019. /VCG Photo
World No. 2 Liu Shiwen will play the mixed doubles event alongside her long-time partner Xu Xin, while the other mixed duo of China sees Sun Yingsha paired with Wang Chuqin.
At the most recent championships in Wuxi, China, in 2017, Japan's teenage sensation Miu Hirano, then 17 years old, took the women's singles crown after defeating three of China's most established players in Ding Ning, Zhu Yuling and Chen Meng.
The biennial tournament will take place from September 15 to 22 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, with seven gold medals on offer.
(Cover photo: China's team members pose with their trophy on the podium after winning over Germany their men's final at the World Team Table Tennis Championships in Halmstad, Sweden, May 6, 2018. /VCG Photo)