China to send seven paddlers to compete in WTT Slovenia Hub

BEIJING - Seven Chinese paddlers will take part in the World Table Tennis (WTT) Slovenia Hub next month.

Male players Lin Gaoyuan, Liang Jingkun, Wang Chuqin, Zhou Qihao and Liu Dingshuo, and female players Wang Yidi and Liu Weishan will represent China in the WTT Slovenia Hub, which will take place in Lasko between November 1 and 14.

The Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) said on Tuesday that taking the team's World Championships preparation and visa processing into consideration, it will field some players with high world rankings, excellent results in national and international competitions and outstanding performances in competing and training to Slovenia in a planned manner.

Liu Guozheng, Liu Zhiqiang and Qiu Yike will serve as coaches of the Chinese team in Slovenia.

"We hope that players can adjust to the atmosphere of competing in major international tournaments and garner more ranking points through participation, and the team aims to test these young players through real matches," read the CTTA statement.

Chinese national players are competing in the China Table Tennis Super League (CTTSL) in Weihai, east China's Shandong Province, and will turn their attention afterward to preparing for the World Championships to be held in Houston from November 23 to 29.

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) on Tuesday confirmed the participation of world No. 1s Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng, both from China, at the World Championships.