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The table tennis world ranking list is a computerised rating system.
So who are the best players? Find out here...
By Martin Hughes
Owner and Editor
The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) produces a world ranking list by entering the results of matches played in authorised events into a computerised database.
Using these results, the ITTF is able to produce a current list of the best table tennis players in the world.
Separate ranking lists are produced each month for the senior men and senior women together with separate ranking lists only for players under 21 years of age; junior players (under 17 years) and cadet players (under 14 years).
These ranking lists are used for determining seeding in all tournaments and for selecting players for certain competitions.
So, let's take a brief look at how the lists are produced, which players dominate and then the world ranking lists themselves.
With effect from 1 January 2018 the ITTF introduced a new system for calculating world rankings.
It's much simpler than the previous system and it's designed to encourage players to play in more World Ranking events.
Players now receive World Ranking Points based only on the final position they reach at tournaments. So, the better they perform, the more points they'll receive.
The number of World Ranking Points a player receives are set out in the tables below, with the most prestigious events offering the most points.
So, for the two most prestigious events in the table tennis calendar - the Olympic Games and the World Championships - the winner receives 3,000 points, whilst for the World Cup and the World Tour Grand Finals the winner receives 2,550 points.
Other events award fewer World Ranking Points (see tables below) and are on a sliding scale.
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But it's limited to...
Although players can enter many events throughout the year, only their best 8 results during the last 12 months are used (with a maximum of one continental event) to calculate their World Ranking.
The previous system also included losing points when they lost a match, but this no longer applies.
And separate ranking lists are now calculated for each age category (Senior, U21, Junior, Cadet) by only using results achieved in the respective age category. In the previous system, only one list was compiled and rankings for the age categories were just a sub set of the main list.
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So let's take a look at the...
In 2019 the number of points awarded in some events were slightly altered. Here are the current lists...
OLYMPIC GAMES | |
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Position | World Ranking Points |
Winner | 3000 |
Runner-Up | 2550 |
3rd position | 1950 |
4th position | 1800 |
Quarter-finalist | 1500 |
Loser in Round of 16 | 1200 |
Loser in Round of 32 | 900 |
Loser in 2nd round | 600 |
Loser in 1st round | 450 |
Loser in Prelim. round | 300 |
Matches won at team event | 250 |
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WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | |
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Position | World Ranking Points |
Winner | 3000 |
Runner-Up | 2550 |
Semi-finalist | 1950 |
Quarter-finalist | 1500 |
Loser in Round of 16 | 1200 |
Loser in Round of 32 | 900 |
Loser in Round of 64 | 600 |
Loser in Round of 128 | 450 |
Loser in Preliminary Round | 300 |
2nd place in group | 225 |
3rd place in group | 150 |
4th place in group | 75 |
5th place in group | 30 |
TEAM MATCHES | |
Championship division - main draw and qualification | 250 |
Championship division - position matches | 180 |
2nd division - main draw and qualification | 100 |
2nd division - position matches | 72 |
3rd division - main draw and qualification | 50 |
3rd division - position matches | 36 |
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WORLD CUP | |
---|---|
Position | World Ranking Points |
Winner | 2550 |
Runner-Up | 1915 |
3rd position | 1660 |
4th position | 1530 |
Quarter-finalist | 1275 |
Loser in Round of 16 | 1020 |
Position 17-20 | 765 |
WORLD TEAM CUP | |
Matches won at World Team Cup | 250 |
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WORLD TOUR GRAND FINALS | |
---|---|
Position | World Ranking Points |
Winner | 2550 |
Runner-Up | 2040 |
Semi-finalist | 1660 |
Quarter-finalist | 1275 |
Loser in Round of 16 | 1020 |
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WORLD TOUR PLATINUM | |
---|---|
Position | World Ranking Points |
Winner | 2250 |
Runner-Up | 1800 |
Semi-finalist | 1465 |
Quarter-finalist | 1125 |
Loser in Round of 16 | 900 |
Loser in Round of 32 | 675 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 32 | 450 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 64 | 340 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 128 | 225 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 256 | 170 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 512 / Participation | 115 |
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WORLD TOUR | |
---|---|
Position | World Ranking Points |
Winner | 1800 |
Runner-Up | 1440 |
Semi-finalist | 1170 |
Quarter-finalist | 900 |
Loser in Round of 16 | 720 |
Loser in Round of 32 | 540 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 32 | 360 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 64 | 270 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 128 | 180 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 256 | 135 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 512 / Participation | 90 |
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CONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIPS and CUPS | |
---|---|
Position | World Ranking Points |
Winner | 1800 |
Runner-Up | 1350 |
3rd position | 1170 |
4th position | 1080 |
5th position | 900 |
6th position | 855 |
7th position | 810 |
8th position | 765 |
Loser in Round of 16 | 720 |
Loser in Round of 32 | 540 |
Loser in Round of 64 | 360 |
Loser in Round of 128 | 270 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 32 | 270 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 64 | 180 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 128 | 135 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 256 | 90 |
Matches won in groups (max 10) | 25 |
Participation | 12 |
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ITTF CHALLENGE PLUS SERIES | |
---|---|
Position | World Ranking Points |
Winner | 1100 |
Runner-Up | 880 |
Semi-finalist | 715 |
Quarter-finalist | 550 |
Loser in Round of 16 | 440 |
Loser in Round of 32 | 330 |
Loser in Round of 64 | 220 |
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MULTI-SPORT GAMES e.g. Commonwealth Games, Pan-Am Games |
|
---|---|
Position | World Ranking Points |
Winner | 600 |
Runner-Up | 450 |
3rd position | 390 |
4th position | 360 |
5th position | 300 |
6th position | 285 |
7th position | 270 |
8th position | 255 |
Loser in Round of 16 | 240 |
Loser in Round of 32 | 180 |
Loser in Round of 64 | 120 |
Loser in Round of 128 | 90 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 32 | 90 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 64 | 60 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 128 | 45 |
Loser in Qualification Round of 256 | 30 |
Matches won in groups (max 5) | 10 |
Participation | 5 |
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And these World Ranking Points are...
World Ranking Points are valid for 12 months, but Ranking Points awarded at the Olympic Games and World Championships are valid for longer.
Because these two events are not held annually, Ranking Points awarded at the Olympic Games are valid for 48 months but reduce by 25% each year. So the first year they're worth 100%; the second year 75%; the third year 50%, and the fourth year 25%.
And the Ranking Points awarded at the World Championships (individual and team) are valid for 24 months, but after the first year the points are reduced by 50%.
The ITTF publishes the World Ranking List at the beginning of every month, usually by the 6th day of the month.
Players who do not have any recorded international results for more than 24 months are excluded from the published ranking lists.
However, special rules apply to players who are unable to play due to injury, sickness or pregnancy.
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And the same system applies for...
For doubles events; Under 21 years; juniors (under 17 years) and cadets (under 14 years); the same system applies, but they use a different set of points tables (not shown here).
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So let's now take a quick look at...
The system in use pre-2018 was as follows...
Players received or lost rating points for each match played in an authorised ITTF event.
The winner gained a certain number of points whilst, at the same time, points were deducted from the rating of the loser.
The number of points won or lost depended on the relative strength of the two players involved.
Points were added or deducted in accordance with a rating points table.
"Expected results" were those matches where the winner had a higher rating than the loser whilst "Unexpected results" were those matches where the winner had a lower rating than the loser.
Wins against unrated players gave no points to the winner.
When a rated player lost against an unrated player, 10 points were deducted from the rating of the losing player.
These calculations were carried out only on the basis of the rating points, without taking into account "Bonus Points" (see below).
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But...
Because some table tennis events are more important than others, the rating points on offer were also different. This was known as "weighting".
The ITTF's Competition Department classified events into three different tiers, and rating points were increased for the major events.
So, for events such as the Olympic Games, World Championships and World Cup, players received double rating points, whilst for events such as the ITTF World Tour players received points multiplied by a factor of 1.5.
Third tier events, such as the Commonwealth Games and Pan-Am Games, received normal rating points.
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And on top of that, there were...
Bonus points, like rating points, were "weighted" and awarded in four different tiers based on the event being played.
Bonus points were generally awarded on the basis of the final positions in knockout singles events.
However, in competitions where the knockout format was not used, up to 16 players could be given bonus points.
Additionally, bonus points were awarded wherever possible for third place and for other matches where intermediate positions were played for.
These bonus points remained valid for a period of 12 months from the date of each bonus point earned.
Bonus points were not awarded for Team events, Qualifying events or Ranking (Consolation) events.
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And there was also a system for dealing with...
Players who had no recorded international results for 4 months or more were not included on the world ranking lists but retained their rating points for seeding purposes.
Players who had no recorded international results for 8 months or more were excluded from the world ranking lists. However they retained their rating points until they become active again, meaning that in the interim, these points could still be used for seeding purposes at non ITTF events only.
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But how do you get on to the World Ranking list?
Under the pre-2018 system, players entered the table tennis world ranking list as soon as they had at least two wins against players already ranked.
Players were given Starting Points and these starting points were re-calculated each time a new World Ranking was produced, up to the moment a player reached or passed the limit of five wins and five losses against already ranked players.
Then these "Starting Points" become final.
But under the new system, every player who has earned ITTF Ranking points in an eligible tournament during the ranking period is included in the ITTF World Rankings.
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So how often are the table tennis world ranking lists issued?
The ITTF was founded in 1926, and in 1928 they published the first World Ranking list for men and for women.
For many years these rankings were only issued once a year, sometimes twice ... but in 1991, with the assistance of computers, this frequency gradually increased.
Now they're produced on a monthly basis and are generally issued within the first six days of the month.
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So...
Well, as you might expect, the Asian players, particularly the Chinese table tennis players, have dominated the table tennis world rankings for many years.
However, the new system has shaken up the rankings, and players such as Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Timo Boll from Germany are now riding high, along with Egypt's Omar Assar and Brazil's Hugo Calderano in the top twenty.
Three of the best men in the World Ranking List - All Chinese!
by courtesy of the ITTF
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Here are the...
Please check this page each month for an update.
MEN (December 2020) | ||
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Ranking | Player (Family Name, Given Name) | Association |
1 | FAN, Zhendong | China |
2 | XU, Xin | China |
3 | MA, Long | China |
4 | LIN, Gaoyuan | China |
5 | HARIMOTO, Tomokazu | Japan |
6 | CALDERANO, Hugo | Brazil |
7 | LIN, Yun-Ju | Chinese Taipei |
8 | FALCK, Mattias | Sweden |
9 | LIANG, Jingkun | China |
10 | BOLL, Timo | Germany |
11 | JANG, Woojin | South Korea |
12 | OVTCHAROV, Dimitrij | Germany |
13 | JEOUNG, Youngsik | South Korea |
14 | WANG, Chuqin | China |
15 | PITCHFORD, Liam | England |
16 | FRANZISKA, Patrick | Germany |
17 | NIWA, Koki | Japan |
18 | MIZUTANI, Jun | Japan |
19 | WONG, Chun Ting | Hong Kong China |
20 | GAUZY, Simon | France |
more... |
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WOMEN (December 2020) | ||
---|---|---|
Ranking | Player (Family Name, Given Name) | Association |
1 | CHEN, Meng | China |
2 | SUN, Yingsha | China |
3 | ITO, Mima | Japan |
4 | WANG, Manyu | China |
5 | DING, Ning | China |
6 | ZHU, Yuling | China |
7 | LIU, Shiwen | China |
8 | CHENG, I-Ching | Chinese Taipei |
9 | ISHIKAWA, Kasumi | Japan |
10 | WANG, Yidi | China |
11 | HIRANO, Miu | Japan |
12 | FENG, Tianwei | Singapore |
13 | CHEN, Xingtong | China |
14 | DOO, Hoi Kem | Hong Kong China |
15 | JEON, Jihee | South Korea |
16 | POLCANOVA, Sofia | Austria |
17 | SATO, Hitomi | Japan |
18 | DIAZ, Adriana | Puerto Rica |
19 | SOLJA, Petrissa | Germany |
20 | HE, Zhuojia | China |
more... |
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To see the top 100 players on the latest table tennis world ranking lists, you can download the attached files below.
Please check this page each month for an update.
These are pdf files.
Please note:
You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader or Preview installed on your computer to view these world ranking lists.
Most Windows computers have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed already - it's FREE, but if you're one of the few who don't already have it installed, click on this link https://get.adobe.com/reader and follow the instructions on the Adobe web site to download it.
(Mac users can use Preview which is pre-installed on all Macs)
TABLE TENNIS WORLD RANKING LISTS (Top 100 players) |
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December 2020 - Men (opens in a new window)
December 2020 - Women (opens in a new window) |
May to November 2020 - No rankings issued due to Coronavirus pandemic |
April 2020 - Men (opens in a new window)
April 2020 - Women (opens in a new window) |
March 2020 - Men (opens in a new window)
March 2020 - Women (opens in a new window) |
February 2020 - Men (opens in a new window)
February 2020 - Women (opens in a new window) |
January 2020 - Men (opens in a new window)
January 2020 - Women (opens in a new window) |
December 2019 - Men (opens in a new window)
December 2019 - Women (opens in a new window) |
November 2019 - Men (opens in a new window)
November 2019 - Women (opens in a new window) |
October 2019 - Men (opens in a new window)
October 2019 - Women (opens in a new window) |
September 2019 - Men (opens in a new window)
September 2019 - Women (opens in a new window) |
August 2019 - Men (opens in a new window)
August 2019 - Women (opens in a new window) |
July 2019 - Men (opens in a new window)
July 2019 - Women (opens in a new window) |
June 2019 - Men (opens in a new window)
June 2019 - Women (opens in a new window) |
May 2019 - Men (opens in a new window)
May 2019 - Women (opens in a new window) |
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