Two most successful player Ma and Wang head in ITTF Pro Tour Japan seedings (photo attached)

Updated：2007-06-21

Ma Lin and Wang Liqin are the two most successful players in Men's Singles events in the history of the ITTF Pro Tour. They have won more titles than any other player.

In Chiba at the Volkswagen Open Japan which starts on Thursday 21st June 2007, they are the top two seeds in the Men's Singles event.

Wang Liqin, who following his success at the recent Liebherr World Championships, is seeded two; whilst the man he beat in the final, Ma Lin is seeded one.

Ma Lin, the top seed in the Men's Singles event in Chiba Photo By: Rémy Gros

Thirty-Nine Steps

Together they have amassed a total of thirty-nine Men's Singles crowns on the ITTF Pro Tour.

Wang Liqin leads the way. He has won on twenty-three occasions including three victories in the Grand Finals, whilst Ma Lin has succeeded on seventeen occasions with one of those victories being in the Grand Finals.

No Gold

In 2007 success has come the way of Ma Lin on the ITTF Pro Tour. He won in Doha at the Liebherr Qatar Open but for Wang Liqin there has been no gold.

At the Croatian Open he was beaten by Ma Long, he lost to the same player in the semi-finals in Kuwait, whilst at the Gorenje Slovenia Open it Ryu Seung Min who ended progress and in Qatar he was beaten in the final by Ma Lin.

Some Consolation Prize

However, the victory in Zagreb when he recovered from a position where he looked down and out in the fifth game against Ma Lin, has no doubt more than made up for the disappointments on the ITTF Pro Tour.

Shared

Honours on the ITTF Pro Tour have been very much shared when the Chinese stars have participated.

In Croatia, Hao Shuai opened his career account by winning the Men's Singles crown whilst in Slovenia Wang Hao retained his title. In Qatar it was Ma Lin who struck gold whilst in Kuwait the victory went to the teenager Ma Long.

Leading Seeds

At the Volkswagen Open Japan, Wang Hao is seeded three, Ma Long is the sixth seed and Hao Shuai is seeded eight.

Winner of last week's Volkswagen Open Korea, Oh Sang Eun, is seeded four whilst Croatia's Zoran Primorac, the man he beat in the final in Seongnam is the twenty-first seed! Such is the strength of the Men's Singles event at the Volkswagen Open Japan.

Fifth seed in Chiba is China's Chen Qi who has yet to win on the ITTF Pro Tour in 2007 whilst reigning Olympic champion, Ryu Seung Min, is seeded eight. Austria's Werner Schlager, the 2003 Men's Singles World champion is the number nine seed with the next three places being occupied by Hong Kong's Li Ching, Korea's Joo Se Hyuk and Chinese Taipei's Chuan Chih-Yuan respectively.

Schedule

Play starts on Thursday 21st June 2007 with the qualification stages of the Men's and Women's Singles event with matches in the main draw commencing on Friday 22nd June 2007; the finals will be staged on Sunday 24th June 2007.

(Credit: ITTF. Click here for further information.)