China world No 1s Sun and Wang opt out of WTT Doha event, open door to Hong Kong’s Doo
World No 1s Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin withdraw from WTT Doha Champions. Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi-kem added to women’s tournament in Qatar
Table tennis world No 1s Sun Yingsha and Wang Chuqin have withdrawn from another WTT tournament, although at least this time it is before reaching their respective semi-finals.
The Chinese pair will not play in the Doha Champions event next week, and Sun’s absence has opened the door for Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi-kem, who is ranked 39 places below the Olympic champion, to play in Qatar.
It is the second withdrawal in a week for Sun, who also pulled out of the Chinese Table Tennis Super League finals a few days ago having failed to recover from the ankle injury she sustained in her last-four match at the WTT Finals in Hong Kong earlier this month.
According to reports in mainland China, Sun has a chronic anterior talofibular ligament strain combined with plantar fasciitis, and full recovery will require “at least 66 days of rehab”.
After seeing the news of Sun’s withdrawal from the Super League finals, fans took to social media with many wishing for her to “get good rest and return healthy to continue breaking the world No 1 record”.
The 25-year-old has spent more than 170 weeks at the top of the women’s game, and set a new personal best of 12,200 points in August. She will finish the year as No 1 for the fourth straight time with 11,600 points, according to the ITTF’s final rankings of 2025.