Wang Chuqin, Sun Yingsha retain top spots after China sweeps London titles

Wang Chuqin and Sun Yingsha kept their grip on the sport’s top spots as China left London with both world team titles, a clean scoreboard answer to a week that had carried championship pressure all the way to the final ball. The Week 20 ITTF Table Tennis World Ranking was published on 11 May 2026, one day after the finals, and it confirmed that the biggest names at OVO Arena Wembley finished the centenary event exactly where China needed them: at the front of the line.

The clearest winner was China’s men, who beat Japan 3-0 to retain the Swaythling Cup for a record 24th time. That result was not just a title defense, it was a statement about how deep China’s hold on the team game remains even as Japan continues to push the pace through younger stars and faster match-up threats. In London, the men closed the final without giving Japan a foothold, and the ranking update followed that dominance by keeping the championship axis fixed around Wang Chuqin.

The women’s final delivered the sharper swing. China trailed Japan 1-2 before rallying to win 3-2 and capture a record 24th world title, a comeback built around the pressure points provided by Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu. Japan had its own standouts in Miwa Harimoto, Hina Hayata and Honoka Hashimoto, but the result again showed the gap between noise and finishing power. London rewarded the side that held its nerve at the decisive moments, and Sun’s continued presence at No. 1 reflected exactly that.

The scale of the event gave the result extra weight. London 2026 ran from 28 April to 10 May, marked 100 years since the first World Championships were held in London in 1926, and brought together 64 men’s teams, 64 women’s teams and 380 players. The centenary setting, split between OVO Arena Wembley and Copper Box Arena, gave the final weekend a feel closer to a landmark than a routine championship. With hundreds of millions watching worldwide, every point carried the kind of visibility that can harden reputations for years.

That was underscored on the final day by IOC President Kirsty Coventry, who attended the event, exchanged rallies in the practice hall with Ma Long, Xu Xin, Liu Shiwen, Elizabeta Samara and Paul Drinkhall, and then presented the Corbillon Cup and Swaythling Cup to the champions. For China, the trophies matched the rankings. For Japan, the medal runs were real, but the London ledger still belonged to the team that arrived with the top names and left with the top prizes.