Macao table tennis star Zhu Yuling has risen to fifth in the ITTF World Table Tennis Rankings following her victory at WTT Champions Doha 2026, marking a significant milestone in her return to the top tier of the sport.
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Zhu gained 1,000 ranking points by winning the women’s singles title in Doha, moving up two places in the latest standings. The season-opening tournament has triggered notable ranking shifts, rewarding players who delivered standout performances in Qatar.
Return to the world’s top five
According to World Table Tennis (WTT), Zhu’s triumph has seen her return to the world top five for the first time since 2019, coming just a week after she celebrated reaching 500 total weeks inside the global top 20. Zhu’s career-high ranking remains world no.1, a position she first achieved in November 2017.
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The ranking rise adds further weight to a comeback that has gathered momentum since Zhu returned to international competition in September 2024, following a four-year break from table tennis due to illness, during which she also enrolled in a doctoral programme. Since her return, she has recorded a string of strong results, including her 2025 United States Smash title.
WTT Champions Doha triumph
At the Lusail Sports Arena, Zhu secured her maiden WTT Champions crown by defeating China’s Chen Xingtong in the women’s singles final. Reflecting on the physical and mental demands of the tournament, she told Xinhua, “Maybe it’s the first time that I played two matches in a single day since I came back. It’s a big test for my physical and mental strength.”
She added, in comments also reported by Xinhua, “I don’t know whether I am already reaching the end of my table tennis career. I don’t know when it will end. If I want to carry on, I’d treat every match, every day and every experience as the last one to compete and leave no regrets.”
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WTT described Zhu’s resurgence as inspirational, with her success in Doha reaffirming her status among the world’s elite players. With her ranking now restored to fifth globally, attention will turn to whether the Macao athlete can maintain her upward trajectory as the 2026 season continues.
Following the conclusion of WTT Champions Doha, the focus remains on Qatar, with the WTT Star Contender Doha set to take place from today to 18 January, featuring many of the sport’s leading names alongside the newly crowned champions.
