Egypt’s Omar Assar continued to improve his world rating after the three-time African Games champion gained more points to secure a back-to-back career high in the Week 18 of 2024 of the ITTF Ranking.
The Egyptian had ended his years of waiting to break into his best ranking when he rose to 14th in the Week 17 ranking and as if that was not enough, Assar improved his rating to 13 in the Week 18 released by the world table tennis body on Tuesday, April 30.
With 300 points, Assar is knocking at the door of the world top 10, a feat that has been achieved by his continental rival – Quadri Aruna.
Meanwhile, Aruna held on to his 19th spot in the world as he hopes to fight his way back to the top through the Saudi Arabia Smash which serves off on May 1.
After losing his historic place in the World Top 5 last week, it did not take long for french teenager Felix Lebrun to rejoin the exclusive club, reclaiming the No.5 position in Week 18.
This comes following the expiration of ranking points accrued at WTT Star Contender Bangkok 2023, an event that crowned Lin Gaoyuan as its Men’s Singles champion. With those points expiring, the Chinese star drops to No.6, promoting Lebrun back to No.5.
Bouncing back after a six-week stint at World No.6, Hina Hayata of Japan returns to the World Top 5 in Week 18, leapfrogging Chen Xingtong of China. Like her compatriot Lin Gaoyuan, Chen’s demotion also comes about due to the expiration of points from last year’s event in Bangkok. As a result, Hayata breaks the Chinese stranglehold on the Top 5, and is now just one spot off equalling her personal best ranking position.
However, from one of the most anticipated events on the calendar, the Saudi Smash 2024 set to grip the table tennis world from May 1 to 11.
Not only are the sport’s biggest names set to battle it out for WTT Grand Smash glory and a share of the $2m prize money, there are also valuable World Ranking Points up for grabs in Jeddah.
With the champions taking home a whopping 2000 ranking points, the events at King Abdullah Sports City are poised to dramatically shake up the standings when the tournament ends on May 11.