China have a dominant presence in the top 10 rankings of the singles Wheelchair WH 2 category with five of 14 events completed in the qualifying period of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
There are six more Para badminton events scheduled this year, and three next year, for players seeking to qualify to the Tokyo Paralympics.
China’s Liu Yutong leads the WH 2 standings having won both her events this year – the Dubai International and the Turkish International. Liu leads a clutch of her countrywomen in WH 2 – Xu Tingting at No.3, Li Hongyan at No.5 and Yang Fan at No.9.
Other players in the top 10 are: Japan’s Yuma Yamazaki at No.2, Turkey’s Emine Seckin at No.4, Peru’s Pilar Jaurequi Cancino at No.6, Spain’s Marcela Quinteros at No.7, Japan’s Rie Ogura at No.8 and Thailand’s Amnouy Wetwithan at No.10.
In men’s singles WH 1, China’s Qu Zimo leads with 1620 points, having won the Dubai International and the Turkish International. Qu beat Korea’s Choi Jung Man in both finals.
In second spot is Germany’s Thomas Wandschneider, who has played four events this year, and was a finalist in Uganda and Canada.
Korea too have a strong presence in this category, with Choi Jung Man at No.3, Lee Dong Seop at No.4, Jeong Jae Gun at No.6, and Lee Sam Seop at No.7.
Germany’s Valeska Knoblauch leads the women’s singles WH 1 standings; Knoblauch was champion in Uganda and Canada. Knoblauch beat Israel’s Nina Gorodetzky in the final in Uganda, and Switzerland’s Karin Suter-Erath in the title clash in Canada.
In second and third place are China’s Zhang Jing and Yin Menglu respectively. Karin Suter-Erath follows in fourth, ahead of Japan’s Ikumi Fuke and Sarina Satomi.
Wheelchair badminton’s most prominent rivals – Hong Kong’s Chan Ho-Yuen and Korea’s Kim Jungjun – occupy the top two spots in men’s singles WH 2. Chan, winner in Turkey and Canada, has 2180 points, just 250 points ahead of Kim Jungjun, who was champion in Dubai.
Korea occupy four places in the top 10 of the men’s doubles Wheelchair (WH 1 – WH 2) rankings, with Jeong Jae Gun/Kim Kyung Hoon leading the Race to Tokyo with 1170 points, ahead of China’s Qu Zimo/Mai Jianpeng.
Kim Jungjun is in fourth place with Lee Sam Seop and in fifth with Lee Dong Seop, while compatriots Choi Jung Man/Kim Kyung Hoon are in joint seventh with Japan’s Osamu Nagashima/Atsuya Watanabe.
Japan’s Sarina Satomi/Yuma Yamazaki lead the women’s doubles WH 1 – WH 2 rankings with 1730 points, 360 points ahead of China’s Xu Tingting/Zhang Jing.
China also occupy the third spot, through Liu Yutong/Yin Menglu, who are just 40 points ahead of Japan’s Ikumi Fuke/Rie Ogura.