The last of the WTT Contender events of 2022 finished last weekend, and attention turns to the 2023 schedule, which not only sees another series of WTT Contender events, but also the 2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals, where Fan Zhendong will be looking to defend his title.
Here we look ahead to next yearâs major event, the world championships, due to take place in Durban next May. Before we get onto that, let's take a quick look back at who won what, at the final WTT Contender event held in Nova Gorica at the start of November.
Shock wins at Nova Gorica
The Menâs event ended in victory for Japanâs Shinozuka Hiroto. Shinozuka defeated Darko Jorgic in the final at Nova Gorica. Jorgic was the highest seed at competition, making the win for the Japanese left hander all the more sweeter.
When the new rankings are released, the victory should see Shinozukaâs ranking rise from a career high of 29, as it has been since the last update earlier in November.
In the womenâs event, the glory went to Shin Yubin of South Korea. The 18-year-old defeated world number 12, Yang Xiaoxin in seven sets.
Shin raced into a three set lead, but was pegged back by the experienced Yang - the Beijing born Monacan won three games in a row to level the match at three games each. But that didnât deter the youngster, and she bounced back to win the deciding game 11-6, and with it, the title.
2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals
The 2023 World Championships are taking place in Durban, South Africa. This is the first time the competition will be held on the African continent since 1939.
The competition will see the best Table Tennis players from across the globe take part in seven days of intense competition.
- What; 2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals
- Where; Durban International Convention Centre, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
- When; Monday, May 22nd - Sunday, May 28th, 2023
The defending menâs champion is Fan Zhendong of China, who won his first title in Houston in 2021, defeating Swedenâs Truls MöregĂ„rdh four games to nil (11â6, 11â9, 11â7, 11â8) in the final.
Zhendong is the clear worldâs number one in the menâs game. In the last lot of world rankings he sat top on 7700 points. To put that lead into perspective, second ranked Ma Long has 4400 points, and Wang Chuqin in third position, has 4325 points.
Revisit the match that helped earn Fan Zhendong đšđł the World Number one spot, and against an impressive Hugo Calderano no lessđ§đ·#WTT #TableTennis #PingPong #FanZhendong #HugoCalderano pic.twitter.com/P0KHQGV776
— World Table Tennis (@WTTGlobal) June 2, 2022
As things stand, anything other than a second world title for Zhendong in May would be a massive failure. There are currently no Table Tennis betting odds available from the best sportsbooks, but when they are live, we will have them here.
Can Wang Manyu defend her title in Durban?
In the womenâs event, the title was won by Wang Manyu of China. Wang led a clean sweep for the Chinese women. She defeated compatriot Sun Yingsha in the final, with Chen Meng and Wang Yidi both picking up bronze medals.
The final itself was a six-game thriller. Yingsha took the opening game 13-11, but Yang fought back to level the final by taking the second game 11-7.
Yingsha again went in front, winning game three 11-6. Yang then roared back, taking the next two games 11-6, and 11-8, before an epic sixth game saw Yang win 17-15 to claim the title and give China a 14th consecutive womenâs world title.
As weâve mentioned, as of yet, there are no betting odds available for the World Championships. But the best sports betting sites will be covering the event when it takes place, especially as Table Tennis is now becoming a more popular sport for betting on.
A selection of the sportsbooks likely to be covering the 2023 World Championships can be found on our sportsbook reviews page. Here you will find not only the best sportsbooks but the best offers for both new and existing customers. All of these can be used to bet on Table Tennis.
The most popular Table Tennis betting markets are moneyline bets, handicap bets, and total points bets. All three are popular betting options with North American players, as they are the same sort of markets that are used in sports like American Football, Ice Hockey, and Basketball.
Czech Liga Pro Betting Pick
Check out the latest table tennis betting odds below.
Finally, thereâs another day of action in the Czech Liga Pro on Friday. One matchup that caught our eye is the game between Kamil Novak and Vladimir Postelt. Postelt is the favorite at -200, with Bovada, and Novak is +150.
In the head-to-head between the two players, Postelt leads 7-3, but in their three most recent meetings, Novak has won two of them. The most recent matchup on October 6th saw Postelt win 3-0. But they came on the back of two 3-1 win for Novak.
Prior to those two defeats, Postelt had won the previous six. But I think that at odds of +150, Novak is worth a small wager. He seems to have worked out how to beat his nemesis.
Please check out our Bovada sportsbook review for more details about their new customer offer, and what they do for existing customers.
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