Last Updated on April 24, 2024 by Alex Horscroft
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Wang Chuqin is one of the strongest table tennis players today, he currently sits second in the world rankings. Being born at the beginning of the century, he is very young and has not yet peaked, so it’s rather exciting to ponder what he might achieve later in his career.
In this post, you will learn about what equipment Wang uses, along with some discussion of his career and head-to-head records against other professional players.
Wang Chuqin Key Info
Name: Wang Chuqin
Nationality: Chinese
Date of Birth: 11 May 2000
Grip: Shakehand (lefty)
Style: Looper
Highest ranking: 1 (2023)
Height: 5 ft 11 inches
Wang Chuqin’s Equipment in 2024
Wang Chuqin’s Blade
Formerly, Wang Chuqin used the ever-popular Viscaria blade, however, he swapped this blade out in March/April 2022.
He now appears to be using a variant of the DHS W968 — the same blade as Ma Long.
The W968 is a limited edition version of the Hurricane Long 5 blade. It’s absurdly expensive and designed specifically for professionals. Ma Long’s version is light blue with a yellow strip, however, Wang’s is black with a yellow strip.
If you’re tempted to buy the W968, I recommend going for the Long 5 instead. It’s way cheaper and I hear they play very similarly.
Wang Chuqin’s Rubbers
Unlike many players, Wang uses Hurricane on both sides which is very difficult to use. For his forehand, he uses Hurricane 3. Presumably, this is the National version which many pros use.
As for his backhand, he doesn’t use Tenergy 05 anymore. Instead, he plays with Hurricane 8, meaning Wang has a complete DHS setup!
Wang Chuqin’s Playstyle
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Varied Attack
Wang Chuqin is a two-winged looper with exceptional versatility. He can play close or far from the table to excellent effect, and he has a keen eye to select the appropriate shots to get the job done.
I notice that when he plays close to the table he is not afraid to hit the ball more directly. These flatter loops are quicker to execute and allow Wang to keep the pressure on his opponent. He’ll also switch to powerful drives or counters if the moment feels right. This exceptional backhand game often opens up his forehand, especially when he catches his opponents off-guard with an unexpected and well-placed wide ball down the line.
Flicks
I feel Wang’s flicks need a section of their own, as they’re just so damn good! He is constantly looking to initiate topspin rallies with his backhand flick. No ball is safe. He will even flick balls that land wide on his forehand at times.
Yet I don’t feel like Wang forces it. While he’s active in his pursuit of flicking short balls, he’s not afraid to push. In fact, he’ll even throw deep heavy pushes out to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm. This worked rather well against Fan Zhendong at the WTT final in Doha 2023.
Superb Footwork
What separates Wang from some of the other top players is his elite footwork. I still feel the likes of Xu Xin has better footwork, but overall, his movement is better than most. Wang frequently steps around to his backhand to play forehand loop kill shots against low pushes.
Serves
Chuqin’s main serve is his pendulum. To me, it’s a very standard service. Usually, he serves cross-court to his opponent’s forehand (if they’re a righty).
One point to note is that he is not afraid to serve long. I’d say he serves fast down the line more than most.
Besides his pendulum, Wang also uses a type of shovel serve. This produces clockwise rotating spin as Wang is a lefty. It pairs beautifully with his pendulum, giving him access to both types of sidespin. The shovel is actually my main serve. It’s pretty easy to do and wins me a tonne of points.
Wang Chuqin in Action!
Check out Wang Chuqin’s super match against Fan Zhendong below.
Wang Chuqin’s Career
Early Career
Wang’s impressive talent was spotted at the age of 12. Scouts recognized that he was performing well above other youths. He first gained notoriety in 2014 when he put on stellar performances at the World Junior Championships. This was proven to not be a fluke when in the same year he impressed on the ITTF World Tour.
It did not take long for the young player to secure major wins. Just before his 18th birthday, Wang earned his first major win at the World Championships where he won gold in the team event. But he wasn’t done there. In the same year, he would go on to win both the singles and mixed team events at the Youth Olympics, as well as two more golds at the Asian Games. What a year! This exceptional run propelled him to a world rank of #85 by December.
Current Career
Since turning 18, Chuqin has only had one year without a gold medal in 2020, but I believe this is the time when he took a brief stint away from the sport.
Remarkably, barring 2020, Chuqin has won a gold medal at every World Championship since 2018. That being said, it is worth mentioning none of these were in singles events. In fact, the only singles medal he has at the World Championships is a silver which he won in 2023.
Then again, Chuqin is very young, so this is to be expected. Competition is fierce in China, and previously Chuqin has been ranked below other elites such as Ma Long, Fan Zhendong, and Xu Xin. This has prevented him from competing in such events.
However, with his form improving over the last few years, and with Xu Xin’s recent retirement, Chuqin has likely secured himself as one of China’s go-to players for big competitions. He has already reached a ranking of #1 in 2023 and now firmly sits second behind Fan Zhendong as of the time of writing.
Wang Chuqin’s Toughest Opponents
Wang Chuqin vs. Fan Zhendong
There’s no doubt in my mind that Fen Zhendong presents the biggest obstacle to Wang Chuqin, and this is no surprise given he is the only player ranked above him.
While it’s true Wang has losing records against several players, most of these are because the pair have only met on a few occasions or because Wang was just a teen at the time. Yet, this is not the case with Fan. Being the top pros they have met several times since 2020, and the record stands at 8-3 in favor of Fan.
Chuqin won their most recent meeting in surprising fashion, beating Fan in straight sets 4-0.
Wang Chuqin vs. Ma Long
I was a little shocked checking Wang’s results against the greatest player of all time. Not only is he positive, but he has won 73% of their meetings! What an achievement!
What’s more, on their last three face-offs, he won 4-2, 4-1, and 4-0, so I’d put down each of these as fairly sizeable wins. There’s no doubt Ma isn’t at his best recently, but let’s not take anything away from Fan. Ma still sits third on the global rankings.
Wang Chuqin vs. Xu Xin
Wang Chuqin also has a poor record against Xu Xin, winning just 1 out of their 4 meetings. I should note, however, that only one of these is somewhat recent, and that’s the one Wang won (2021).
Unfortunately, Xu Xin is now retired from international competition, so we may not see the pair face off again.
| Opponents | Wins | Losses | Win Rate |
| Ma Long | 8 | 3 | 73% |
| Fan Zhendong | 3 | 8 | 27% |
| Xu Xin | 1 | 4 | 25% |
| Liang Jingkun | 3 | 4 | 43% |
| Lin Gaoyuan | 1 | 3 | 25% |
| Lin Yin-Ju | 4 | 3 | 57% |
Wang Chuqin’s Medals
🏆 World Championships — 6x gold, 1x silver (Singles, Team, Doubles, Mixed Doubles)
🏆 World Cup — 1x gold (Mixed Doubles)
🏆 WTT Finals — 2x gold, 2x bronze (Singles, Doubles)
🏆 Asian Games — 6x gold (Singles, Team, Doubles, Mixed Doubles)
🏆 Asian Championships — 2x gold, 2x silver (Team, Doubles, Mixed Doubles)
🏆 Youth Olympic Games — 2x gold (Singles, Mixed Team)
Closing Thoughts
Out of all the current table tennis pros, Wang Chuqin perhaps has the best prospects going forward. He may just have Ma Long’s number which is an incredible achievement, and with his recent success, he has likely established himself as a mainstay in the Chinese National Team. As a result, he will have many more opportunities to go after medals, and based on what I’ve seen, he’ll be favored to win in any match. That is, provided his teammate Fan isn’t across the other end of the table.
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I've been playing table tennis since the age of 14 and have competed against some of the top players in England. While I love playing, I also really enjoy coaching too!
Blade: Butterfly Timo Boll ALC | Rubbers: Nittaku Fastarc G-1
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