Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov celebrates his win over top seed Lin Shidong of China.
Doha, Qatar: Germany’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov stunned top seed Lin Shidong of China on his way to reach the semi-finals as the WTT Star Contender Doha 2026 produced thrilling results at the Lusail Sports Arena yesterday.
Ovtcharov produced the biggest shock of the day in the men’s singles round of 16, where the 37-year-old World No.26 overcame the top seed Shidong 3-1 (11-9, 11-9, 3-11, 11-9), before continuing his run in the quarter-final edging eighth seed Jang Woojin of South Korea 3-2 (9-11, 12-10, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7).
Japan’s Tomokazu Harimoto also failed to live up to expectations, when the No.3 seed fell to China’s Xue Fei in five games, 11-3, 5-11, 11-6, 12-14, 11-9.
Brazil’s World No.3 Hugo Calderano recovered from a slow start to defeat Simon Gauzy 3-1 (3-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-8). Calderano will meet China’s Wen Ruibo, who beat Xue Fei 3-1 (11-6, 11-2, 12-14, 11-6) next for a place in the semi-finals.
Another Chinese powerhouse, Zhou Qihao, who overcame compatriot Huang Youzheng 3-1 (7-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-8), will meet Ovtcharov in search of a place in the final, which is to be played later today.
In the women’s pre-quarter-finals, Japan’s Hitomi Sato eliminated top seed Doo Hoi Kem 3-0 (13-11, 11-9, 11-7). Sato then delivered the most clinical quarterfinal display, beating Kim Nayeong 3-0 (11-8, 11-1, 11-4).
Adriana Diaz edged Chen Yi 3-2 (11-8, 11-9, 10-12, 10-12, 11-4), while Satsuki Odo outlasted Shin Yubin 3-2 (11-8, 11-9, 7-11, 4-11, 11-3). Zhu Yuling completed the semifinal lineup with a 3-2 win over Saki Shibata (7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 2-11, 11-7).
Later yesterday, South Korea’s Jang Woojin and Cho Daeseong claimed the men’s doubles title after edging China’s Huang Youzheng and Wen Ruibo 3-2 (5-11, 11-8, 11-6, 5-11-5, 11-9) in a tense final decided over five games in 39 minutes and 42 seconds, while Sakura Yokoi and Satsuki Odo won an all-Japanese finale to lift the women’s doubles title.
Yokoi and Odo beat Hitomi Sato and Saki Shibata 3-0 (12-10, 11-4, 11-9), closing the contest in straight games in just under 26 minutes to seal the title in Doha.
The tournament, the second stop on the 31st Qatar International Table Tennis Series following the highly successful WTT Champions Doha 2026, brings together 170 players from across the globe to compete for a prize purse of $300,000.
With the Star Contender coming to a conclusion today, attention shifts to youth competition – WTT Youth Contender which begins tomorrow and runs through January 22. The WTT Star Contender Youth event will be held next from January 23 to 25, before the series concludes with the Feeder tournament, scheduled from January 27 to 31.
