A general view at the Lusail Sports Arena during the WTT Champions tournament on Sunday.
Doha, Qatar: Fresh off the excitement of WTT Champions Doha 2026, the Lusail Sports Arena is once again set to host world-class table tennis action as WTT Star Contender Doha 2026 kicks off with qualifying rounds today.
The six-day event, part of the 31st Qatar International Tennis Championships series, offers a total prize bag of $300,000 and sees some of the world’s top paddlers in action, including 12 of the top 20 men’s players, led by world No. 3 Lin Shidong, and eight of the top 20 women players, led by World No. 4 Kuai Man, in the singles draws.
Shidong, along with Brazil’s wild card and World Cup winner Hugo Calderano, headline the men’s singles main draw, while Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yun-Ju enters the fray fresh off his WTT Champions Doha 2026 title, which he won on Sunday.
Qatar will be represented by Mohammed Abdulwahhab and Sultan Al Kuwari, both aiming to shine in front of the home crowd.
Abdulwahhab progressed through qualifying at last year’s edition before exiting in the round of 64, and will be looking to go further this time.
In addition, the qualifying action will also feature a strong Qatari presence, with Ahmed Korani, Rawad Al Naser, Abdullah Abdulwahhab, Abdulaziz Al Abdulla, Yousif Abdalla, Nawaf Al Malki, and Ahmed Saadawi contesting for places in the main draw.
Meanwhile, the women’s draw is led by a strong mix of stars and rising contenders.
While China’s Man tops the seedings, Macau’s former world champion Zhu Yuling, who captured the women’s WTT Champions title on Sunday, will look to make it a double in Doha.
Chinese players Chen Yi, Shi Xunyao, South Korea’s Shin Yubin and Japan’s Satsuki Odo also make the draw a highly competitive one, while local stars Aia Mohamed and Rokaia Elbaz add further depth to the draw.
Qatar’s Maryam Ali, Racha Loghraibi and Alia Elbaz will be in action today in the qualifying stage, looking to make it to the main draw.
Qatar will also have a strong presence across doubles categories.
The men’s doubles field features two Qatari pairings, with Mohammed Abdulwahhab teaming up with Abdullah Abdulwahhab, and Sultan Al Kuwari partnering Ahmed Korani. In the women’s doubles, Aia Mohamed will combine with Elbaz, while Qatar’s mixed doubles entries see Mohammed Abdulwahhab paired with Aia Mohamed, and Sultan Al Kuwari joining Elbaz, highlighting Qatar’s broad participation at the high-profile event.
Following the highly successful Qatar International Tennis Championships series opener on Sunday, Qatar Table Tennis Federation President Hamad Ahmed Al Hammadi said the WTT Champions Doha 2026 proved to be a global festival of excellence and excitement.
“We are looking forward to a distinguished global series that includes Star Contender, Youth Contender, Youth Star Contender, and Feeder tournaments, with the participation of hundreds of international players and referees. This reflects Qatar’s vision of consolidating its position as a global sports hub for various sports, foremost among them table tennis,” Al Hammadi added.
