September 22, 2025 | Paul Stimpson
Eleven Olympic medallists, including one champion, head a star-studded entry list for the WTT Star Contender London at the iconic Copper Box Arena next month.
Top-20 world-ranked players from Japan, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong are heading our way, along with some of Europeâ€s strongest players, including the likes of Bernadette Szocs, Dimitrij Ovtcharov, Darko Jorgic and Anders Lind.
Englandâ€s top players will also be in action, along with Wales†Anna Hursey – and there is still the chance to put yourself at the heart of the action, with tickets still available for the early days of the competition, which starts on 21 October.
Who are the mega-stars heading to London?
The Olympic gold medallist heading to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is Japanâ€s Mima Ito (WR 8), who won the Mixed Doubles title alongside Jun Mizutani in her home nation in the delayed 2020 Olympics.
Ito has no fewer than four Olympic medals, having won Womenâ€s Team silver in Paris last year, as well as Womenâ€s Singles and Womenâ€s Team bronzes in 2020.
Mima Ito on top of the podium with Jun Mizutani at Tokyo 2020
She spearheads a world-leading contingent from Japan who are inbound for London, with siblings Tomokazu and Miwa Harimoto likely to be top seeds in the respective Menâ€s Singles and Womenâ€s Singles events.
Both are also Olympic medallists – Tomokazu (WR 4) having been in the bronze medal-winning Menâ€s Team in Tokyo and Miwa (WR 6) in the squad which took Womenâ€s Team silver in Paris.
Germanyâ€s Dimitrij Ovtcharov is one of the most decorated table tennis athletes of the modern era, having won six Olympic medals overall – team silvers in 2008 and 2020 and bronzes in 2012 and 2016, as well as singles bronzes in both 2012 and 2020. He also has five World Championships medals and a bulging collection of titles at European level, including 10 European Championships golds.
Dimitrij Ovtcharov on his way to bronze at Tokyo 2020
Also coming to London are Womenâ€s Singles bronze medallist from Paris, Hina Hayata (WR 13), and two-time team silver medallist Miu Hirano (WR 32).
The bronze medal-winning Mixed Doubles pair from Tokyo 2020 – Lin Yun-Ju (WR 11) and Cheng I-Ching (WR 15) of Chinese Taipei – further add to the stardust of the event.
South Koreaâ€s World No 17 Shin Yubin (Mixed Doubles bronze and Womenâ€s team bronze from Paris 2024), Hong Kongâ€s Doo Hoi Kem (WR 39; Womenâ€s Team bronze 2020) and Germanyâ€s Shan Xiaona (WR 64; Womenâ€s Team silver 2016) are the other Olympic medallists who have entered.
There is a stack of other high-ranking players who have the London date circled in their diaries, including No 1 female European player Bernadette Szocs (WR 16) of Romania and multiple Europe Top 16 champion Darko Jorgic (WR 10) of Slovenia.
World No 12 female Shi Xunyao of China and Franceâ€s world No 28 Prithika Pavade are in the Womenâ€s Singles entry list.
On the menâ€s side, top attractions include Denmarkâ€s Anders Lind (WR 14), Dang Qiu of Germany (WR 16) and Japanese trop Shunsuke Togami (WR 20), Sora Matsushima (WR 24) and Hiroto Shinozuka (WR 28).
Which home-grown talents are playing?
GB rising star Anna Hursey and a clutch of English athletes will test themselves against some of the best in the world at the WTT Star Contender London.
Hursey, still a teenager, has proved she belongs in stellar company, having recently impressed against world No 1 Sun Yingsha of China on her WTT Champions debut in Macao.
Anna Hursey takes on Sun Yingsha
She will be seeded into the main draw – the only British player to automatically be included in that stage after Tom Jarvis just missed the cut-off.
Jarvis is the highest ranked English male player in the field in the absence of the injured Liam Pitchford, and he is joined by Sam Walker and Connor Green, three of the quartet who will represent England at the European Championships just before the Star Contender.
Tin-Tin Ho leads the English female contingent, which features some exciting young talents keen to grab a chance to shine in exalted company. Tianer Yu, Ella Pashley and Jasmin Wong will feature after first representing England at the Europeans, and they will be joined in London by Sophie Earley, Mari Baldwin and Sienna Jetha.
More English players could still be added to the field, with wildcards yet to be confirmed.
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