With a break in senior event action, it’s the sport’s youth players who feature front and centre in Week 29’s ITTF Table Tennis World Rankings following a week of intense match play at WTT Youth Contender Hong Kong 2024. Here is a quick breakdown of this week’s Youth Rankings takeover:

Yuhi Sakai (JPN) | U19 Boys’ No.7 (+4)

Breaking into the World Youth Top 10, leapfrogging one of the sport’s hottest young prospects in Sora Matsushima, Yuhi Sakai headlines Week 29’s Youth Rankings. Coming away with his second U19 Boys’ Singles title of the season, Sakai was a cut above the competition from start to finish in Hong Kong, China, including World Youth No.3 Chang Yu-An, who Sakai dispatched at the semifinal hurdle in spectacular fashion.

Rin Mende (JPN) | U19 Girls’ No.11 (+9)

Claiming her fifth U19 Girls’ Singles trophy on the WTT Youth Series, Rin Mende finds herself on the cusp of the World Top 10 following a strong outing in Hong Kong, China. Outpacing the top-ranked entry Park Gahyeon in a dramatic semifinal, Mende would go on to clinch the title with a crushing display against Anne Uesawa, and has been rewarded with a nine position climb in Week 29.

Rin Mende climbs nine spots following U19 Girls’ Singles title success.

Anne Uesawa (JPN) | U19 Girls’ No.62 (+51)

Finishing runner-up to Mende in the U19 Girls’ Singles draw, Anne Uesawa was another bright light at Queen Elizabeth Stadium, bagging impressive victories over higher-ranked opponents Peng Yu-Han and Sachi Aoki to reach her first U19 final. Previously ranked outside the World Youth Top 100, Uesawa is now beginning to show her true potential on the world stage.

Other notable movers:

View the complete ITTF Table Tennis World Rankings here.

Source: World Table Tennis