International
Duda in the top ten for the first time
Despite losing in the final of the tournament in Brazil, the European Championship runner-up is the sixth German in the elite circle.
German table tennis star Benedikt Duda (Bergneustadt) has made it into the top ten of the world rankings for the first time – despite losing in the final of the singles competition at the Star Contender tournament in Fozdo Iguacu, Brazil. The 31-year-old European Championship runner-up lost 3:4 to world number three and World Cup winner Hugo Calderano (Brazil), but had already collected enough points to enter the elite circle in the rankings published on Tuesday thanks to his semi-final victory in the German duel with Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Fulda).
Duda, who won the doubles title in Brazil a few hours before the singles final together with former European champion Dang Qiu (Düsseldorf), is the sixth German to be among the ten best players in the world since the introduction of computer rankings in the early 1990s. Before the left-hander, who was previously ranked twelfth, former doubles world champion and current national coach Jörg Roßkopf, German idol Timo Boll, and national players Ovtcharov, Qiu, and Patrick Franziska (Saarbrücken), who are still active, had already been among the top ten.
Source: SID
Featured image above: In the top ten for the first time: Benedikt Duda (©️ AFP/SID/STR)
