During a recent internal warm-up match for the World Team Table Tennis Championships, 19-year-old sparring partner Li Tianyang emerged as a dark horse, defeating one of the national team’s main players, Liang Jingkun, with a score of 3-2. Li Tianyang has been on a fierce rise in 2026, having previously broken through to the semifinals of the Taiyuan Regular Challenge tournament, and now he’s making waves while helping the team’s top players prepare.
Liang Jingkun has been one of the core members of the Chinese national table tennis team for years. He won his first world title as part of the team at the 2019 World Cup, and later secured World Team Championship titles in 2022 and 2024. In the 2025 World Championships singles event, he reached the semifinals before losing to Hugo Calderano and claiming bronze. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Liang traveled as the alternate player (P-card), effectively serving as the team’s fourth option.
However, Liang has seen a significant dip in form entering 2026, with his world ranking slipping out of the top 10. Li Tianyang, utilizing his unconventional chopping style—which combines defensive play with aggressive attack—caused problems for Liang and came out on top in five games.
A qualified sparring partner should push the main players to their limits, exposing them to various difficulties during training sessions so they are better prepared for tough situations in official competitions. From this perspective, Li Tianyang is undoubtedly an outstanding sparring partner. Of course, a sparring partner can also have their day. Zhou Qihao, who previously served as a sparring partner for top players, is now competing as a main player at the World Team Championships this year, aiming for a world title.
Li Tianyang burst onto the scene at this year’s Taiyuan Regular Challenge. Before that event, hardly anyone knew him. He is a chopper who is also aggressive on offense. He had never appeared on the international stage before and had no notable performance in domestic events. Unlike most Chinese national team players who shine at youth events like the World Youth Championships or WTT Youth Series, Li’s best youth result was winning the men’s singles title at the 2024 National Junior Championships.
The young talent entered the national youth team in 2024 partly because of his chopping style. He joined the national senior team in 2025 and impressed during the 2025 China Table Tennis Super League, pushing both Lin Shidong and Xu Xin to five games in their matches—though he ultimately lost, he earned respect from opponents and spectators alike.
At the Taiyuan Regular Challenge, Li Tianyang participated thanks to a wild card, defeating Norihide Eida, Chen Yuanyuan, and Sakai Yukito in succession to reach the semifinals, before falling to eventual champion Wen Ruibo. His progress is clear and he is a highly energetic competitor. After the World Championships, the national team may consider giving him more international exposure. It remains to be seen whether Wang Hao, the head coach, will increase his responsibilities.