Sora Matsushima (Photo WTT)
Sora Matsushima has become the first Japanese player to reach the men’s singles World No.1 in 46 years, rising to the ITTF Table Tennis World Rankings summit in Week 41 of the season.
The last time a Japanese player stood atop the Men’s Singles rankings was back in 1980, when Seiji Ono topped the standings.
The landmark achievement comes just 92 days on from Matsushima’s record-breaking victory at United States Smash 2026, where he became the youngest-ever WTT Grand Smash champion, aged just 19 years and 67 days old at the time.
Smashing records left, right and centre in 2026, Matsushima replaces Wang Chuqin in the World No.1 spot, the latter player having held down the position for 55 weeks on the bounce, a run dating back to 15 September 2025.
Even from his early days on the WTT Youth Series, it didn’t take long for the world to sit up and take notice, with Matsushima clinching the U15 Boys’ Singles title on his debut at WTT Youth Contender Linz 2022. Overall, he’d go on to add seven more Youth Series titles across multiple age disciplines, before laying claim to his first senior title at WTT Contender Taiyuan 2025, just 16 days shy of his 18th birthday.
Seven months later, Matsushima would hold aloft a WTT Champions winner’s trophy in Frankfurt, underlining his credentials as one of the sport’s elite players. The Japanese superstar has taken his game to even greater heights in 2026, becoming the first-ever Japanese player to win a WTT Grand Smash singles title at United States Smash.
Making his first WTT appearance in the youth ranks just four years ago, Matsushima has achieved something no other player has managed, completing the journey from the proving grounds of the WTT Youth Series, all the way to World No.1.
Currently in action at the closing WTT Grand Smash event of the season, China Smash all eyes are fixed on the new World No.1. It is now Sora Matsushima calling the shots at the top, as the hunter becomes the hunted.
