WTT Almaty Doubles Lineup Announced: Fang Bo in Mixed Doubles, Japan Sends Attacking-Chopping Pair in Women's Doubles
The WTT Almaty regular challenge tournament has released its doubles lineup for men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. The event, scheduled for September 1-6, will see many associations focusing on athlete development, with top-ranked doubles players mostly absent from the competition. 
Top Seeds
All top seeds in the doubles events are Indian pairs. The men’s doubles top seed is the pairing of Takkar/Manash Shah, while the women’s doubles top seed is Chitale/Gorpad. The mixed doubles top seed is Manash Shah/Chitale. 
Men’s Doubles
Japan has entered three pairs in the men’s doubles. The pairing of Hamada Kazuki and Suzuki Kaito is the sixth seed, while the brother duo Yoshiyama Ryoichi/Yoshiyama Kazuki is the seventh seed. Notably, the pairing of Uta Yukiya and Togami Shunsuke, despite being the 13th seed, is a strong contender for the championship due to their impressive skill set. 
Women’s Doubles
The Taiwanese pair of Chien Tung-Chuan and Li Yu-Chun is the second seed. The duo has shown great chemistry, having won the Dusseldorf Challenger women’s doubles title in March. 
Japan’s approach to the women’s doubles is more focused on experimentation. Hina Hayata, who won both the singles and doubles titles at the WTT San Jose Star Challenge, is not competing in the doubles. Instead, the attacking player Nagisa Nagasaki is paired with the defensive player Hashimoto Honoka. 
This year, Japan has been considering Nagasaki’s potential in doubles. In the WTT Singapore Grand Slam in March, she partnered with Shin Yubin, who has strong doubles skills and won the bronze medal in the mixed doubles at the Paris Olympics, ultimately securing the women’s doubles silver medal. 
Additionally, Nagasaki has frequently partnered with Korean player Oh Junseong in events like the Chennai Star Challenge and Iguazu Star Challenge. Domestically, she often pairs with Kiihara Miyu. At the All-Japan Championships this year, she teamed up with Zhang Benhe to win the women’s doubles title. 
The seventh seed in women’s doubles is another Japanese pair, Kiihara Miyu/Hirano Miu. Although their combined strength is comparable to that of Nagasaki and Hashimoto, their attacking style makes their game more fluid compared to the attacking-chopping configuration. 
Mixed Doubles
In the mixed doubles, Hina Hayata continues to compete in two events. While she has entered the singles competition, she has opted out of the women’s doubles to partner with Togami Shunsuke in the mixed doubles. The duo won the mixed doubles title at the 2021 Asian Championships. The other Japanese pair in the mixed doubles is Yoshiyama Ryoichi/Koshio Haruna. 
Former world champion Fang Bo, representing the host country with a wildcard entry, has entered the men’s singles in all recent tournaments since his return. In this event, he will partner with Mirkadirova in the mixed doubles. 
The tournament will take place from September 1st to 6th. - Table Tennis Network, Almaty, Li Long Original 
