Full schedule is out:
Things to look out for:
1) Watershed moment for Liu Shiwen
In the previous internal trials (2017), Liu Shiwen topped the charts with 11 wins and zero losses. Can she replicate that miraculous success again this year? Particularly after her bitter loss to Hina Hayata recently. Did that harden or break her spirit.
2) Fate of the Penholders
Zhao Zihao and Xue Fei both performed well in phase 1 to qualify for phase 2, especially the former who placed first among his colleagues. How well will these two penholders, coupled with Xu Xin, do at the upcoming Marvellous 12?
3) Underdogs
Lin Gaoyuan was touted as the greatest dark horse in the 2017 trials, placing behind only Fan Zhendong. Who will replace him this year as the underdog?
4) Lin Gaoyuan or Liang Jingkun
Lin Gaoyuan has been groomed to replace the void left behind by Zhang Jike ever since the latter's injuries had caused him to take a backseat for quite some time. However, Liang Jingkun seemed to be performing equally as well as, or even better than, Lin Gaoyuan recently. Given that is the case, can either of them use the upcoming Marvellous 12 to prove that he is an indisputable core player of the men's team?
5) Sun Yingsha and Chen Xingtong
Among the new generation of Chinese female table tennis players, Wang Manyu, Chen Xingtong and Sun Yingsha have been hailed as the most promising. However, it seems that WMY has outperformed her other colleagues in 2018 as she was excused from participating in the initial selection round. Despite so, SYS and CXT have proven that they deserve the praises lavished upon them by emerging first and second place respectively in phase 1. Can they continue this winning streak in phase 2?
6) Fan Zhendong and Chen Meng
Fan Zhendong has always been seen as the next player to succeed Ma Long's dominance while Chen Meng is the best performing female player in the CNT recently. Will they be able to secure a WTTC Singles spot for themselves without having to rely on the coaches to grant them one?
7) Pimpled Style of Play
How will pimpled attackers He Zhuojia and Sun Mingyang and pimpled defender Wu Yang fare in Marvellous 12? Who will present the core players with the greatest challenge?
