Basic Information

• Name: Zhou Qihao
• Date of Birth: January 12, 1997
• Birthplace: Nancun Village, Longgui Street, Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
• Nationality: Chinese
• Height: 178 cm
• Sports Rank: International Master of Sports
• Playing Style: Right-handed shakehand grip, offensive playing style with powerful forehand attacks, smooth backhand fast rip transitions, solid defense, and varied spin serves

Career Journey

Early Years (2003-2012)

• 2003 (Age 6): Entered Zengcheng District Amateur Sports School to begin basic table tennis training
• 2008: Joined the Guangdong Provincial Team training camp at Ersha Training Base, completing the transition from amateur sports school to provincial professional team
• 2010: Won the men’s team championship at the National Youth Table Tennis Tournament in Hefei; awarded First-Class Athlete title in December
• 2011: Won multiple titles in ITTF Junior Circuit tournaments, including Hong Kong Open Men’s Singles Champion, India Open Men’s Singles Champion, and Asian Youth Championships Men’s Singles Champion
• 2012: At age 15, Zhou Qihao was officially selected for the Chinese National Table Tennis Team, entering the highest-level domestic training platform; awarded Master of Sports title by the State General Administration of Sport in February

National Team Period (2012-Present)

Zhou Qihao served as a primary sparring partner for main team members for many years. Despite defeating world champions like Ma Long and Fan Zhendong in internal selection matches on multiple occasions, he never secured a position in the core lineup. This high-intensity, low-profile role continued for nearly a decade.

Key Breakthroughs

• March 2017: Defeated Ma Long in the “Strongest 12” direct qualification tournament, gaining national attention for the first time
• May 2021: Won the men’s singles championship at the Direct WTT Grand Slam & World Table Tennis Championships Olympic Simulation Tournament, defeating Liang Jingkun, Ma Long, and Fan Zhendong consecutively
• September 2021: Won the men’s team gold medal at the 14th National Games with Guangdong Team
• October 2021: Won the Chinese Super League men’s team championship with Shandong Weiqiao
• November 2021: Partnered with Lin Gaoyuan to win two consecutive WTT Contender Slovenia men’s doubles titles
• July 2022: Awarded International Master of Sports title by the Chinese Table Tennis Association
• September 2022: Won the WTT Feeder Panagyurishte men’s singles championship
• November 2022: Partnered with Lin Gaoyuan to win the National Table Tennis Championships men’s doubles title
• June 2023: Defeated Dimitrij Ovtcharov 4-1 in the WTT Contender Lagos men’s singles final to claim the title
• October 2024: Won the Asian Table Tennis Championships men’s team gold medal with the Chinese team
• October 2025: Won the Asian Table Tennis Championships men’s team gold medal again with the Chinese team
• January 2026: Defeated Wen Ruibo 4-2 in the WTT Star Contender Doha men’s singles final, claiming his first WTT Star Contender singles title in his career
• May 2026: Won the World Team Table Tennis Championships in London with the Chinese team, lifting the Swaythling Cup and earning his first world championship title
• September 2026: Advanced to the men’s singles semifinals at the WTT China Smash, defeating Tomokazu Harimoto 3-0 in the round of 16 and reversing Jang Woojin 4-2 in the quarterfinals
• October 2026: Ranked 13th in the ITTF men’s singles world rankings with 2,830 points, achieving a career-high ranking and securing third place among Chinese male players

Technical Characteristics and Evaluation

Zhou Qihao is known as a hardworking athlete rather than a naturally gifted one. His solid technical foundation and exceptional backhand capabilities enable him to compete strongly against top-tier world players. As a long-time sparring partner for core team members, he has intimate knowledge of foreign players’ technical characteristics and is regarded as the Chinese men’s team’s “mobile tactical library.”

Chinese men’s team head coach Wang Hao publicly commented: “He has been a backbone of the team for many years. It’s not easy for young players to beat him—it’s like crossing a mountain.”

Overseas League

Zhou Qihao has confirmed his contract renewal with the French Hennebont club and will compete in the French Pro A League and Champions League during the 2026-2027 season while maintaining his national team status.

Major Honors

• 2026 World Team Table Tennis Championships Men’s Team Champion
• 2026 WTT Star Contender Doha Men’s Singles Champion
• 2024 & 2025 Asian Table Tennis Championships Men’s Team Champion
• 2021 Direct WTT Grand Slam & World Table Tennis Championships Men’s Singles Champion
• 2021 14th National Games Table Tennis Men’s Team Champion
• 2021 & 2022 Chinese Super League Men’s Team Champion
• Multiple WTT tournament men’s singles and men’s doubles championships

Personal Traits

In public interviews, Zhou Qihao stated: “I’m not a naturally gifted athlete; I’m a hardworking one.” It took him 23 years from entering the sports school at age 6 to winning a world championship at 29. He shares the same birth year, hometown, and starting point with Fan Zhendong, but their paths diverged significantly. While Fan Zhendong became world number one in his early twenties, Zhou Qihao accumulated experience over nearly 14 years in the national team in a non-core role, finally reaching his peak in the latter half of his career.