The draw for the 2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships (WTTC) Finals was conducted in Durban on Thursday, establishing the potential battles on the path to the summit.

Present at the draw ceremony, men's singles defending champion, Fan Zhendong, was granted a first-round bye. Wong Chun Ting of Hong Kong, China, and Germany's Qiu Dang could be Fan's potential rivals on the route to what might be a rematch of the previous final against Swedish whizzkid, Truls Moregard, in the quarterfinals.

Fan's compatriot, Liang Jingkun, was drawn in the same quarter with world No. 4 Tomokazu Harimoto of Japan. Liang's chief competition on his way to the quarterfinal stage against Harimoto could come from French teen prodigy, Alexis Lebrun who previously upset Fan in the World Table Tennis (WTT) Champions Macao quarterfinals, or Slovenian Darko Jorgic.

Drawn into the bottom half are China's titan, Ma Long, and rising star Wang Chuqin. They might be heading towards a semifinal face-off. However, formidable opponents such as Lim Jong-hoon of South Korea, Lin Yun-Ju of Chinese Taipei, and Brazilian virtuoso, Hugo Calderano, present significant challenges to the Chinese duo's hopes of securing their last four berths.

In her pursuit of her inaugural world championship in the women's singles, China's top-ranked Sun Yingsha might face resistance from French stalwart, Yuan Jianan, or German defender, Han Ying, in her quarter.

Sun's compatriot, Wang Yidi, faces a potentially tough second quarter. She might clash with Japanese competitors Hina Hayata, Miu Hirano, or Miyu Nagasaki on her path to the semifinals.

Olympic champion Chen Meng and defending champion Wang Manyu were placed in the bottom half, but before their possible semifinal face-off, they must overcome Mima Ito of Japan and Cheng I-Ching of Chinese Taipei.

The draw for the doubles events followed the singles. Fan Zhendong/Wang Chuqin and Lin Gaoyuan/Lin Shidong represent China in the men's doubles. Meanwhile, defending champions Sun Yingsha/Wang Manyu, alongside Chen Meng/Wang Yidi, aim to help China retain the women's doubles title.

The Chinese mixed doubles teams at the Durban Table Tennis Worlds will include world No. 1 Wang Chuqin/Sun Yingsha and upcoming talents Lin Shidong/Kuai Man.

The table tennis worlds will be held at the Durban International Convention Center from May 20 to 28. This event marks the much-anticipated return of table tennis to Africa after an 84-year absence.