The title race at WTT Star Contender Doha 2026 has been turned upside down. In a vintage display of power and grit, German veteran Dimitrij Ovtcharov pulled off the upset of the tournament, knocking out world number one and top seed Lin Shidong in a high-octane Round of 16 clash.
Rolling back the years at the Lusail Sports Arena, the 37-year-old Ovtcharov dismantled the Chinese phenom with a devastating 3-1 victory (11-9, 11-9, 3-11, 11-9).
The 37-year-old looked every bit the player who rose to World No.1 in the pinnacle of his career back in 2018, dictating the pace of play right from the off as he looked to put Lin firmly on the backfoot.
Fighting his way back up the standings following a series of injury setbacks over the past couple of seasons, Ovtcharov has been building momentum in recent months, with impressive outings on the WTT Champions stage. But yesterday he’d take home his biggest statement win in a while, restricting top seed Lin to just a single game.
Lin Shidong’s exit is a significant shake up to the title race, but he wasn’t the only high-profile player to hit a roadblock, with No.3 seed Tomokazu Harimoto also ruing his luck. Despite eight Match Point saves yesterday, Harimoto would ultimately fall short, losing out to qualifier Xue Fei by the smallest of margins (11-3, 5-11, 11-6, 12-14, 11-9).
Later in the day, Ovtcharov added another prominent name to his list of victories. Overturning an early deficit, Dima outlasted WTT Champions Doha 2026 runner-up Jang Woojin, leaving no stone unturned to get the job
done in five (9-11, 12-10, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7).
Meanwhile, the Women’s Singles draw also lost its top-seeded entry as Kuai Man left the table in defeat.
Facing off against the defensive brick wall that is Hitomi Sato, the match opened in jaw-dropping fashion as Sato locked up the opening nine points, leaving Kuai with nothing to show for. The World No 4 would produce a staggering response, winning the following 10 points to set up Game Point at 9-10, but she’d fail to capitalise.
With that rollercoaster of a first game eventually going Sato’s way, the Japanese defender’s confidence received a welcome boost, and she only got better as the match progressed.
After three games the debate was settled, Sato had staged the upset (13-11, 11-9, 11-7), a result that will be felt up and down the draw.
The Japanese superstar held aloft the WTT Finals Hong Kong 2025 winner’s trophy just last month, reaffirming his status as one of the sport’s all-time elite players.
This high-stakes tournament began last Tuesday at the Lusail Sports Arena and featured 170 players competing for a $300,000 prize purse.
It followed immediately after the WTT Champions Doha, keeping the momentum of elite competition alive in Qatar. As the Star Contender event wraps up, the focus shifts to the next generation of talent.