Altshuler and Zu Rise to World No. 1 Ahead of Para World Championships

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Back-to-back international titles have propelled Sam Altshuler and Mingyu Zu to the top of the world rankings in Class 14 mixed doubles.

The U.S. duo won gold at both the ITTF World Para Challenger Spokane and ITTF World Para Elite Spokane, defeating China’s Keli Liao and Yucheng Jin in the finals of both events. The two victories added 900 ranking points and moved Altshuler and Zu to World No. 1.

Their latest title came in dramatic fashion, as the Americans rallied from 10-8 down in the deciding game to win 3-2 (11-7, 5-11, 14-16, 11-7, 13-11).

The results give Altshuler and Zu a significant seeding boost heading into the ITTF World Para Table Tennis Championships, Nov. 13-19 in Pattaya, Thailand.

Altshuler, 17, also captured his first World Para Challenger singles title in Spokane, defeating world No. 3 Simion Bobi of Romania in the Class 6 final. Zu, the current world No. 5 in Class 8, added a bronze medal in singles at the Challenger event.

The U.S. also found success in men’s doubles, with Tahl Leibovitz and Logan Watson claiming the Class 14-18 title at the Elite event. The pair defeated Brazil’s Gabriel De Oliveira and Luiz Guarnieri in the final to add another gold medal for the Americans.

The pair will join a strong U.S. contingent at the World Championships, alongside Jenson Van Emburgh, Ian Seidenfeld and Tahl Leibovitz.

Van Emburgh, Seidenfeld and Leibovitz each earned direct qualification after winning their respective singles classes at the 2025 ITTF Pan American Para Championships.

With Altshuler and Zu now ranked No. 1 in mixed doubles, the U.S. heads to Thailand with momentum across multiple classifications.