Already missing Fan Zhendong for this year’s Asian Games, China’s men will have to defend their titles without the services of Liang Jingkun too.

The national team vice-captain withdrew from trials for the multi-sport event through injury, having previously opted out of the WTT United States Smash event, which starts in Los Angeles on Friday.

China coaches released the squads for September’s competition in Japan on Thursday, and said world No 10 Xiang Peng had been handed the final spot after winning a selection tournament.

“Because the World Championships took a massive physical and mental toll on him [Liang], leaving him exhausted, and combined with the recurrence of an old injury, [Liang] plans to use the break to treat and rehabilitate his injuries and plan his future tournament schedule,” Wang Hao, the men’s head coach, said.

Wang Chuqin, Lin Shidong, and Wen Ruibo secured direct spots on the men’s team based on their singles world rankings, while Huang Youzheng was selected via his combined individual rankings in doubles and mixed doubles.

Liang’s absence drew widespread attention, coming just a day after World Table Tennis confirmed his withdrawal from the second major of the season.