World Top 30 Men's Equipment Setups, May 2026

Originally published 2026-05-14 · Translated & republished with permission

Updated monthly. Beyond the current world top 30, I also add a few notable players when appropriate, and try to include photos of more players’ bats. (For the freak blades appearing here, I tend not to comment.) Any discrepancies are purely discrepancies.

The London Worlds has come to a close. There is actually much to ponder — for example, the respective advantages of inner and outer blades in such big matches, and possible problems. But I cannot fully digest the match and the thinking yet. I can only weave the reflections into everyday articles. These two weeks are busy. From the end of the month, I will roll out various interesting reviews — for example the Joola Hugo’s latest rubber, the custom D09c, custom K3 Pro, the Infinity, and so on.

Fan Zhendong: Fan Zhendong ALC custom, NEO blue national Hurricane, D09c. Above is Xiaopang’s regular setup. But campaigning in the Bundesliga and Champions League, he sometimes switches to D09c on both sides, by the different tables and balls. I really need to review the China SP custom version of D09c soon, to better understand player technique and this rubber. To better understand players’ matches, and taking the chance here, I want to buy a Fan Zhendong ALC custom. Players selling can contact me in the back office.

1. Wang Chuqin: Q968, NEO blue national Hurricane, Hurricane 8-20 special. Inner blades are generally easier to control than outer below medium power. Paired with Hurricane on both sides, that is control taken to the end. But playing it is inevitably a bit tiring.

2. Moregard: Cybershape 6 CWT (gold label), HELIX Platinum XH, HELIX Platinum XH. At the same labeled hardness, the HELIX Platinum feels harder than the DNA Platinum. The DNA seems more transparent, easier to ramp up speed. The HELIX has better friction and spin.

3. Tomokazu Harimoto: Harimoto SALC, ZYRE-03, ZYRE-03. This setup lets you ignore error-tolerance and ramp up speed and change placement as you please. My Miao has the same structure as the Harimoto SA. It too can lack bottom power at far table. But in the vast majority of cases, we play close-to-mid table — it is enough.

4. Felix Lebrun: Tibhar Felix, K3 Pro special, K3 Pro special. The custom version is tougher and harder. After all, the retail K3 Pro, though it ramps speed nicely and is easy to play, has average after-power.

5. Lin Shidong: outer ALC custom, NEO blue national Hurricane, D09c. Pick a classic easy-to-play outer ALC or inner KLC, then blue national Hurricane on the forehand and D09c on the backhand — it will not be hard to play any way.

6. Hugo Calderano: Joola Hugo ARY-C, Trinity Charged on both sides. Hugo’s blade, an inner structure, is said to launch on July 21. I got the 57.5-degree rubber; the review comes at month’s end.

7. Lin Yun-Ju: Super Viscaria, Z03, D05. The Z03 still works better glued on these outer blades. By the way, the Mozaiti blade everyone looked forward to, same structure as the Super Vis, is just about ready to ship.

8. Sora Matsushima: Fan Zhendong ALC custom, D09c, ZYRE-03. The retail Fan A is generally seen as a candy blade — very easy to play, easy to land, mellow, but average absolute bottom power. That is why I want to buy a Fan A custom to feel it.

9. Jang Woojin: W968, NEO blue national Hurricane, K3 Pro.

10. Qiu Dang: Viscaria custom, D09c, D09c. For retail, D09c paired with an outer fiber blade like the Vis is decent. It can appropriately make up for the support.

11. Wen Ruibo: Luma hybrid carbon, NEO blue national Hurricane, DNA Hybrid XH. The Luma is on the solid side among outer green-aramid-carbon blades.

12. Alexis Lebrun: Tibhar Alexis, K3 Pro special, K3 Pro special.

13. Benedikt Duda: Duda AFC, V>15 Sticky on both sides. Duda’s blade, though the fiber is Quartet, has a feel more toward inner. Quite mellow.

14. Darko Jorgic: Tibhar Darko Carbon (English name Infinity Carbon, a heterogeneous structure), K2, MX-P Infinity. I already have the rubber sample. The blade, let us wait and see.

15. Shunsuke Togami: Fan Zhendong ALC custom, ZYRE-03, ZYRE-03. Togami says this blade is very stable in topspin rallies.

16. Liang Jingkun: Liang Jingkun ADC custom, NEO blue national Hurricane, NEO orange national Hurricane.

17. Lind: Donic Lind Carbon, Bluegrip C2 special, Bluegrip C2 special. The Harimoto SALC, Lind Carbon and Miao are all similar structures, focused on easy control, easy arc-making, high error-tolerance, and easy use of any technique.

18. Xiang Peng: W968, NEO blue national Hurricane, Jinghai C55.0. At last month’s Chongqing Champions event, Xiang Peng’s backhand went from Hurricane back to the Jinghai C55.0. I did not see him play at the Worlds.

19. Franziska: Franziska ZLC, D05 or Z03, D09c.

20. Kedun: Donic Nailiwen, Bluestar A1, Bluestar A1. A named blade poised to launch.

21. Simon Gauzy: Andro Gauzy, NUZN 55, NUZN 55. At its core, it is still a VCI, an inner green-aramid carbon.

22. An Jaehyun: W968, NEO blue national Hurricane, D09c. The 968 really is okay, especially suited to forehand maniacs.

23. Zhou Qihao: Double Fish PROJECT Z, NEO blue national Hurricane, D09c. A Korean-made outer green-aramid carbon.

24. Ovtcharov: Ovtcharov ALC (though the structure should be Vis), D09c, ZYRE-03.

25. Chen Yuanyu: gold-label Viscaria, NEO blue national Hurricane, K3 Pro.

26. Boleite: Andro ZCO, NUZN 55, NUZN 55. Using an outer-ZLC structure is rare now. His game is mostly bread-and-butter balls.

27. Kanak Jha: Super Vis, ZYRE-03, ZYRE-03. He abandoned the Super Vis for the Boll ALC, then went back to the Super Vis.

28. Puka: Tibhar Alexis, K3 Pro on both sides. You know, this outer green-aramid-carbon Alexis is quite popular among Tibhar’s signed players.

29. Yukiya Uda: inner ZLC custom (G-FLESS handle), D09c, ZYRE-03. The Japanese team players seem to broadly believe the Z03 helps them get good results.

30. Oh Junsung: Tibhar outer green-aramid carbon special, K3 Pro, K3 Pro.

That covers the world top 30. Below are some notable players, in no particular order.

Hiroto Shinozuka: Boll ALC custom, D09c, Z03. This Japanese men’s team has gone almost entirely to Z03 on the backhand. Their philosophy clearly differs from ours.

Kallberg: Boll ALC, D09c, D09c. Is the Boll A really that easy to play?

Groth: Boll ALC, D09c, D09c. His game is quite skillful, with good placement awareness. This setup also caters to that controlled style and rhythm.

Aruna: GEWO Aruna Hinoki Carbon OFF, Venom 53, Venom 53 green. The Venom 53 has a lot of power, but the Venom 48 is more like T05.

Omar: Butterfly Omar, D09c, D05. Forehand rubber from D05 to D09c. This Omar is also a custom, same structure as the Omar Limited.

Cho Daeseong: W968, NEO blue national Hurricane, NEO orange national Hurricane.

Robles: Tibhar Alexis, K3 Pro special, K3 special.

Yuta Tanaka: Ovtcharov ALC, ZYRE-03, ZYRE-03. From D09c on both sides to Z03 on both sides — this trend is a bit scary.

Mizuki Oikawa: Inspiration hybrid carbon, DNA Golden Dragon 57.5, DNA Platinum XH.

Lim Jonghoon: Butterfly Lim Jonghoon custom, D09c, D09c.

Lee Jeongsik: Yinhe 520X, NEO blue national Hurricane, NEO orange national Hurricane. The Yinhe today, whether outer or inner, has earned national-level approval. The Heima-tuned KLC’s rebuy rate is very high too.

Wong Chun Ting: Zhang Jike ALC custom, D09c, D09c. For balanced players, the same rubber on both sides is no problem.

Pitchford: Zhou Qihao S-ALC 90, Hurricane ZGR, Hurricane ZGR. Injured.

Maharu Yoshimura: outer SALC custom, ZYRE-03 on both sides.

Karlsson: Korbel SK7, D09c, Z03. Another backhand Z03.

Koki Niwa: Koki Niwa ZC, V>22, V>15 Sticky. That is right — the V15s really is steady on the backhand.

Falck: Falck Carbon, Rakza PO short pips, Rakza X.

Yuya Oshima: SYNTELIAC VCI OFF, NUZN 55, Rasanter C53. The inner green-aramid-carbon VCI has become, after the Ligna, the blade used by the most Andro-signed players. My own Moyu is quite good too.

Kenta Matsudaira: MK Carbon, MK Pro, K3 Pro. He is just used to backhand rubber harder than forehand.

Freitas: Freitas ALC, D09c, ZYRE-03.

Alamiyan: Viscaria, D05, D05. The Alamiyan brothers use the same setup.

Eduard Ionescu: Tibhar outer green-aramid carbon special, K3 special, K3 Pro.

Yuto Muramatsu: Gangli Nanzi, MK Pro, Speedy Soft.

Huang Youzheng: Fan Zhendong SALC, NEO blue national Hurricane, NEO orange national Hurricane.

Yuan Licen: LOKI Yuan Licen custom, NEO blue national Hurricane, NEO orange national Hurricane.

Xu Yingbin: Carbon 190, NEO blue national Hurricane, DNA Hybrid 55. Backhand from Golden Dragon 57.5 to Hybrid 55.

Geraldo: Tomokazu Harimoto SALC, D05, D09c. This kid is also a gear addict — not long ago a Super Vis with Z03 on both sides. At the Tunisia Challenge, he switched to the Harimoto SA with D09c on the backhand.

Jarvis: Cybershape 6 CWT, DNA Hybrid XH on both sides.