China has largely been absent from international sport of late due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a number of the country's top table tennis players are set to compete at Lusail Sports Arena in the Qatari capital. 

The Middle East hub is set to feature two tiers of the new WTT event structure.

A WTT Contender tournament is scheduled for March 3 to 6 and will be followed by a WTT Star Contender event from March 8 to 13.

Among those headlining include men's world number two Xu and women's world number two Sun, who won the WTT promotional showcase in Macau. 

The men's contest is also set to feature Japan's Tomokazu Harimoto, Brazil's Hugo Calderano and Lin Yun-ju of Chinese Taipei, all of whom sit in the world top 10. 

Sweden's world number eight Mattias Falck is also expected to join the men's draw for the WTT Star Contender event. 

In the women's competition, Sun will be challenged by compatriot Liu Shiwen, Mima Ito of Japan and Cheng I-ching of Chinese Taipei. 

Japanese stars Kasumi Ishikawa and Miu Hirano have also been announced in the WTT Star Contender line-up. 

South Koreans Lee Sang-su and Jeoung Young-sik, men's world silver medallists in 2017, headline the doubles entries.

The WTT events in the Middle East hub were brought forward after the eventual cancellation of the multiple-times-postponed 2020 World Table Tennis Championships in Busan in South Korea.

With many players set to compete for the first time in months, the WTT has increased the prize money for the tournaments. 

A total prize money pool of $600,000 (£440,000/€490,000) will see $200,000 (£150,000/€160,000) allocated to the WTT Contender and $400,000 (£290,000/€330,000) on offer at the WTT Star Contender.

The first WTT event took place in Macau in November, acting as a promotional showcase for the new series before its official launch this year. 

China is set to house the second hub, before a third in Europe.

The inaugural Grand Smash, the top tier of new WTT competitions, will feature at the hub in China. 

WTT - the International Table Tennis Federation's new commercial vehicle - aims to modernise the commercial business activities of table tennis, with the promise of increased prize money and a more modern experience for fans, broadcasters, players and hosts.

Its implementation has been criticised by some national governing bodies, however, who feel that the World Championships and Olympics are being downgraded.