BEIJING,  (Reuters) – Men’s and women’s world singles  champions Wang Hao and Zhang Yining have both been knocked off  the top of the world table tennis rankings by younger Chinese  compatriots.

Zhang, the most successful female player of the past decade  with four gold medals from the Athens and Beijing Olympics, had  occupied the number one spot for all but two months since Jan.  2003.

Liu Shiwen, 18, took the number one spot on Sunday on the back of becoming the youngest singles champion at the annual World Cup last October, less than a year after entering the top 10.

Ma Long, 21, had maintained a position in the world top three since March last year and his victory at the tournament  of champions last month elevated him to the men’s top spot for  the first time.

China continues to dominate the sport with eight of the top  10 women and six of the men’s top 10 all coming from the  world’s most populous country.