Major League Table Tennis’ top Season 3 players aren’t the names you would expect. Some are rookies, others are improved players, and a few crack the top ten due to a few things they do very well. But these players have shaped not just their teams, but MLTT as a whole so far. Here are the 10 top players so far in Season 3. 

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1. Kang Dong-Soo: Portland Paddlers

SPINDEX: 2788

Singles: 14-4 (77.8%)

Golden Game: 18-18

Power Rating: 784.1

The Portland Paddlers made a massive investment in Kang Dong-Soo, drafting the Korean doubles champion in the second round of the 2025 MLTT Draft. It’s hard to imagine that Christian Lillieroos expected his rookie to contribute like this. When matches seemed lost — especially against the Los Angeles Spinners on Friday — Kang would come in, decimate his opponent, and turn the momentum. His 8-1 singles record in Week 3, as well as his Player of the Week honors for Week 3, further cement him as the best player in MLTT at this moment.

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2. Koki Niwa: New York Slice

SPINDEX: 2815

Singles: 6-3 (66.7%)
Doubles: 4-2 (66.7%)

Golden Game: 12-10

Power Rating: 772.2

Koki Niwa is not a mere rookie. He’s one of the most decorated table tennis players in Japanese history. He’s a two-time Olympic medalist. He retired from international competition because he wanted to “pass the torch” to younger Japanese players, many of whom looked up to him. Now, he’s in MLTT. And he willed the Slice to a 2-1 record in Week 2, using the quickness and intensity that make him one of the best chop blockers in the world. Singles? Doubles? He’s dominated both events at the MLTT level, and he did so with style. 

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3. Nandan Naresh: Texas Smash 

SPINDEX: 2673

Singles: 2-1

Golden Game: 12-10 

Power Rating: 766

When he wasn’t on the bench receiving Coach Jorg Bitzigeio’s orders over the phone,  Nandan Naresh took the table and dominated. Though his sample size may be smaller than most on this list, he’s already proven his Golden Game chops with an 8-5 record and a Golden Game victory under his belt. 

4. Yuya Oshima: Atlanta Blazers

SPINDEX: 2806

Singles: 7-2 (77.8%)

Golden Game: 9-13

Power Rating: 764.4

Expectations are always very high for a No. 1 overall pick, but Yuya Oshima has lived up to every one of them. One-on-one, it’s very hard to beat him. Enzo Angles and Koki Niwa learned that the hard way during Week 2, when he finished with a 7-2 singles record in his debut weekend. His time with the T. League gave him plenty of experience with team table tennis, which helps any rookie adjust to the much different ruleset of MLTT. And though the first few matches are difficult for any expansion team, coach Suzi Battison has herself an ace that can take on even the toughest singles assignments.

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5. Lubomir Pistej: Los Angeles Spinners

SPINDEX: 2782

Singles: 5-4 (55.6%)

Doubles: 8-1 (88.9%)

Golden Game: 9-11

Power Rating: 756.7

“The Pistol” fired its first bullet in Week 3, and it absolutely landed a bullseye. The duo of Lubomir Pistej and Adi Sareen went 8-1 over the course of their doubles games, suggesting that many of the Spinners’ wins could come from doubles. And in singles, he held his own, too, with a 5-4 record against many very difficult opponents.

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6. Jens Lundqvist: Portland Paddlers

SPINDEX: 2720

Singles: 4-2 (66.7%)

Golden Game: 12-10 

Power Rating: 756.4

Jens Lundqvist did not play during his team’s Week 3 homestand, but he was perhaps their Most Valuable Player during Week 1. The Paddlers won their first game of the season thanks to an impressive Golden Game performance from Lundqvist, and he put up a 4-2 singles record that weekend. In addition, Coach Christian Lillieroos recognizes Lundqvist as a veteran leader that his players look up to, and they can grow from him.

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7. Guodong Liang: Texas Smash

SPINDEX: 2656

Singles: 3-0 (100%)

Doubles: 4-2 (66.7%)

Golden Game: 8-8 

Power Rating: 755.2

Acting coach David McBeath made a change during the first game in Week 1: Instead of partnering with Hiromitu Kasahara for doubles, he would ask Guodong Liang, who has won a gold medal in Junior Boys' Doubles, to compete. It was certainly the right call. The Smash went 6-3 whenever Liang took the table during doubles, good enough for a 66.7% winning percentage. He may be more versatile than MLTT realizes, though. Liang won all three of the singles games he played in.

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8. Hiromitsu Kasahara: Texas Smash

SPINDEX: 2733

Singles: 6-3 (66.7%)

Doubles: 4-2 (66.7%)

Golden Game: 10-10 

Power Rating: 747.2

Hiromitsu Kasahara flaunted his electric playstyle in all of his singles games during Week 1. He went 6-3 in those games and maintained a steady 10-10 Golden Game record. He proved his might in doubles as well, going 4-2 whenever he took the table there. He’s been a key reason for the Smash’s dominance over the last two years, and he’s shown no signs of slowing down.

9. Emmanuel Lebesson: Chicago Wind

SPINDEX: 2759

Singles: 5-4 (55.6%)

Golden Game: 10-7 

Power Rating: 745.8

It should be no surprise that Emmanuel Lebesson played very well in his first weekend of Season 3. Often closing out matches before the Golden Game, Lebesson took on his opposing team’s best players and went 5-4 in his Week 3 singles. He was the Wind’s source of hope for Golden Games as well, going 10-7 underneath the brightest lights all weekend. Lebesson entered this season as one of MLTT’s biggest stars, and that star is already shining for his team.

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10. Aditya Sareen: Los Angeles Spinners

SPINDEX: 2636

Doubles: 8-1 (88.9%)

Golden Game: 4-8

Power Rating: 744.9

Aditya Sareen cracks the Top 10 of this list despite holding a 4-8 Golden Game record and not having played in a singles match this season. He’s here because he and Lubomir Pistej might just be the best doubles duo in table tennis this season. Against three of the better teams in the sport, Sareen and Pistej won eight of their nine doubles games at the table together. Sareen’s doubles prominence is no secret; he was the runner-up in both Men’s and Mixed Doubles at the 2025 Oceania Champions. If that doubles play continues, the Spinners have a great season ahead of them.

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