2015 Hyson Chicago International Table Tennis Open Stirs Excitement for Table Tennis in the Midwest
by Barbara Wei
Engelbert Solis, brain child of the 2015 Hyson Chicago International Table Tennis Open, is no stranger to building and growing table tennis in the US. His company, Edgeball Table Tennis, not only sells table tennis equipment, but also sets up clubs around the US. With the help of Midwest table tennis tournament directing veterans, Engelbert and his team have put together an event that cannot be missed. The 2015 Hyson Chicago International Table Tennis Open will feature world class players and include a “Friday Night Warm-Up” festival where the players, fans and community members can watch live entertainment (cheerleaders, magicians, musical artists), enjoy festival games with a live DJ and win great prizes. Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet and play with the international super stars Panagiotis Gionis (WR #22 Greece), Bastian Steger (WR #25, Germany), Jean-Michel Saive (WR #127, Belarus), Lucjan Blaszczyk (Poland), competing in the event.
Panagiotis Gionis
The 2015 Hyson Chicago International Table Tennis Open will take place on August 8-9th in Libertyville, IL, 45 minutes outside of downtown Chicago in a 100,000 sq. foot facility with ~50 Butterfly tables. Feature courts will be live streamed with USATT hall of famer Danny Seemiller at the mic. With $12,500 in prize money across 28 events, the 2015 Hyson Chicago International Table Tennis Open will offer an exciting experience for table tennis enthusiasts of all levels.
The past two years have put Midwest table tennis events on the map, as the region has hosted events that rival or exceed those held on the coasts. The 2015 Hyson Chicago International Table Tennis Open joins other prestigious Midwest events such as the Aurora Open (Aurora, IL), Arnold Classic (Columbus, OH), America’s Team Championships (Rockford, IL) and the Badger Open (Milwaukee, WI) as a four-star USATT sanctioned event designed to be over-the-top and take table tennis competition to the next level.
Table tennis is on the rise in the US, and it shows no signs of slowing down in America’s heartland. To register and take part in the 2015 Hyson Chicago International Table Tennis Tournament, please contact edgeballopen@yahoo.com or sign up online at ominpong.com. Entries will be accepted until July 27th, 2015.
Bastian Steger
