(by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT)

The big international event this week is the WTT Youth Contender Series event in Helsingborg, Sweden.  TeamUSA has sent eight of our top juniors.  Those juniors are  (from left to right in the photo) Isabella Xu, Hannah Song, Tashiya Piyadasa, Lucy Chen, Sally Moyland, Darryl Tsao, Sid Naresh, Nandan Naresh , and (along with coach and 3-time US Champion Timothy Wang).  Helsingborg features 12 events (five age categories with 10 singles events and two mixed doubles events).

Early action has focused on the U19 Mixed Doubles, U15 Mixed Doubles, U17 Singles (boys & girls), and U13 Singles (boys & girls).  USA’s Tashiya Piyadasa reached the Semifinals of U13 Girls Singles (Japan’s Yuan Ito won the event on Friday).    TeamUSA didn’t have an entrant in U13 Boys Singles – it was Thailand’s Nimit Soiphuang that won that event.  USA’s Sally Moyland made a deep run in the U17 Girls Singles event, falling to the event’s eventual winner, Mao Takamori of Japan, 3-2 in the Quarterfinals.  USA’s Lichen Chen also qualified, winning her first match but falling in the Round of 16 to Japan’s Yuna Ojio.  Nandan Naresh and Daryl Tsao each qualified for the draw in Boy’s U17 Singles.  Nandan fell to Japan’s Tomoki Omoda 3-2 in the Round of 32 while Tsao went one round further before falling to Nathan Lam of France.  Puerto Rico’s Yadier Lopez was also 1-1 in the event, falling to Samuel Palusek of the Slovak Republic in the Round of 32.

Tashiya Piyadasa joined Ronde Brent of the Netherlands in U15 Mixed Doubles.  They won their opening match but fell to the tournament’s second seeds (Hsieh and Hodina).  US players pushed two teams into the Quarterfinals in U19 Mixed Doubles.  Lichen Chen paired with Ignas Sisanovas of Lithuania – making a deep run before falling to the Romanian pair of Singeorzan and Movileanu.  The all-US pair of Darryl Tsao and Sally Moyland fell in their Quarterfinal match against Romania’s Istrate and France’s Arlia.

Lots of action is on tap for the weekend, culminating in Singles finals on Sunday.

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