Sponsored by Mecano Sports, presented by Caliente.mx, sanctioned by ICTTF
(by Larry Hodges, photo by Larry Hodges: “Under 23 Sandpaper Champion Ethan Walsh”)
Complete Results of the 2024 Ping Pong World Cup
How old are you, where are you from, and what club or league do you play at?
My name is Ethan Walsh and I am 21 years old. I have lived in a town in England called Stevenage from when I was born in 2002. It is 20 minutes away from London.
Growing up, I represented Batts TTC in Harlow and I played for them from the age of around 10 years old. This ranged from Cadet British League all the way up to Men’s Premier British League. I am not playing in any team currently so I train local to Stevenage and still go to Batts TTC occasionally in training for Ping Pong.
How did you get into sandpaper table tennis?
So, I have been involved in Sandpaper Table Tennis for many years, from the 1st Ping Pong World Championships, I was there as a fan at the Alexandra Palace where my dad Jimmy Walsh played. Our family have been involved in Ping Pong right from the start and when I was 17 years old, I competed in my first World Championships of Ping Pong where I managed to make the final 16 on my first appearance. I then went on to participate in the Ping Pong Masters when I was 18 years old, where I made the final 16 again, losing to Andrew Baggaley.
How did you prepare for the tournament?
I knew going into this Ping Pong World Cup that I wanted to make a statement as I have always known I had the ability to compete with the best. So, going into this tournament, my preparation was the best it has been for a Sandpaper event. I trained for around 2 to 3 months as I had taken a step back from original [sponge] table tennis to keep focus on this event. My preparation included on the table training, 3 to 4 times per week and off the table fitness training also.
What is the biggest strength of your sandpaper game?
My biggest strength when it comes to Sandpaper would definitely be my offensive style. I would say that I hit the ball as hard as anyone in the world on both wings and particularly my backhand. It gives me a big advantage going into big matches as a lot of players have this as their weaker shot but this is my main strength.
Tell us about your incredible win over Alexander “Flash” Flemming.
Going into the match against “The Flash,” I knew I was playing well. I won my group very comfortably, beating good players along the way and players that can definitely cause danger. I knew going into the match with “The Flash” that if I could continue this level, I would have a big chance so I had to believe in myself. The 1st set was crucial for me, winning 15-14 was so important as if this had gone the other way, I may not have had the confidence I had going into the 2nd set. We have a running joke when I train, particularly with my brother, that when I make a good start and get confidence in a set that I become almost “unbeatable,” this came into play as in the 2nd set I wasn’t just keeping the ball on the table but every point I was making point-winning shots and it went all the way like that until 13-0. I think “The Flash” was a bit in shock at how the match was going and I am not sure he has ever been in a situation like this throughout his Sandpaper career. For me, I had to keep my concentration at all points, even at 13-0, you can never write “The Flash” off as he has been so amazing over so many years. Growing up, I had watched him and Andrew Baggaley play and particularly at the last Alexandra Palace Final, I remember thinking that these two players were so far apart from the rest so to be able to compete and manage to beat “The Flash” is a great feeling and gives me lots of belief for future tournaments.
Tell us about your biggest matches in Under 23.
The U23 tournament was an interesting one for me, I started off in the U23 event and lost my first match of the day which was a big blow. I had gone into this event believing I was the number one U23 in the World so when I lost my first match, I had to try and regain focus and belief in myself to go on. After this match I am not sure I dropped a set the whole event so I definitely managed to get back on track and show my level. [Note – he lost one other game in the preliminary round robin, and zero games in the single elimination state.]
My quarterfinal match was very important for me, I played against Ying Yuyue from China who was number 1 seed in this event. [Ying would win Women’s Sandpaper Singles.] Stylistically this was tricky for me as the pace was varied and she was a smart player. Once I got through this match 2-0, I had lots of confidence that I would go on to win this event as I could feel my level improving as the day went on. Moving into the final, I played a very strong player, Adam Vitasek, who also had a very strong tournament. We had already played in the group stage of the U23 event and I had won 2-0 in that match. I knew this would be an even harder match as he had a feel for my style. The final was different from when we played in the group stage, he varied the pace more and had success doing this. In the 2nd set I came from a long way down and I was very relieved to fight and take the match 2-0.
I will definitely be back to defend my U23 title and I am sure the competition will increase even more next year.
Tell us about your sponge table tennis – or are you fulltime sandpaper? Do you play professionally or recreationally, or somewhere in between?
Of course, as with every player, I started as a sponge player only. I started playing table tennis at the age of four. I am a 5-time national champion in sponge, all the way from U11 up until U18. I have represented England on multiple occasions in European Championships as a Cadet and Junior so I felt my table tennis career has also been very successful, from the ages of 13-18, although I had school, etc. I would class those years as a professional career as I would train every day, compete every weekend, and go to international events regularly.
Since moving out of U18s, I carried on with sponge table tennis occasionally but deep down I was always hoping that Ping Pong, Sandpaper events would come back as this truly is where my passion lies and this is why the Ping Pong World Cup was amazing to be a part of. If there was a world where enough Sandpaper events were held each year, I would definitely play this year round, no question.
What do you do outside of table tennis? Tell us about it – work, hobbies, etc.
Outside of table tennis, I work full time. I work within the Recruitment industry which I really enjoy, it’s a very competitive environment which I of course enjoy and as with sport, I always want to be the best so this helps me a lot with work life as well.
My hobbies consist of all racket sports, boxing, and football. I am always playing different sports whether it’s Badminton, Squash, Tennis, Padel or Table Tennis, I love all racket sports and manage to pick them up very quickly. Although I don’t play competitively in these other sports, maybe this is a little big-headed, but I would say I could play to a “low league level” in almost all of them. Boxing alongside Football is my favorite sport to watch. I have had one fight before which was a charity boxing event so that was an amazing experience and I love watching boxing, mainly the Heavyweight division. Not everyone’s favorite but my boxing favorite is Anthony Joshua and my football team is Chelsea FC. I have followed both from a young age and it’s always more exciting when who you support is controversial!
Tell us about your brother Luke’s table tennis.
We both competed in the Ping Pong World Cup. Luke is six years older than me, so growing up, we have always had a competitive relationship, wanting to be better than the other at sports! He also competed at a high level in table tennis, as a Junior he was top 10 in England and my Dad also played to a high level so we have all helped each other to improve with table tennis and ping pong.
Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has helped to make the Ping Pong World Cup possible and I will be back with belief that I can win this event in the coming years.
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