(by Steve Hopkins)
Americans have become accustomed to strong performances by Jenson Van Emburgh the the 2024 ITTF Para US Open earlier this month in Corpus Christi, Texas was no exception. Jenson swept his group in Men’s Singles Class 3 with three 3-0 wins, topped Anurak Laowong of Thailand 3-1 in the Semifinals, and then blanked Taipei’s Yin Chien-ping 3-0 in the Final. The Class 3 event included participants from US, France, Great Britain, Canada, Taipei, Thailand, and Pakistan. Jenson was the top seed, but played the second, third, and fourth seeds – going 9-1 against the best competition. Jenson has added another Gold medal to a long list of accolades. Jenson has now moved back to Naples, Florida where he’ll be training for upcoming tournaments and making preparations for the Paralympics.
After the tournament, Jenson said, “I am very happy to defend my title as the US Para Open Champion again. I always love playing in my home country. I feel the most comfortable and relaxed. This tournament was definitely a stepping stone for the tournaments I will participate in March, May, and most importantly the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games!”
Many American competed in the tournament. James Segrest, Gabriel Diaz de Leon, Louis Molina, Michael Godfrey, Jose Antonio Rodriguez, Ahad Bakhshaei, Samuel William Altshuler, Tristan Anthony Myrick, Mathew Lee Weber, Hamed Zarei, Yosef Lender, George Krispandel Ristollari, Cole Thomas Rothenberger, Logan Wade Watson, Ilya Rozenblat, Neville James Brabrook, Wei Liu, and Pamela Fontaine all fought in their respective classes.
Zachary Alan Picket won his group in Men’s Singles Class 4, eventually going 1-1 in the Main Draw and settling for a Semifinal appearance. Marco Sephom Makkar reached the Quarterfinals of Men’s Singles Class 8. Tahl Leibovitz fell in the semifinals of Men’s Singles Class 9 settling for third place. Samuel Chang Huang and Randall Medcalf both fell in the Quarters of Men’s Singles Class 10. Valerie Ann Rolph fell in the Quarters of Women’s Singles Classes 1-5. Mingyu Zu finished third in Women’s Singles Classes 6-10. Tahl Leibovitz and Logan Wade Watson fought through the groups and fell in the Quarterfinals of Men’s Double Class MD18.
Expect big things from American Para Athletes in 2024.
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