(by Steve Hopkins) A week ago in the German League (TTBL), there were three undefeated teams.  Borussia Dusseldorf topped Neu Ulm, leaving just Dusseldof and Ochsenhausen undefeated.  Today, Ochsenhausen faced off against No. 3 Neu Ulm, with the winner holding the second position. In the opening match, Tiago Apolonia beat Simon Gauzy 3-2, giving Neu […]

(by Steve Hopkins) The PongNow Interview Series – talking table tennis to some of the best players and personalities in the sport. The guest this week is Jenson Van Emburgh – fresh off his Bronze Medal performance at the Tokyo Paralympic Games.  Big smiles from Paralympian Bronze Medalist Jenson Van Emburgh this week as […]

(Steve Hopkins) Egypt and Nigeria have each had periods of dominance in Africa.  Nigeria has had strong individual players, with recognizable names like Quadri Aruna and Segun Toriola leading the way.  Egypt has had depth, and has dominated the team competitions – winning 10 of the last 12 African Men’s titles and 9 of the […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Borussia Dusseldorf hosted TTC Neu-Ulm today in a battle of undefeated teams.  TTBL No. 1 Dusseldorf dominated No. 2 Neu-Ulm throughout.  Anton Kallberg started things off for the Butterfly-sponsored team beating young Russian Vladimir Sidorenko 3-0.  Next up was Kristian Karlsson who fell behind 0-1 to 2020 Russian champion Lev Katsman.  The […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Ochsenhausen took on a tough Werder Bremen squad today, and did so without Simon Gauzy.  Kanak Jha anchored the Ochsenhausen team with Kulczycki and Kubik playing the 2 and 3 positions and they lined up against  Mattias Falck (World Top 10), Gerassimenko (World Top 50), and Szocs (World 122). In the opening […]

(by Steve Hopkins) From their location  on the Southeastern side of San Francisco Bay, the Fremont Table Tennis Academy (FTTA) is easily accessible to San Jose as well as the other major cities that surround the Bay.  They are located on Warm Springs Blvd., sandwiched between the 680 and 880.  The facility is a USATT […]

(Steve Hopkins) After the third round of matches in the Tischtennis Bundesliga (TTBL), three teams have remained undefeated: Borussia Dusseldorf (with Boll, Karlsson, and Kallberg), Neu Ulm (with Apolonia, Russian champion Sidorenko, and German youngster Kay Stumper), and Ochsenhausen (with Simon Gauzy, USA’s Kanak Jha, and Polish champion Samuel Kulczycki). In last week’s matches, all […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Sunday Benedikt Duda won his first German championship with a 4-2 win over Bastian Stegar.  Duda was the only player from the Germany Silver Medal-winning German squad to compete (Boll and Ovtcharov did not enter).  However, Duda and Stegar and semifinalists Fan Bo Meng and Ruwen Filas made for a very talented pool […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo ITTFWorld) India’s Sathiyan Gnanasekaran breezed through 5 matches without losing a game to claim the 2021 ITTF Czech International Open title.  His 4-0 wins included a Semifinal trouncing of Truls Moregard (the winner in Budapest last week).  The win this week is a total turn-around for Gnanasekaran as a week ago, he […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Pleasanton Table Tennis Center is located at the center of Pleasanton, California to the East of San Francisco Bay with quick access to I-580 and I-680 (and each of the major cities in the area). Pleasanton Table Tennis Center was the first table tennis club in tri-valley to open every day. The club is currently […]