Felix Back to Top 5, Duda Reaches Top 20: ITTF Rankings

November 3, 2024

(by Steve Hopkins) No movement in the Top Four as Wang Chuqin, Lin Shidong, Fan Zhendong, and Liang Jingkun hold their positions in that order. Felix Lebrun is the biggest mover in the Top 10, jumping two spots over Ma Long (now 6) and Hugo Calderano (now 7). Harimoto, Gaoyuan, and Franziska round out the […]

Why Rapidly Improving Players Often Don’t Have Good Serves – and Getting the Best of Both Worlds

October 28, 2024

(by Larry Hodges) Picture two up-and-coming players. One has really tricky serves, often going long, and wins many points when opponents miss the serve or give him easy pop-ups – but when opponents read the serve, they often attack them, putting the server on the defensive. The other has simple serves that don’t directly threaten […]

Felix Flies in France: WTT Champions Montpelier

October 28, 2024

(by Steve Hopkins) World No. 1 Lin Shidong has pressed through to the Semifinals of the WTT Champions Series Event in Montpellier with relative ease. Shidong has been on a roll – with wins that clearly make him the best player since the Olympics this Summer. However, France’s young star stopped him in his tracks […]

RA Table Tennis Centre

October 26, 2024

(by Steve Hopkins) Ottawa has a 200,000 square foot sports facility (indoor and outdoor) in the heart of the city. The RA is a multi-sport facility offering Archery, Badminton, Chess, Curling, Cards, Firearm Ranges and Courses, Martial Arts, Pickleball, Racquetball, Squash, and other sports. They have recently added table tennis space offering five or six […]

Two Harimotos Lift Japan to New Heights

October 21, 2024

(by Steve Hopkins) Table tennis fans have been following Tomokazu Harimoto on the Men’s tour for many years. More recently, his 16 year old sister, Miwa Harimoto, has shined as well. The results of these two at the recent ITTF Asian Table Tennis Championships was historic. For Tomokazu’s part, he won the Men’s Singles title. […]

Adjust in One Game

October 21, 2024

(by Larry Hodges) Let’s keep this simple. If you lose the first game of a match because it takes you a game to adjust to something the opponent does, that’s okay. Ideally, you’d adjust sooner and perhaps win that first game, but credit your opponent if he’s developed something that wins him that first game. […]

Jha Out in Quarters of Pan Am Championships

October 17, 2024

(by Steve Hopkins, photo ITTFWorld) Seedings matter. This lesson was all-to-clear for Kanak Jha who continues to rise in the rankings, but has not yet reached the levels he had two years ago. Jha entered the event as World No. 72, and after logging two solid wins (over Ramon Vila and Rogelio Castro), he fell […]

Repetitive vs. Variable Tactics

October 14, 2024

(by Larry Hodges) Suppose your opponent has a weak, erratic backhand but a strong forehand. Suppose you get into a fast backhand to backhand rally. Should you keep going to his weak backhand or should you vary things by going to the forehand? The same question can be asked of any tactic – if something […]

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Princeton Pong

October 13, 2024

(by Steve Hopkins) Princeton Pong’s 10,000 square foot table tennis facility is in Princeton Junction, New Jersey. They are located between Philadelphia and New York City – centered in one of the largest population centers in the United States. The elite facility features 14 professional tables, custom sport flooring, high ceilings, great lighting, a player’s […]

Harimoto Wins Men’s Singles at Asian Championships

October 13, 2024

(by Steve Hopkins) Tomokazu Harimoto beat Xu Yingbin, Lin Yun-Ju, Oh Junsung, and Lin Shidong as he won Men’s Singles at the 2024 ITTF-Asian Table Tennis Championships. Lin Shidong was the last of the Chinese players after a series of upsets – but it was Harimoto who headlined on the final day. Harimoto started strong, […]