(by Steve Hopkins) Early in the week it was announced that Sora Matsushima was the new World No. 1, and today he closed the week with an exclamation point – a victory at the China Smash in Beijing.  In his Semifinal match on Sunday, Matsushima eliminated the last remaining Chinese player – a tight 4-2 […]

(by Steve Hopkins) There’s a new name at the top of the World Rankings, and it is an historic one. Sora Matsushima jumped two spots from No. 3 to claim World No. 1 for the first time.  Matsushima is the first non-Chinese player to hold the top spot since Timo Boll in 2018.  He is […]

(by Steve Hopkins) The World No. 1 (Sora Matsushima) will face the sole remaining Chinese player (Zhou Qihao) in one Semifinal and Hugo Calderano will face Lin Yun-Ju in the other as the final day of the China Smash gets underway on Sunday. The China Smash has been full of surprises from the start. Wang […]

(by Steve Hopkins) The Broward Table Tennis Club offers regular tournaments, camps, and coaching opportunities.  They have been a host of an ITTF World Veterans Tour event, a WTT Feeder Event, and is a USATT Center of Excellence.  There are regular clinics with a foundational group class and a Sunday junior beginners class.  They also […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Qualifications started on October 1, and the Main Draw saw its first action today at the China Smash 2026 in Beijing, China.  American’s Kanak Jha, Lily Zhang and Amy Wang were each seeded into the Main Draw. Others fought starting on Thursday in the Qualifying Rounds.  One of those in the qualifiers, […]

(by Steve Hopkins) When Fan Zhendong first arrived in Germany, there was little doubt that the defending Olympic Champion would win matches. What few predicted was how quickly he would move the needle off the table.  With one season under his belt, and a few matches into his second season (at his new club home), […]

(by Steve Hopkins) The final Grand Smash of the year is almost here. China Smash 2026 Presented by Beijing Shijingshan Culture & Tourism Group runs from 1 October to 11 October at Shougang Park in Beijing, and the timing couldn’t be more interesting. All of the Men’s Top 25 will be present – with USA’s […]

(by Steve Hopkins) At over 14,000 square feet, the Bridgeport Sports Club is one of the largest table tennis clubs in all of North America. The club is completely supplied with Butterfly table tennis equipment and supplies with a fully stocked pro shop. The flooring is a classic maple wood gym floor.  The facility also […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo MLTT) Major League Table Tennis moved on to Compass Arena in Willowbrook, Illinois, for Week 2 of Season 4.  The Chicago Wind was at home in the Windy City, but it was the Bay Area Blasters that blasted their way through the competition – winning matches against the Portland Paddlers, New […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo Butterfly) Table tennis made its Olympic debut in Seoul back in 1988, and it’s worth pausing on that anniversary for a moment. Today (September 23), is exactly 38 years since action kicked off at “our” first Olympics – the inaugural games for our sport. And in two years we will be […]