36 Years of Olympic Table Tennis – Looking Ahead to Paris 2024

August 20, 2023

(by Steve Hopkins) Since table tennis officially became an Olympic Sport in 1998, Men’s and Women’s Singles have each awarded nine Gold Medals. In Men’s Singles, China has won six of those nine events, with Korea winning twice (Yoo Nam-Kyu won the inaugural event in Seoul in 1988 and Ryu Seung-Min won in Athens in […]

Sun Yingsha and Fan Zhendong Maintain No. 1 Positions

August 19, 2023

(by Steve Hopkins) Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin hold their dominant No.1 and No.2 positions in the latest World Rankings. Ma long is safely in third, but since players can achieve as many as 1500 points with a single WTT event, Harimoto (No. 4), Calderano (No.5) , and Jingkun (No. 6) are potentially within reach. Lin […]

Shadow Replay

August 14, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) Over the many decades I’ve watched and learned about this sport, there are certain trends I see that stick out. This is one of the simplest, often the difference between fast-improving players and those who just stare at their rackets in frustration after missing a shot and continue to do so the […]

Bruce Lee and High Tech Nunchucks: Enter the Dragon (of Ping Pong)

August 13, 2023

(by Steve Hopkins) As a part of the 50th anniversary of Bruce Lee’s Kung Fu classic “Enter the Dragon”, the movie is being rereleased this week. As fans of Bruce Lee revisit the artistry of the movie, we thought we’d take this opportunity to invite table tennis fans to revisit (and reimagine) the famous Bruce […]

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Seattle Pacific Table Tennis Club

August 13, 2023

(by Steve Hopkins) Seattle Pacific Table Tennis Club (SPTTC) is located in Bellevue, Washington, off of highway SR-520 just over Lake Washington from North side of Seattle. The club is 9600 square feet with 18-foot ceilings, 16 Butterfly Centerfold tables, red Gerflor flooring, and two-toned walls to assist in visibility. The goal of SPTTC is […]

WTT Contender Rio: Falck Wins Nailbiter of a Final

August 13, 2023

(by Steve Hopkins, photo ITTF’s Remy Gros) There were several neat story lines to follow in Rio this week at the WTT Contender series event. The biggest early story was that Brazilian Hugo Calderano flamed out in the first round, losing to Korea’s Cho Seungmin. Another story was bad news for Germany, as despite holding […]

Sandpaper Open at the US Classic Nationals

August 12, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) Before we get to the last event of the US Classic Nationals, the Sandpaper Open, let’s take a moment to thank those who helped put the event together. · Special thanks goes to Tournament Director Steve Claflin, who put it all together. · Umpire Ning Cheng worked long hours, umpiring all the […]

Hardbat Women, Seniors, and Juniors at the US Classic Nationals

August 12, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) PHOTO: Action at the Austin Table Tennis Club, host of the 2023 US Classic Nationals. Junior Champion Bryce Milford on near right. Photo by Larry Hodges. Along with Hardbat and Sandpaper Open events here at the Classic Nationals at the Austin Table Tennis Club, there were three other events – Women, Seniors […]

Hardbat Open at the Classic Nationals

August 12, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) Twenty-five players took the plunge and played in the Hardbat Open event. With top-seeded Jimmy Butler seeded out, there were four groups of six, with the top two advancing. In the round robins, matches were best of five to 11. In the single elimination stage, it switched to best of three to […]

Sara Gulabani: the Batgirl and Batwoman of Hardbat

August 12, 2023

(by Larry Hodges) In an earlier article, I called AJ Carney and student Bryce Milford the Batman and Robin of table tennis. But AJ has another student, and she’s doubled-up on both – she’s Batgirl AND Batwoman! Sara Gulabani, 17, easily won Hardbat Women here at the Classic Nationals at the host Austin Table Tennis […]