(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) The surname Coton or le Coton has been prevalent among those in the textile trades in France as early as the 12th century – long before the French colonists started promoting cotton cultivation in their protectorate of Tunisia.  Why the quick history lesson? – Well, this week a WTT Contender […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo ITTF and Galaxy Entertainment) On Friday, the ITTF announced a marketing contract with Galaxy Entertainment Group that includes the iconic Tom and Jerry animated franchise (from Warner Bros. Discovery).  The new partnership begins on Monday as according to the ITTF in their press release Tom and Jerry will begin “Chasing the […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT) Houston was host of the WTT Youth Contender Series event that wrapped up on Monday.  American players were out in force with opportunity to face off against strong young players from all over the world.  American players won seven of the 12 events with players from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Taipei, […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) Houston is host of the WTT Youth Contender Series event this week and American players are out in force.  Many events have not yet concluded, but of the six events that have finished, Americans have won five. Daniel Tran and Sally Moyland teamed up in the U19 Mixed Doubles event.  […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Arch Pickleball and Badminton Club has been in operation in Bridgeton, Missouri – a suburb to the Northwest of the St. Louis city center near the St. Louis Airport.  The facility has six championship badminton courts, 24 pickleball courts and 500 parking spaces (sufficient for large events).  The badminton club opened in 2015 in […]

(by Steve Hopkins, lower photo WTT) It can be tough to remember how young she is because of how long she has been near the top of the World Rankings, but seventeen-year-old Miwa Harimoto just won her ninth WTT tour singles title in Chongqing.   The younger of the famed Harimoto siblings won the first time […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) With five players currently in the top 20 and a strangle hold on the world’s top position, China is often among the biggest story lines in the World Rankings.  This week Wang Chuqin added to his massive points lead (now up by about 4200 points) while the second highest seeded […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo Borussia Dusseldorf) TTBL and Champions League Club Borussia Dusseldorf has announced that Fan Zhendong has signed a one-year contract for the 2026-27 season.  Fan is currently under contract with Saarbrucken, and is a part of that team as they are favorites to win both the TTBL and Champions League.  However, he […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Royal Badminton Academy is located to the Northwest of Washington DC near Dulles International Airport.  Like many other locations across the US, Royal Badminton Academy will be blending their existing Badminton facility to also offer Table Tennis. (Royal Table Tennis)  The Sterling, Virginia location has offered a variety of badminton activities for […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) By the time we reached the final Sunday matches at the WTT Champions Chongqing, the highest remaining seed was Tomokazu Harimoto (World No. 5).  Like the three higher seeds in the event, Harimoto fell via upset – losing 4-2 to Wen Ruibo.  For his part, Ruibo was the only Chinese […]