(by Steve Hopkins, photos ITTF Americas) A tale of two sides as the Final of the started in the ITTF World Cup Macao on Sunday.  On one side, Hugo Calderano who at 6 feet tall towers over his shorter opponent by 6 inches.  Calderano on successive days defeated Tomokazu Harimoto and Wang Chuqin – with […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) The news on Saturday was Hugo Calderano’s win over World No. 2 Wang Chuqin.  This wasn’t just just a simple momentum shift, Calderano was down 1-3 against one of the most dominant players in the world – and he came back winning three in a row. Picking up action at […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) Kanak Jha’s run ended in the Final 16 on Thursday with a 4-1 loss to World No. 2 Wang Chuqin.  There are no easy matches at the  ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup, and Jha reaching the Main Draw mirrored the American’s great results at the Olympics last Summer.  Benedikt […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) Group play concluded today at the ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup Macao.  The Final 16 knockout round is now set, and we can turn our attention to the first round matchups that will be played on Thursday. Lin Shidong will face Anton Kallberg – the two have faced each […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Kanak Jha has faced Germany’s Dang Qiu (Currently World No. 11) four times, and in all four cases Qiu has walked away the victor.  Today, the situation was a little different.  In the Group Stage of the World Cup, players advance based upon cumulative performance.  And because Jha defeated Horatio Cifuentes 4-0 […]

(by Steve Hopkins) A perfect start for Kanak Jha on the opening day of group play at the ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup in Macao.   Jha, who is second seed in Group 12 defeated the bottom player, Argentina’s Horacio Cifuentes 4-0.  The score is important as every point can potentially matter.  In this case, […]

(by Steve Hopkins) With their location East of Los Angeles in Chino Hills, the Dynamic Table Tennis Academy is easily accessible to one of the largest population centers in the United States (including Anaheim, Riverside, and Pomona). The club is tucked into a commercial shopping center with plenty of parking, food and other shops nearby.  […]

(by Steve Hopkins) The ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup returns this month, bringing together the world’s best for an intense battle on the biggest of stages. From April 14 to 20, the Galaxy Arena in Macao, will play host to a lineup of elite talent vying for the Evans Cup (the name of the […]

(by Steve Hopkins) This week’s WTT Contender Series event is in Taiyuan, China.  Contender events are a mix of top players (in this case, all outside of the World Top 20) and rising players.  As the event is in China, where many great players don’t have opportunity to play internationally, one would expect to see […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Later today Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau will battle in the final pairing of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Course.  McIlroy had an amazing round on Saturday and will enter the final day with a 2 stroke lead.  However, he faces extra pressure as this is the only major tournament that […]