(by Steve Hopkins, photo ITTFWorld) The WTT Contender series event this week was in Almaty, Kazakhstan and the top seeded Shidong (World No. 14) did not disappoint.  Shidong swept the titles, winning Men’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles – three events and three wins. In Men’s Singles, Shidong dropped a game to Aidos Kenzhigulov […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Ian Seidenfeld fell today to Matteo Parenzan of Italy in their Semifinals match in Class 6.  Seidenfeld had a great run up until this point, but he fell behind early and never regained the momentum.  Parenzan won 11-7, 11-2, and 11-8, leaving Seidenfeld (and TeamUSA) with the Bronze medal. Our other two […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Little has changed atop the World Rankings.  Wang Chuqin and Fan Zhendong have maintained their top positions.  Hugo Calderano is in third – the Brazilian isa the top non-Chinese player.  Liang Jingkun is No. 4 followed by Europe’s top ranked player, Felix Lebrun.  Ma Long is 6th, then Lin Yun-Ju, Lin Gaoyuan, […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT) Singles have started in Paris, and TeamUSA’s three Paralympians will see their first action on Monday.  Ian Seidenfeld plays England’s Martin Perry early Monday morning in Men’s Singles MS6.  Jenson Van Emburgh will face France’s Noel Sylvain in Men’s Singles MS3.  Tahl Leibovitz will face Ukraine’s Ivan Mai in their […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) Xiang Peng of China and Feng Yi-Hsin of Taipei were the top seeds in the Men’s event at the WTT Series Feeder event in Muscat, Oman.  The event featured players outside of the World Top 40, a draw dominated by up and coming players with most from China, Taipei, Japan, […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Naples Pong is located in Naples, Florida, South of Fort Myers along the West Coast of Southern Florida.  Naples Pong is owned by Flint Lane, who also owns Princeton Pong, a full time club in Princeton NJ, which has become one of the best known  table tennis clubs in the USA. In […]

by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) Both top seed Patrick Franziska and second seed Darko Jorgic were pressed in 3-2 opening round wins as the WTT Contender Series event got underway in Lima earlier this week..  Franziska lost the first and third games to France’s Vincent Picard, but rallied both times.  Jorgic lost the first and […]

(by Steve Hopkins) In many major events of recent years, China dominates from start to finish, and the hopes of many other players (and nations) are dashed in the process.  In some ways the Paris Olympics was no different – China held the top two seeds in both Singles events (where they were allowed two […]

(by Steve Hopkins) The ITTF rankings after the singles events in Paris have seen a number of top players enjoying an Olympic-sized bounce.  China’s Wang Chuqin, who was upset early, remains in the No. 1 position.  Olympic Champion Fan Zhendong, moved up two slots to regain the No. 2 position.  Hugo Calderano has moved up […]

(by Steve Hopkins) TeamUSA had measurable successes throughout the Olympics.  The Women’s Team fell short in their match against Germany.  However, the loss is not the full story. Rachel Sung and Amy Wang lost in three straight to Germany’s Wan and Shan.  In a surprise, 18 year old Annett Kaufmann topped USA’s Lily Zhang 3-0 […]