(By Steve Hopkins, photos Manca Meglic) This week’s Butterfly interview is with one of America’s most decorated active para players, Jenson Van Emburgh.  Jenson has already landed very important medals at major tour events – a Silver at the 2019 Parapan American Games, a Bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, and a Silver late last […]

(by Steve Hopkins) A new generation of Chinese players continue to push their way to the front of the tour.  Wang Chuqin is now firmly entrenched as World No. 2, Lin Shidong has moved all the way up to World No. 15, and in the event this week in Lagos, it was World No. 35 […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Ovtcharov headed to Africa as the third seed in the WTT Contender Lagos.  The event featured World No. 12 Jang Woojin and World No. 13 Darko Jorgic as the top two seeds, and all three players were hoping that a good showing here would help launch them back into the Top 10.  […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Helen Tao Table Tennis (formerly Massachusetts Table Tennis and Badminton Club (MATTBC)) is located in Waltham, about 12 miles to the West of downtown Boston.  The club is just off of I-95 and with easy access via public transportation is centrally located for the greater Boston area. The club is one of the […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT) The WTT Youth Contender Series event was held in Helsingborg, Sweden.  TeamUSA sent eight of our top juniors:  Isabella Xu, Hannah Song, Tashiya Piyadasa, Lucy Chen, Sally Moyland, Darryl Tsao, Sid Naresh, and Nandan Naresh.   Sally Moyland fell in the Semifinals of the U19 Girls Singles to eventual winner, France’s […]

(by Steve Hopkins) When they met in the Group Stage, Brazil dominated Chile 3-0.  Brazil narrowly won the doubles, Eric Jouti won his singles match, and Carlos Ishida defeated Nicolas Burgos (Burgos went on to win the Singles title).  But the rematch in the Team Final of the 2023 South American Championships went the distance […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Nicolas Burgos overcame the tournament’s second seed, Marcelo Aguirre in the Semifinals and then outlasted Brazil’s Guilherme Teodoro 4-3 in the Final.  This is the second time that Burgos, a Butterfly player from Chile, has won the South American Championships.  He also won in 2022, and just like last year, he was […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT) The big international event this week is the WTT Youth Contender Series event in Helsingborg, Sweden.  TeamUSA has sent eight of our top juniors.  Those juniors are  (from left to right in the photo) Isabella Xu, Hannah Song, Tashiya Piyadasa, Lucy Chen, Sally Moyland, Darryl Tsao, Sid Naresh, Nandan Naresh […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Hoboken Table Tennis (HiTT) bills itself as a social ping pong club.  They are located at 1012 Grand Street (3rd Floor) in Hoboken, New Jersey.  What’s a Social Ping Pong club?  HiTT is a BYOB table tennis facility with 8 tables, a robot, social leagues, handicap leagues, and open play. Players of all […]

(by Steve Hopkins) TeamUSA turned some heads this week in the Czech Republic – and Sally Moyland left with a pair of silver medals in her singles events.  Havirov was host to the WTT Youth Contender event that ran through Sunday.  Contender events generally feature players outside of the World Top 10 in their respective […]