(by Steve Hopkins)

Kanak Jha arrived in Ontario, California for the start of the US National Table Tennis Championships as the top seed and perennial favorite.   Jha did exactly what many expected, blasted through the draw with 3-0, 3-0, 4-0 and 4-0 performances to reach the Final.  And once there, he dominated the first three games, and then held on for a relatively easy 4-1 victory over Nandan Naresh.  This is the Jha’s sixth National Championship title.  Jha is not only the USA’s top ranked male player, he has been dominant on US soil – and to put that into perspective, he has not lost to a U.S. opponent in a National Championship match since 2015 (winning consecutive titles 2016-2019 and then returning in 2024 and again this year).  Kanak Jha is our 2025 Hsing Family Foundation U.S. Men’s Singles National Champion.

The other finalist was 18 year old Nandan Naresh.  Naresh was a high enough seed to receive a bye in the first knock-out round, but he needed two major upsets just to reach the Final.  Nandan Naresh (2571) defeated the event’s third seed Nikhil Kumar (2738) in the Quarterfinals in a grueling 7-game match.  And then he needed all seven games again to take out second seeded Jishan Liang (2763).  This is a big step for the 18 year-old rising star, who is among the youngest in the upper echelon of elite talent in the US.

In Women’s Singles, the top two seeds reached the Final.  Amy Wang was the heavy favorite (with a US rating of 2585).  Wang is experienced and composed and has won this tournament in the past.  Both are strong, young players who have played internationally – though Amy Wang at age 22 is now in her prime, and Sally Moyland at age 18 may just be reaching this phase of her playing career.  Interestingly the two faced off in this tournament in both 2022 and 2023 – with Moyland defeating Wang in the Semifinals in 2022 and with Wang defeating Moyland in the Finals in 2023.  Moyland has played so well in this event at this tournament that she has reached the Final twice before this year, losing to Lily Zhang in 2022, and losing to Amy Wang in 2023.

This year was Sally Moyland’s year.  Just to reach the Final, Moyland needed to fight through a 7-game Semifinal – where she was down 1-3 to Irene Yeoh before mounting her comeback win.  But once in the Final, Moyland was dominant.  She won the first three games with relative ease at 5, 7, and 8.  She then traded wins with Wang – holding on for the 4-1 win.  Sally Moyland is our 2025 Hsing Family Foundation U.S. Women’s Singles National Champion.

Lots more action is planned for this tournament, one of our sport’s premier events.  ButterflyOnline.com will keep you updated throughout.

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