Site Products
Women's World Cup Group Stage: Both Americans Advance: Lily Zhang & Jennifer Wu

RESTART in TT Minus 11 Days: Lily and Jennifer

(by Steve Hopkins, photo by ITTFWorld)

NASA coined the term “T-Minus” for space launches with the “T” indicating “Time” as the countdown proceeded.  Many of their iconic broadcasts include statements from Launch Control indicating that all systems are “go” before changing over from a countdown of minutes into the final countdown of seconds.  The momentous occasion on our sport’s horizon will not involve rocket engines firing, but it will draw the eyes of millions of table tennis fans – and the anticipation for these events has now been building for over 6 months.

Its almost time for the three ITTF events that are collectively being called the ITTF RESTART events. The ITTF has selected 21 male and 21 female athletes to come to China to participate in the Women’s World Cup, the Men’s World Cup, and the 2020 ITTF Finals.  The first of these events will be the Women’s World Cup which is scheduled to begin on November 8, just 18 days away. Over the next two weeks, we will spend a little time highlighting some of the elite players who have been selected to compete.  In keeping with the NASA theme, this is an opportunity to TURN OUR FOCUS ON THE STARS as they provide an exciting November of Table Tennis.  The ITTF RESTART will begin in TT Minus 11 Days.

RESTART PROFILE: “The Americans”, Lily Zhang and Jennifer Wu

Its an honor just to participate in the World Cup and with only 21 players participating, most countries don’t have representation at all.  This year, the United States has two players in the mix; Lily Zhang and Yue “Jennifer” Wu.  To highlight this further, the U.S. is one of six countries to send two players – we are joining perennial powerhouses China, Japan, Taipei, Korea, and Germany.  For Lily and Jennifer, this isn’t the first time – they were both present in Chengdu a year ago at the 2019 Women’s World Cup as well (see photo). In 2019, Lily Zhang became the first American woman to reach the semi-finals of a Women’s World Cup.

Lily is an Olympian and a 5-time US National Champion.  Her World Ranking is 27 and she qualified for the Women’s World Cup with her No. 2 finish at the Pan Am Cup.  At different times Lily has risen to the top in the world rankings in her age divisions (she was No. 2 in her age group when the was 14, and she was No. 5 in her age group when she was 17) and now at age 24, she is hoping to peak in the next year at the Olympics in Tokyo.

Jennifer surprised many in 2015 by winning the Pan Am Games as an unranked player and earning a spot at the 2016 Olympics.  Since then, she has racked up titles and accolades as one of the strongest American players and perennial US Team Member.  She qualified as the second American player by finishing third in the Pan Am Cup.

Visit ButterflyOnline.com during the events for coverage and results.

 

Latest News

China Wins Asian Championships

October 15, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo ITTF) Team China won the ITTF-ATTU 28th Asian Table Tennis Team Championships.  That headline… Read More

Pan Am Championships: Calderano and Diaz Win Singles Titles

October 15, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT) Hugo Calderano topped Kanak Jha in the Men’s Final and Adriana Diaz’s upset… Read More

Pan Am Championships: Early Action

October 14, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT) Singles started on Sunday, with top seeds in action on Monday. at the… Read More

Laurent Jutras Vigneault – Forehand Opening Loop from underspin

October 14, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Laurent Jutras Vigneault is working on his opening loop from… Read More

Zyre 03: Redefining Power and Spin in Modern Table Tennis

October 13, 2025
(By Edgardo Vazquez/Bowmar Sports) In top-level table tennis, every detail counts. The choice of rubber can be the… Read More

Tip of the Week – Your Evolving Relationship With a Coach

October 13, 2025
By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame When you start out, the coach is… Read More

Rogelio Castro – Short Push vs Long Push

October 13, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Rogelio Castro is executing a touch drill that consist of… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Gold Coast Table Tennis Club

October 12, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) With their location on Main Street in Port Washington, the Gold Coast Table Tennis Club… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.