US Open Preview

(by Steve Hopkins)

The 2019 Seamaster US Open begins this week.  This signature American event is ITTF sanctioned this year, so World Ranking points are at stake.  According to the posted seeding list, there will be 16 players seeded into the Main Draw.  Those 16 players include three Americans (Kai Zhang, Tian Ye, and Ma Jinbao), and three Canadians (Edward Ly, Matthew Lehmann, and Marko Medjugorac).  The top seed is Kou Lei of Ukraine, the World’s No. 54 player and the second seed is Daniel Gonzalez of Puerto Rico.

Direct entries aside, the USATT rating of the 34^th seeded player in the men’s singles event is 2829.  There are approximately 45 players registered who are over 2600.  On the women’s side, Americans Lily Zhang and Jennifer Wu lead a strong field that includes Matilda Ekholm of Sweden and Adina Diaconu of Romania.  This is going to be a very competitive tournament – a tournament featuring one of the strongest fields to ever compete in the US.

USATT.org will provide information and will also have a live feed as the tournament progresses.  Visit ButterflyOnline.com for updates throughout the event.