(by Steve Hopkins, photo USATT)
As all eyes were on the bright lights of Las Vegas for the WTT United States Smash, the WTT ran a second event highlighting para players. This WTT US Smash Para Showcase ran from July 7-9 with select elite para athletes from around the globe.
The Para Men’s Singles event was Class 6. There were two groups with Peter Rosenmeier of Denmark winning on group 3-0. Rosenmeier is a past World Champion and the highest ranked in the class. USA’s Samuel Altshuler finished 1-2 in that group and did not advance. In Group 2, it was Matteo Parenzan who finished 3-0 with USA’s Ian Seidenfeld finishing second with a 2-1 record. In the cross-overs, Ian Seidenfeld took out Rosenmeier 3-2 to advance to the Final. And in the Final, Parenzan topped Seidenfeld 3-0. First place to Parenzan of Italy and runner-up to USA’s Seidenfeld.
The Women’s event was Women’s Singles Class 9. Karolina Pek and Danielle Rauen were the group winners. USA’s Mingyu Zu finished 0-3 in Group 1 and she did not advance. In the crossovers, Karolina Pek topped Alexa Szvitacs to reach the Final and Danielle Rauen topped Mirjana Lucic 3-1 in the other Semifinal. In the Final, it was Karolina Ped 3-2 over Danielle Rauen.
The Showcase featured eight entries in each division, with representation from Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the United States. Seidenfeld was the highlight for the American entries and it was an Italian who won the event. In the Women’s event, it was Karolina Pek of Poland over Danielle Rauen of Brazil. Solid representation on the podium from all over the world. And, the event achieved its purpose – to showcase elite para talent on one of the largest table tennis stages in the World.
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