Site Products

WTT Middle East Hub 2 – Filus a Surprise Finalist

(by Steve Hopkins, photo from ITTFworld)

The Semifinal rematch between Harimoto and Ovtcharov flipped the script from a week ago in the first Middle East Hub Event- this time with the players trading games to a 2-2 tie before Harimoto pulled ahead for the 4-2 win.  Last week Ovtcharov won that match and went on to win the Final – tomorrow Harimoto will try to equal that feat in his Finals match.

The other two Semifinalists from a week ago fell early this week: with Gauzy falling to Kristian Karlsson in the Round of 16 and Lin Yun-Ju falling to Germany’s Filus in the Quarterfinals.  Gauzy losing to Karlsson wasn’t a surprise – Gauzy is No. 20 and Gauzy is No. 29 and the two have faced each other many times with mixed results.  The Yun-Ju loss to Filus is a bigger surprise as Taipei’s rising star and his quick over-the-table attacks seemed lost facing the World No. 42 long-pips chopper who mixes offense and defense and forces long points while refusing to battle toe-to-toe with big shots like most of the rest of the World’s elite.   Filus’s 3-0 win over Lin Yun-Ju was the biggest upset of the tournament so far – but it is just one of many.  Filus beat No. 12 Woojin, No. 18 Mizutani, No. 6 Yun-Ju, and No. 32 Jorgic on his path to the final.  Tomorrow, Filus will face Harimoto – a player with a style very similar to Lin Yun-Ju, but perhaps a player with more experience (and less of a weakness?) playing against a chopper.

Despite the Ovtcharov loss, Germany is a big winner this week as they had two players in the Final 4 and with an eye towards the Olympic, they have Ovtcharov and Timo and Franzisca and now Filus who all seem to be playing well at the right time.  This is also a win for Butterfly who again had three Butterfly players in the Semifinals and will watch two Butterfly players battle in the Finals tomorrow.

On the women’s side, Mima Ito cruised to her second Final in consecutive weeks with her 4-1 win over Jihee Jeon.  Ito will face Tianwei Feng who topped Samara 4-0.

Ruwen Filus plays with Butterfly 5-play Semi-Large Defensive Blade, Tenergy 05 Hard, and Feint Long III.

Check in with ButterflyOnline.com for news and scores.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RRpCzDXGJU

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.

Latest News

Jha Headlines Upset Filled First Round in Montpellier

October 29, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo WTT) The top seed is out, and USA’s Kanak Jha now enters the Round… Read More

Anticipate….

October 29, 2025
Serve, short game, flip with defense to offense (wait function) Jhon serves short backspin, robot plays short backspin… Read More

Puerto Rico Shines At The 2025 ITTF Pan-American Championships

October 29, 2025
(By Edgardo Vazquez – Puerto Rico National Coach / Butterfly America Sponsored Coach) The Puerto Rico national team… Read More

Death of the Kill

October 28, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) There was a time that the smash, especially on the forehand side, was considered the… Read More

Right Shoulder Rotation Into the Table

October 27, 2025
Serve, short game, flip with defense to offense (wait function) Jhon serves short backspin, robot plays short backspin… Read More

MLTT Week 4 Recap: Chicago Wind Steady at Home, New York Slice Make Their Mark

October 26, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo MLTT) The Fourth Major League Table Tennis (MLTT) event was played in Bensenville, Illinois… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Joyous Table Tennis Club

October 26, 2025
(By Steve Hopkins) Joyous Table Tennis Club provides 8 professional tables in one of the largest professional table… Read More

France takes Gold in Euro Team Championships

October 26, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins, photo ETTU) The French team with the Lebrun brothers, Simon Gauzy, Thibault Poret, and Flavien… 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.