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

 Focus on the Left Stomach Muscle

October 9, 2025
(by Bowmar Sports) Serve, Short game and attack with Wait function: Jhon serves short backspin, robot plays short… Read More

Angel Naranjo – Power Backhand & Forehand Counterlooping

October 9, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Angel Naranjo is executing Forehand and Backhand Power Counterloops https://youtu.be/cBRCXi7VuLU… Read More

 Focus on the Left Stomach Muscle

October 8, 2025
(by Bowmar Sports) Serve, Short game and attack with Wait function: Jhon serves short backspin, robot plays short… Read More

Hong Lin – Reversed Penhold Backhand Flip

October 8, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In the Butterfly Training Tips, Hong Lin is executing the Reversed Penhold Backhand Flip from… Read More

Kou Lei – FH & BH Attacks Speedplay

October 7, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Kou Lei is working with a young player on Forehand… Read More

Tip of the Week – Nullify Opponent’s Biggest Threat

October 6, 2025
By Larry Hodges, Member of US Table Tennis Hall of Fame, www.tabletenniscoaching.com/blog What does your opponent do that… Read More

Taiwo Adeyinka – Atlanta Open

October 6, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips,  Taiwo Adeyinka is in action at the Atlanta Open https://youtu.be/GnVWdEKsAcw… Read More

MLTT Week 3 Recap: Portland Paddlers Shine at Home

October 5, 2025
(By Steve Hopkins, photo MLTT) Major League Table Tennis brought its high-octane  format to the Pacific Northwest this… 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.