China Amazes Dubai To Win Both Men’s And Women’s World Team Cup Title

China confirmed their status as the best table tennis nation on earth, after winning both the Men’s and Women’s events at the 2015 ITTF World Team Cup, which concluded today in Dubai.

North Korea put up a close battle against the defending Chinese Team in the Women’s Team event. RI Mi Gyong and RI Myong Sun pushed their opponents, LIU Shiwen and ZHU Yuling, to their limits in the both of the first 2 sets of the Teams match.

RI Mi Gyong came back from 0-2 down against LIU in the first set to tie at 2-2, but lost the 5th decider (7-11,4-11, 12-10, 11-9. 9-11) in North Korea’s first appearance in the completion since 1991. The 24 year old shared “We have great memories from here and battled hard in the final. We had chances, but we could not quite do it. We will take inspiration from this event and use it as motivation to take our team forward in the future.”

Similar for North Korean defender RI Myong Sun, who was on track to cause a major upset against world number six ZHU Yuling. However ZHU’s class told in the overcoming RI 3-2 (7-11, 11-6, 9-11, 14-12, 11-5) to the delight of the Chiin the cheers of the crowd at the Al-Nasr Sports Club.

“My match was a big battle. I had to keep my patience and take my chances. I was surprised at her level. They are now a strong challenger to China. I am very happy that I have won my first World Team Cup, and I look forward to many more titles in the future.” shared ZHU who turned 20 yesterday.

DING Ning (CHN) who was named the 2014 Female Table Tennis Star at the DUBAI 2014 ITTF Star Awards held earlier in the week added “It was a tough match, tougher than we expected. I have to congratulate my team mates for winning their crucial matches to give us a 2-0 lead before I played the doubles. It was not easy for them, so I am proud of them. This event was a good chance to give our younger players such as ZHU Yuling a chance to play on the biggest stage and they did very well. This title means a lot to us.”

Grand slam winner LI Xiaoxia (CHN) claims her 5th World Team Cup title today despite not being able to play due to her knee injury, making her by far the most successful athlete in the history of World Team Cup.

In the Men’s Finals, the Chinese Men’s Team swept Team Austria 3-0 to claim the gold medal, without dropping a single game. This is Austria’s first ever Finals appearance and the first a European team has made it to the Finals since 1995.

ITTF World Team Cup

FAN Zhendong and ZHANG Jike overcame Daniel HABESOHN and Robert GARDOS respectively 3-0 in the opening two singles matches. FAN took the first set from HABESOHN (11-3, 11-5 , 11-8). World and Olympic Champion ZHANG Jike however, suffered a scare from Robert GARDOS when GARDOS came back from 2-8 down to level the score at 10-10 in the third game, ZHANG overcame GARDOS 11-7, 12-10, 12-10.

The dynamic duo of ZHANG Jike and XU Xin eventually ended Austria’s dream with a 3-0 (11-3, 11-7, 11-9) win over Austrian pair of Stefan FEGERL and Daniel HABESOHN.

Follow the match, a very satisfied XU Xin stated: “This victory means one more major world title for us, and of course means a lot to our team. The World Team Cup is similar to the Olympic Games in terms of the playing system, and this will probably be the last time we compete in this system before the Olympics hence this is a very valuable opportunity for us here. Austria did very well, we hope they continue to get stronger and push us harder next time.”

17 year old Youth Olympic Games Champion FAN Zhendong, who won his first World Team Cup title here added:

“We played well here in Dubai, and our results proves that our hard work and efforts have paid off well. However, we still cant let our guards down as competition is getting tougher internationally, other national teams are also training hard and getting stronger, so it’s important for us to train even harder to maintain our edge over the rest.”

The bronze medals for the Men’s Team event went to Germany and Chinese Taipei, while Singapore and Japan took home the Women’s Team bronze.

The table tennis world’s focus now turns to the start of the GAC Group 2015 World Tour, which kicks off in Hungary on 28 January 2015.

Quadri Is World’s Table Tennis Player Of The Year

From Dubai in United Arab Emirates (UAE) came another accolade for Nigeria as Aruna Quadri has been named the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Star Player of the year at the award ceremony held on Wednesday.

At the colourful award ceremony held at the Armani Hotel, Quadri claimed two awards ahead of players from Asia and Europe to get standing ovation from the guests that graced the occasion.

Aruna Quadri with other award winners during the ITTF Star Awards at the Armani Hotel at Burj Khalifa on January 7, 2015 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The world’s number 30 ranked player was adjudged the best male player beating world number one, China’s Xu Xin and his compatriot, Fan Zhendong, who is the 2014 Youth Olympic Games gold medallist as well as Portugal’s Marcos Freitas, who is the 2014 European Team Championships winner and the first Portuguese player to be ranked top 10 in the world.

Also, Quadri’s crucial winning point against Olympics and World Champion, Jan Zhike of China at the 2014 ITTF World Cup was adjudged the best in the Star Point category at the second edition of the award.

An elated Quadri described yesterday’s award as the best in his career, while acknowledging the support he got globally from table tennis fans.

Quadri has moved from number 237 to number 30 in just nine months.

“This is the best day of my career and I want to thank the organizers for considering me for this. I also want to thank all my fans all over the world for their support because this is unbelievable for me and I promise to continue to work hard,” he said.

For the female star player of the year, China’s Ding Ning, 2014 ITTF Women’s World Cup winner and world number one defeated Feng Tianwei of Singapore, Kasumi Ishikawa of Japan and China’s Liu Shiwen, 2014 Asian Games champion to the award.

Other awards won at the ceremony include Para male star, para female star, star coach and fair play star of the year.

Aruna Quadri recieving is NSA2014 Award

The ITTF Star Awards is the official awards ceremony organised by ITTF since 2013. It is the most prestigious award aimed at recognising, honouring and celebrating the stars of table tennis, the athletes who have made table tennis their passion, career and life.

All the nominees for the awards attended the night of glitz and glamour, as athletes dressed up in their finest for the Awards Night.

Aruna Quadri during the ITTF Star Awards at the Armani Hotel at Burj Khalifa on January 7, 2015 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Table Tennis Stars To Be Honored At World’s Tallest Building Today

Tensions are building in Dubai, with the second edition of the ITTF Star Awards just one day away!

The DUBAI 2014 ITTF Star Awards will take place at the Armani Hotel, at the base of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which is a fitting location to honor the world’s best players on 7 January 2015.

There will be seven awards handed out to the world’s best players:

Male Table Tennis Star presented by Ping Pong Dubai
Female Table Tennis Star presented by Nittaku
Male Para Table Tennis Star presented by Tinsue
Female Para Table Tennis Star presented by Stag International
Table Tennis Star Point presented by DHS
Table Tennis Star Coach presented by Butterfly
Fair Play Star

Who will be crowned the 2014 Table Tennis Star’s in a night of glitz & glamour in Dubai?

Check out the list of Male and Female Table Tennis Star nominees here: http://bit.ly/1BX1K1x and the rest of the award nominees here: http://bit.ly/1KhRXFL.

The winners, who will be announced tomorrow, are determined by the Fans’ votes, combined with judging by an expert panel, including their peers and members of the media.

At the Armani Hotel, all eyes will be on who will be the Male and Female Table Tennis Stars!

As last year’s winners ZHANG Jike (CHN) and LI Xiaoxia (CHN) were not nominated, two new players will definitely emerge as the 2014 Table Tennis stars.

Will the African sensation Quadri ARUNA (NGR) be able to beat the more established stars of XU Xin (CHN), FAN Zhendong (CHN) and Marcos FREITAS (POR) to make history for Africa?

Will three World Tour victories for FENG Tianwei (SIN) be enough to overcome the strong competition from the other female table tennis star nominees of Kasumi ISHIKAWA (JPN), DING Ning (CHN) and LIU Shiwen (CHN)?

The 2014 edition will include two new awards; the Table Tennis Star Coach, and the Fair Play Star, which rewards an act of Fair Play in the 2014 season.

Watch all the action LIVE on ITTF’s YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcXOmZYw8IM and on ITTF.com/itTV.

To calm the nerves, the top Chinese table tennis players XU Xin, MA Long, ZHANG Jike, DING Ning, LIU Shiwen and LI Xiaoxia joined the huge crowds gathered at Dubai Mall today to play at the inaugural Ping Pong Dubai Festival. The Dubai-sponsored Chinese National Table Tennis Team were the star attraction of the Festival, hosting master classes and meeting fans during the one-day event at Dubai Ice Rink.

After the glitzy ITTF Star Awards and fun-filled Ping Pong Dubai Festival, it is back to competitions at the 2015 ITTF World Team Cup, where 12 top National teams will be fighting for the prestigious title of World Team Cup champions, from 8 to 11 January 2015 at the Al Nasr Sports Club in Dubai.

Quadri Gets Nomination For ITTF Star Awards, Named Second Best Player In U.S. Tourney

Again, Nigeria’s Aruna Quadri is making global headline, as the African champion has been nominated for the 2014 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Star Awards.

Quadri, whose exceptional performance at the last World Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany moved him from 73 in the world to 30 was also at the weekend in United States named the second best player at the 2014 North American Table Tennis Teams Championships.

In a release by ITTF on Wednesday, Quadri was nominated in the male table tennis star of the year for the second ITTF Star Awards alongside, world number one, China’s Xu Xin and his compatriot, Fan Zhendong, who is the 2014 Youth Olympic Games gold medallist. Also nominated is Portugal’s Marcos Freitas, who is the 2014 European Team Championships winner and the first Portuguese player to be ranked top 10 in the world.

Quadri has moved from number 237 to number 30 in just nine months.

Aside being nominated in the male star category, Quadri’s crucial point against Olympics and World Champion, China’s Jan Zhike at the World Cup was also picked in the star point of the year category.

The award ceremony will hold in Dubai on January 7 at the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, the Armani Hotel.

According to ITTF, it is the state-of-the art venue for the Dubai 2014 ITTF Star Awards Evening, the second time the glamorous event has been staged, the first being earlier this year in the same Gulf state.

Proceedings will take place immediately after the 2015 World Team Cup.

Nominees for the female star are China’s Ding Ning, 2014 ITTF Women’s World Cup winner and world number one; Feng Tianwei of Singapore, who won three ITTF World Tour events in 2014; Kasumi Ishikawa of Japan, silver medalist at the 2014 World Team Table Tennis Championships and China’s Liu Shiwen, 2014 Asian Games champion.

Other awards listed for the day include, Para male star, para female star, star coach and fair play star of the year.

Aruna Quadri recieving is NSA2014 Award

Voting has commenced for the award and fans can now vote for their star player of the year at 2014 ITTFStarAwards.com.

The voting will end on Wednesday 17th December 2014, while fans’ votes will be combined with judging by an expert panel, including their peers and the media to determine the Table Tennis Stars of 2014.

Meanwhile in far away United States, out of the 18 matches played at the 17th edition of North American
Table Tennis Teams Championships, Quadri only lose one to be named the second best player of the competition.

Quadri, who is a member of Joola’s three-man team, also inspired his team to second place at the tournament attended by top teams from China.

Quadri played alongside former world champion and Olympian, Jörg Roßkopf as well as Austria’s Chen Weixing in the Joola team.

Winning 17 of his matches, Quadri had play second fiddle to the Chinese star during the award ceremony for the top three players of the championship.

Over 207 teams made up of 825 players from all around the world played the three-day action packed tournament powered by JOOLA. The beautiful Gaylord National Hotel & Resort was the venue for this year’s competition.

The 207 teams were split into 13 divisions, from beginners to world class players. In the exciting final of Division 1, Atlanta International Table Tennis Academy 1 was crowned champions, defeating Team JOOLA, 3-1.

From the eight matches played by the Joola team, it was in the final encounter against Atlanta International Table Tennis Academy that the team dropped a game in the tournament attended by top Chinese players.

For their efforts, Quadri and his team was presented with a plague and $4000 for their efforts.

The organizers admitted that the presence of the African Champion added glamour to the tournament while his superb forehand, which has helped him to defeat some of the top rated players in the world thrilled the American fans.

Dubai 2014 ITTF Star Awards Nominees Released

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is excited to announce the nominees for the Male & Female Table Tennis Star Awards to be crowned at the Dubai 2014 ITTF Star Awards in Dubai on 7 January 2015.

The 2nd edition of the ITTF Star Awards will take place at the Armani Hotel, at the base of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which is a fitting location to honor the world’s best players.

Male & Female Table Tennis Star Awards to be crowned at the Dubai 2014 ITTF Star Awards in Dubai on 7 January 2015.

Click above to watch the official Dubai 2014 ITTF Star Awards promotional video.

The nominees in the running to be crowned the 2014 Male’s & Female’s Table Tennis Star Awards are:

Male Table Tennis Star presented by Ping Pong Dubai, as nominated by the ITTF Athletes’ Commission:

Quadri ARUNA (NGR)-World number 30, highest ranked African player of the last 30 years.

FAN Zhendong (CHN)– 2014 Youth Olympic Games winner, World number 3.

Marcos FREITAS (POR) -2014 European Team Table Tennis Championships winner, first Portuguese player to be ranked top 10 in the World.

XU Xin (CHN)– 2013 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals & 2014 Asian Games winner, World number 1.

Nomination video:http://youtu.be/_CW-Vt_eacs.

Female Table Tennis Star presented Nittaku, as nominated by the ITTF Athletes’ Commission:

DING Ning (CHN)– 2014 ITTF Women’s World Cup winner, World number 1.

FENG Tianwei (SIN)-Won 3 World Tour events in 2014, World number 4.

Kasumi ISHIKAWA (JPN)-Leader of Japanese National Team, Silver medalist at the 2014 World Team Table Tennis Championships, World number 6.

LIU Shiwen (CHN)– 2013 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals & 2014 Asian Games winner, World number 2.

Nomination video:http://youtu.be/edOQyE0hiwM.

Fans can now vote for their star player of 2014 at ITTFStarAwards.com. Voting will end on 17 December 2014.

Fans’ votes will be combined with judging by an expert panel, including their peers and the media to determine the Table Tennis Stars of 2014!

In addition to the Men’s and Women’s Stars, an additional five awards will be handed in Dubai:

Para Male Table Tennis Star presented by Tinsue

Para Female Table Tennis Star presented by Stag International

Table Tennis Star Point presented by DHS

Table Tennis Star Coach presented by Butterfly

Fair Play Star

China on Top of Asia after Claiming Men’s & Women’s Singles Gold

XU Xin and LIU Shiwen are the 2014 Asian Games singles champions, after both triumphing in all Chinese finals at the Suwon Gymnasium in Incheon, Korea.

World number one XU Xin showed why he is officially the best in the world, by coming from 1-2 down to beat his teammate, 17 year old FAN Zhendong.

The pen holder was able to cope with the pressure better in the crucial points than the Youth Olympic Games champion, and won the titanic battle 11-6, 5-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-8.

Overcame with emotion that he fell to the ground after match point, the 24 year old shared: “This is an important platform for me to prove myself, and move closer to my Rio Dream. Hence this victory is really meaningful to me.”

Facing tough resistance in the finals, he added: “The finals was very tough, both of us played at the highest level. I think the most important factor lies in the crucial points and my mentality. In the third game, I missed my game point and lost the game, but I was able to adjust fast to play the fourth game. I believe that is the key to the victory.”

The losing semi finallists CHUANG Chih Yuan (TPE) and JOO Saehyuk (KOR) took home the bronze medals.

XU Xin & LIU Shiwen are the 2014 Asian Games Singles Champions. Photo Credit: AN Sungho/ITTF

LIU Shiwen made up for losing the world number one ranking to compatriot DING Ning in the latest October rankings, by being crowned Asian Games Women’s Singles Champion, which happened to be China’s 150th gold medal of the 17th Asian Games.

LIU Shiwen blew her less experienced opponent ZHU Yuling off the table in a scintillating table tennis performance. The 23 year old from Liaoning, China won 11-6, 11-4, 13-11, 11-7 to add the singles gold to the team gold and doubles silver she won earlier in the week.

A delighted LIU Shiwen said after the match: “I’m very excited to have won the title! I didn’t think too much on how the final score will be, and I never thought that I would win 4-0. During the match, I kept telling myself to stay focused and fight for every point.

I think I performed better than I expected for both my matches today. I felt nervous during the past few days, including my team matches. But it’s the final day of competition today, and I could go all out to play in the games.”

Bronze went to local favourite YANG Haeun (KOR) and FENG Tianwei (SIN).

XU Xin and LIU Shiwen’s gold medals today brought China’s tally up to six for the Asian Games table tennis event, after claiming gold in the Men’s & Women’s team, as well as the Men’s & Women’s doubles earlier in the week. The seventh gold medal went to North Korea who won the Mixed Doubles event.

The best Asian table tennis player’s focus now turns to the 2014 ITTF Women’s World Cup, which will take place on 17-19 October 2014 in Linz, Austria and the LIEBHERR 2014 ITTF Men’s World Cup to be held in Dussledorf, Germany on 24-26 October 2014.

North Korean World Champions become Asian Games Champions

North Korea has become the 2014 Asian Games Mixed Doubles Champions in an emotional final at the Suwon Gymnasium in Incheon, Korea.

The North Korea pair of KIM Hyok Bong & KIM Jong who are the reigning Mixed Doubles World Champions, outclassed their Hong Kong opponents of JIANG Tianyi and LEE Ho Ching 12-10, 12-10, 10-12, 11-6, 11-6 to add the Asian Games gold to their World Championships gold.

The right and left handed competition were cheered on loudly by the local South Korean public who were shouting out “We Are…”, and the North Korea contingent replying “…One” in a sign of unity between the people of the two countries.

So emotional was the win, both players were crying on the podium, when their national anthem was played in the stadium, the same as they did at the 2013 World Championships. When asked about this, KIM Hyok Bong replied: “In 2013 when we became World Champions, we got a lot of love from our people and we were very thankful. We wanted to win the gold medal here again to get the feeling of love from our people again, as well as repay them for all the support that they have given us, which made us very emotional.”

The bronze medals went to the losing semi-finalists: Kim Minseok / Jeon Jihee (KOR) and Seiya KISHIKAWA / Ai FUKUHARA (JPN).

Olympic and World Champion ZHANG Jike paired up with his Chinese team mate MA Long to claim the Men’s Doubles gold medal.

The pair, which fans have been calling the “dream team” were too fast and too strong for their fellow Chinese opponents 17 year old FAN Zhendong and XU Xin winning 14-12, 11-3, 11-7, 11-6.

MA Long, the captain of the Chinese team stated after the match: “This match was the probably the best match Jike and I have ever played. Throughout the match, we were in cohesion and communicated well.

As the captain of the Chinese team, there is a responsibility for me to bring the team together and also cheer for each and every one of them. It also motivates me to perform and deal with stress better.”

High fives for North Korea as they add the Asian Games gold to their World Championships gold

GAO Ning / LI Hu (SIN) and Kenta MATSUDAIRA / Koki NIWA (JPN) claimed the bronze medals.

China’s CHEN Meng & ZHU Yuling were crowned the Women’s Doubles champions after they beat the favourites for gold, their Chinese team mates LIU Shiwen & WU Yang 12-10, 11-6, 8-11, 8-11, 11-3, 12-10.

After receiving their prized gold medal, ZHU Yuling, who will be competing in the Women’s singles semi-final tomorrow stated: “In the third game, I made some unnecessary mistakes because I was anxious. We then adjusted our strategies quickly to deal with our opponents combining attacking and chopping. This is the 2nd year that we are playing together, so we are able to adjust very quickly. We are very happy with his important gold medal for our country.”

Bronze went to LEE Ho Ching / NG Wing Nam (HKG) and KIM Jong / KIM Hye Song (PRK).

Tomorrow is the last day of the 2014 Asian Games Table Tennis event with the Men’s and Women’s singles semi-final and final taking place.

China Completes Clean Sweep Of The Youth Olympic Games Table Tennis

China has capped off a dream Youth Olympic Games by claiming gold in the Mixed Teams event to add to their Men’s and Women’s singles crown they won earlier in the week.

The Chinese team, made up of Men’s and Women’s singles champion FAN Zhendong and LIU Gaoyang, were too strong for their Japanese rivals KATO Miyu and MURAMATSU Yuto in the gold medal match in front of a crowd in excess of 4,000.

Both FAN Zhendong and LIU Gaoyang won their singles matches to take an unassailable 2-0 lead, which meant the third and deciding mixed doubles match was not needed.

An ecstatic FAN Zhendong, who is currently the senior world number three, and read the athletes oath at the Youth Olympic Games Opening Ceremony stated:

YOG Medallists of the Mixed Doubles Team event taking a selfie to celebrate their win. Photo Credit- Remy Gros:ITTF

“I was happy with the way I played, I was happy with my level of play. MURAMATSU played very well, and the match was close which made me nervous. It is a dream come true to win two gold medals at such an important event in my home country. Bring on Rio!

International Olympic Committee President, Thomas Bach, was that impressed when meeting the teenage prodigy whilst watching the Table Tennis yesterday that he promised FAN Zhendong that if he wins gold at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, he will personally present the gold medal to him.

Before the event begun, FAN boldly stated that he plans to be the first ever Youth Olympic Champion to also win Olympic gold, so who would bet against him doing the double in Rio!

LIU Gaoyang, who secured her second gold medal, added: “Two gold medals was my goal here. I was scared the whole event that I would not achieve my goal, so I am so, so happy that I am standing here with my goal fulfilled.”

The Hong Kong team represented by HUNG Ka Tak and singles silver medalist DOO Hoi Kem defeated the surprise semifinalists of the event from Thailand, Padasak TANVIRIYAVECHAKUL and Tamolwan KHETKHUAN, to secure the bronze medal 2-0.

The Mixed Teams event brings to a close a very successful and historic Table Tennis event at the Youth Olympic Games. The 2nd Youth Olympic Games saw Latin and North America win their first table tennis (Youth) Olympic medals, with Hugo CALDERANO (BRA) and Lily ZHANG both winning bronze medals in the singles events. Reflecting on the event, ITTF CEO Judit FARAGO stated:

“We are very happy with how the Table Tennis event went here in Nanjing. We had very large and vocal crowds for all the days, excellent sport presentation, live TV coverage all days as well as receiving the most views of any sport on the IOC YouTube channel. We are all thrilled to see the emergence of Latin America and North America here at the YOG and we look forward to these countries winning medals at the Olympic Games soon! FAN Zhendong from China is a real contender to be even Olympic champion in Rio”

The next big challenge for the world’s best under-18 table tennis players is the Wisdom 2014 ITTF World Junior Championships to be held in Shanghai, China from 30 November to 7 December 2014.

FAN Zhendong Moves Closer to Goal After Youth Olympic Games Gold

World number three, FAN Zhendong (CHN), is halfway to achieving his goal of winning consecutive Youth Olympic and Olympic golds after becoming the men’s Youth Olympic Games singles champion today in Nanjing, China.

Fan Zhendong

The senior world number three teenage sensation beat Yuto MURAMATSU (JPN), who was the only defender in the competition, 11-8, 9-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-4 to become the second Youth Olympic Champion.

FAN, who is already an ITTF World Team Champion stated after the match: “This was an amazing victory for me. I am extremely proud. I now need to work very hard to achieve my goal of Rio 2016 gold. This would be a dream come true to be the first ever player to have both Youth Olympic and Olympic gold medals and I think I can do it!”

“The Youth Olympic Games have been a once in a lifetime experience. I have really enjoyed it. I am very lucky to be here” concluded FAN.

It was double gold for China, as LIU Gaoyang clinched the women’s title by defeating the number one seed DOO Hoi Kem (HKG) 11-6, 11-5, 6-11, 11-1, 11-3 in front of a crowd in excess of 4,000.

LIU, who won silver at last years ITTF World Junior Championship stated:”I’ve been under a lot of pressure here in Nanjing and winning today is more a sense of relief than anything else. I was very proud standing up on the podium singing the Chinese National anthem. It is a real boost to my career.”

The 6 Youth Olympic Games Medalists, including the first ever 2 from the Americas

There was history made in both the men’s and women’s bronze medal play offs, with Latin America and North America winning their first ever table tennis Olympic medals, which portrays the global strength of Table Tennis.

Brazil’s Hugo CALDERANO defeated YANG Heng-Wei (TPE) 11-9, 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 9-11, 12-10 to win the men’s bronze to confirm rise of the Latin American continent.

The 18-year-old from Rio de Janiro stated: “I am so happy, it was a very hard match. I can’t explain how emotional and proud I am to win the first ever table tennis Olympic medal for Latin America. I hope my successful can help push table tennis in the continent even further.”

United States Lily ZHANG was equally excited about her 10-12, 11-9, 12-10, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8 victory over KATO Miyu (JPN) to win the groundbreaking bronze medal: “I wanted this medal so much, not just for me, but for my country. I had to keep myself calm before the match and try not to think about it too much. I was even more determined to win the medal, as my roommate came home last night with a silver. I feel like I am floating I am that ecstatic.”

Focus now turns to the mixed teams event, which consists of one boy and one girl who have qualified for the singles event. Teams can be composed of players from different NOCs where only boy or girl qualified in singles. The mixed teams gold medal match will be played on Saturday 23 August 2014. A full list of teams can be found here: http://bit.ly/1rWRjCM.

FAN Zhendong Not Just Looking For Youth Olympic Games Gold

FAN starts his quest to win YOG gold after reading the athletes oath at the Opening Ceremony. Photo by Remy Gros: ITTF

Fresh from reading the Olympic oath on behalf of the Youth Olympic Games athletes, FAN Zhendong (CHN) has announced that winning Youth Olympic Games gold is not the 17 year old’s only goal.

The senior world number three stated today, on the first day of the table tennis event here in Wutaishan Gymnasium in Nanjing, China: “I am very happy and excited to be here at the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing. It is very cool to be here. Nobody has ever become the Youth Olympic and Olympic Champion, so I want to do this! Gold in Nanjing and gold in Rio is my goal!

After becoming the youngest ever ITTF World Tour champion at 16 years old last year, as well as being part of the Chinese National team that claimed gold at the ZEN-NOH 2014 World Team Championships in Tokyo, Japan earlier this year, who would bet against him!

Before FAN pushes himself on the senior stage for his Rio goal, he first has to focus on Nanjing, which will be no easy task, with 32 of the world’s best under-18 players vying for gold in the men’s singles.

MURAMATSU Yuto (JPN), who is the only defensive player in the event, along with Brazil’s CALDERANO Hugo, who also has aspirations for Rio 2016 in his home country, will be FAN’s biggest threat for gold.

DOO Hoi Kem (HKG) goes into the women’s event as the number one seed and has her eye firmly set on the gold medal. Her biggest challenge to become the Youth Olympic Games champion will be from LIU Gaoyang (CHN), who will be spurred on by the large home crowd here in Nanjing.

The men’s and women’s singles event starts off with eight groups of four players playing a round robin event. The top two players from each group then play in a round of 16 knock out until the champions are crowned on Wednesday, 20 August 2014.

Once the singles event has concluded, all the focus will turn to the mixed teams event, which consists of one boy and one girl who have qualified for the singles event. Teams can be composed of players from different NOCs where only boy or girl qualified in singles. The mixed teams gold medal match will be played on Saturday 23 August 2014.

FAN Zhendong CHINA, NANJING ittfworld

FAN Zhendong was not the only table tennis player involved in the opening ceremony last night. Current World and Olympic Champion ZHANG Jike had the honour of running with the Olympic Torch in the stadium and three times World Champion and Athlete’s Role Model here in Nanjing, WANG Liqin carried out the Olympic flag.

Youth Olympic Games athletes: Henri Christ BIENATIKI (CGO), Fatouma ALI SALAH (DJI), Brian AFANADOR (PUR), Adina DIACONU (ROU) and Soudes ALLASSANI (TOG) had the privilege of carrying in their national flag into the Olympic stadium.

Reflecting on this once in a lifetime experience, Brian AFANADOR (PUR) stated: “It was a very emotional moment for me to carry the flag at last night’s opening ceremony. I was really proud about it, definitely the most inspiring and significant moment for me. I screamed in joy when I found that I would be carrying the flag!”

MA Long Closes in on World Tour Record After Victory at China Open

MA Long (CHN) has moved closer to becoming the most successful ever ITTF World Tour player by clinching gold at the GAC Group 2014 World Tour Super Series China Open which concluded on 8 June 2014 in Chengdu, China.

The world number two defeated the world number one XU Xin (CHN) 11-7, 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 11-4 to claim his 17th World Tour title, which is only six behind the legendary Vladimir SAMSONOV (BLR) who is on 23.

After his victory, the 24-year-old stated: I am very happy to win my 17th World Tour title, this means a lot. However I still have quite a few wins left if I am going to catch up to Samsonov’s record of 23.”

MA Long’s gold medal at the China Open moves him closer to the ITTF World Tour record.
Photo credit: ITTF.

“I had a near-perfect event here, I would like to thank all my fans in Chengdu who came out and supported me, it meant a lot.”

DING Ning (CHN) broke her drought of never winning the China Open by defeating world number one and team mate LIU Shiwen (CHN) 11-6, 5-11, 11-8, 11-7, 4-11, 2-11, 11-2 in the women’s singles final in front of a capacity crowd at the Sichuan Province Gymnasium.

“I am satisfied with my performance here in Chengdu, I am very happy that I was finally able to win my home event, the China Open,” stated the 23 year old.

The story of the 17-year-old prodigy FAN Zhendong (CHN) continued in the men’s doubles as he teamed up with the singles champion MA Long (CHN) to win his first ever World Tour doubles gold.

The combination of FAN Zhendong and MA Long was too strong for XU Xin (CHN) and Olympic and World Champion ZHANG Jike (CHN) in an extremely entertaining final, defeating them 6-11, 11-4, 5-11, 11-4, 14-12.

A thrilled FAN, who shocked the world by winning the German Open last year as a 16-year-old, stated: “We did a good job in the final and played well with each other. It was an honour to play with MA Long. This is the first time I have won a world tour doubles title so it is exciting.”

Women’s singles champion DING Ning (CHN) teamed up with the woman she beat in the singles final, LIU Shiwen (CHN), to win gold in the women’s doubles.

The Chinese pair were simply too good for the young duo from Chinese Taipei CHENG I-Ching & HUANG Yi-Hua, winning 11-5, 11-4, 11-9.

Asuka MACHI (JPN) handled the pressure of his first under-21 final well as he upset the Philippines Open under-21 Champion CHEN Feng (SIN) 6-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4, 2-11, 11-4, 11-7.

Australian Open under -21 winner, 13-year-old Mima ITO (JPN), had to settle for silver this time around, as she was comprehensively beaten by CHEN Szu-Yu (TPE) 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-7, 11-7.

The China Open was the 10th event out of 21 in the GAC Group 2014 ITTF World Tour. At each event, the players earn Race to Bangkok points to qualify them for the 1-million-dollar GAC Group 2014 World Tour Grand Finals to be held in Bangkok, Thailand on 11-14 December 2014.

Toriola, Quadri, Ajetunmobi in good start at ITTF World Tour in Germany

Nigeria’s trio of Segun Toriola, Aruna Quadri and Seun Ajetunmobi began their campaigns at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF)-sanctioned World Tour tagged German Open on good note on Wednesday with victories in their first matches at the five-day championship.

With over 290 players from 41 countries taking part in the championship holding in Magdeburg, Germany, Ajetunmobi inspired his compatriot early on Wednesday when he overcame homeboy – Germany’s Phillip Floritz in an explosive encounter that attracted the fans to table two.

From the start of the match, the German was confident that he was going to have a good run against the Nigerian and this came to past as he won the first two matches at 11-8, 11-5. But Ajetunmobi fought back to level up at 11-9, 11-9. The German again restored the lead with 1-5 win but as usual Ajetunmobi recovered to win the sixth game at 11-8. However, the final game was beyond the German as he fell 11-5 to Ajetunmobi to concede defeat to the Nigerian.

But Aruna was however, on easy lane as he whitewashed Italy’s Marco Rech Daldosso 13-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-6 while like Ajetunmobi, Toriola did not have it easy against Russia’s Taras Merzlikin but he fought hard to beat the Russian 15-13, 8-11, 9-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7.

To be certain of playing in the main draw, Ajetunmobi will play his last group match against Russia’s Alexey Liventsou, while Quadri will confront Japan’s Yuto Muramatsu on Thursday. Toriola will also battle Czech Republic’s Pavel Sirucek.

For the women’s singles pairing, Olaide Atinuke has been drawn in Group 22 alongside Slovakia’s Barbora Balazova and Hungary’s Dora Madarasz, while Ganiat Olatunde-Aruna will tackle Spain’s Galia Dvorak and Russia’s Elena Troshneva in Group 22.

Meanwhile, runner’s up at the 2010 edition in Berlin, China’s Wang Hao is the top seed in the men’s singles event at the tournament.
With the main draw expected to begin on Friday March 28, 30 year-old former world number one is no doubt approaching the twilight years of his international career, as the likes of Fan Zhendong and Yan An make their mark on the scene and press for places in the Chinese Men’s first team.

Like what Hao intends to achieve, Sweden’s Jan-Ove Waldner was 31 when he was crowned Men’s Singles World champion in Manchester in 1997; Werner Schlager was 30 years of age when he succeeded at the Liebherr World Championships in Paris in 2003.

In Germany, Hao will be seeking to add to the 13 already secured titles with the most recent being in Poland in November 2012.
The host nation’s Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Timo Boll are the respective second and third seeds. Ovtcharov won in 2012 in Berlin, while Boll is the most successful of all. He succeeded in 2004 in Leipzig, 2006 in Bayreuth and then in 2008 in Berlin and in 2009 in Bremen.