33th International Open 14th Adapted VIC   Marc Duran of DKV Borges Vall and China’s Girbau Vic TT Wang Zhipei will try for the third consecutive year to get the absolute title of the 33rd International Open of Vic to be held this weekend September 8 and 9 in the Municipal Sports Pavilion “Castell d’en Planes” of Vic (Barcelona).   This 33rd edition will have more than 300 participants.      MOST OUTSTANDING PARTICIPANTS   Absolute men   MARC DURAN (DKV Borges) 268 ORIOL MONZÓ (DKV Borges)      269 SUCH BARTOSZ (Morliny Ostróda) 282 CARLOS FRANCO (S.Sebastián de los Reyes) 274 DIOGO PINHO (Sport Lisboa e Benfica) 250 MIGUEL ÁNGEL VILCHEZ (ASTT Miramas) 275     Absolute women   WANG ZHIPEI (Girbau Vic TT) 215                 CHARLOTE CAREY (ESV Weil) 201 CLÀUDIA CAYMEL (Girbau Vic TT) 211 ANA GARCÍA (Girbau Vic TT) 210 ANETA OLENDZKA (CTT Balaguer) 270                 ALBA FERNÁNDEZ (Suris Calella) 237    Adapted   JOAQUÍN AZCÓN (CTT Cardedeu) 166 RAMON LACAMBRA (Sant Quintí de Mediona) 169  

Women`s German Cup Qualifications concluded in Seligenstadt   Favourites proved their status at the 2018/19 Women`s German Cup Final-Four Qualifications concluded yesterday September 2nd in Seligenstadt. TTG Bingen/Münster-Sarmsheim TuS Bad Driburg SV DJK Kolbermoor and TTC Berlin Eatside have won all matches in their respective groups.   German Cup defender and four-time ECLW winner Berlin beat both their opponents in Group D TTC G.-W. Staffel and TV Busenbach 3:0 providing impressive 18:1 set-ratio. Two newcomers Nina MITTELHAM and Matilda EKHOLM showed why they were engaged by Irina PALINA`s side.   SV DJK Kolbermoor showed no mercy against TSV 1909 Langstadt and ESV Weil in Group A booking its place at Final Four by two clear wins (18:4 set-ratio in total). Sabine WINTER LIU Jia and Kristin LANG faced Petrissa SOLJA`s TSV 1909 Langstadt in the decisive round when WINTER paved the way to Kolbermoor`s victory as they overcame SOLJA (3:2) in the opener.

Women`s German Cup Qualifications concluded in Seligenstadt   Favourites proved their status at the 2018/19 Women`s German Cup Final-Four Qualifications concluded yesterday September 2nd in Seligenstadt. TTG Bingen/Münster-Sarmsheim TuS Bad Driburg SV DJK Kolbermoor and TTC Berlin Eatside have won all matches in their respective groups.   German Cup defender and four-time ECLW winner Berlin beat both their opponents in Group D TTC G.-W. Staffel and TV Busenbach 3:0 providing impressive 18:1 set-ratio. Two newcomers Nina MITTELHAM and Matilda EKHOLM showed why they were engaged by Irina PALINA`s side.   SV DJK Kolbermoor showed no mercy against TSV 1909 Langstadt and ESV Weil in Group A booking its place at Final Four by two clear wins (18:4 set-ratio in total). Sabine WINTER LIU Jia and Kristin LANG faced Petrissa SOLJA`s TSV 1909 Langstadt in the decisive round when WINTER paved the way to Kolbermoor`s victory as they overcame SOLJA (3:2) in the opener.

The Chinese Table Tennis team has swept all five Gold medals (Men’s Team Women’s Team Mixed Doubles Men’s Singles & Women’s Singles) at the 2018 Asian Games table tennis event that concluded today 1 September 2018 in Jakarta Indonesia.   In an all-Chinese Women’s Singles final top seeded CHEN Meng faced off against two-time World Junior Champion WANG Manyu. The more experienced CHEN was able to take a 3-1 lead in the fiery exchange that lasted 90 minutes but WANG was determined to shine on her first Asian Games outing. Quick to respond and change her tactics WANG managed to turn the tides around to win the next three games to be crowned Women’s Singles Champion 4-3 (11-7 5-11 14-16 7-11 11-6 11-8 11-8).   After winning match point WANG clenched her fist and pointed to her coach XIAO Zhan in the crowd in celebration for her victory and attributed her success to her parents “I’m happy winning the title it’s certainly a confidence boost for me. It’s not an easy journey for me and I would never have achieved what I have achieved today without my parents. They have done a lot for me and I think this is a good way to repay them.”   “At 1-3 down I still kept my calm and never gave up in my mind as long as the match is not over I have my chance to come back ” added the 19-year-old Champion.   In a rematch of the 2018 Asian Cup final in Yokohama earlier this year world number one FAN Zhendong (CHN) was able to repeat his success over teammate LIN Gaoyuan (CHN).    After missing out on the title at the last Asian Games in Incheon FAN was determined for Gold in Jakarta. The 21-year-old started out strong giving LIN no chance to fight back in the first two games. Despite LIN’s efforts to level 2-2 it was FAN who proved why he’s the current world number one winning the next two games to claim the title 4-2 (11-8 11-5 15-17 4-11 11-8 11-6).   After his victory an elated FAN shared “The feeling of winning is of course really great but the process is definitely not easy. I did face a lot of difficulty in both the Team & Singles events and it’s not as easy as it appears to be. The chance of playing a multi-sport event is rare for us because it happens only every 4 years just like the Olympic Games I think it’s important to experience this feeling of playing such an event and being able to withstand the pressure to win is an especially important take-away for me.”   World number 94 Noshad ALAMIYAN brought home Iran’s first Asian Games table tennis medal since 1966 after knocking out world number 26 JEOUNG Youngsik (KOR) & world number nine WONG Chun Ting (HKG) en route to the semi-finals before losing to LIN 4-0 to end his dream run.    Reflecting on his feat ALAMIYAN stated “This is the second Singles Bronze medal for Iran after 52 years. I’m so happy too many plans have been made for us to get here by my country. This is not by chance we have done so much I have trained so hard to get here to reach the medal. I had this goal in my mind and now I have done it. This is my best result I have ever had.”   Together with ALAMIYAN Korea Republic’s LEE Sangsu was awarded the Bronze medal in the Men’s Singles event while JEON Jihee (KOR) & YU Mengyu (SGP) took home the Women’s Singles Bronze.   Chinese youngsters WANG Chuqin & SUN Yingsha clinched the Mixed Doubles title on 30August after coming back from 0-2 to defeat their compatriots LIN Gaoyuan & WANG Manyu 4-2 (12-14 9-11 14-12 13-11 11-7 11-7).   In the Men’s & Women’s Team events the Chinese emerged victorious against Korea Republic & Korea DPR respectively to round up their title haul at the Asian Games.   With the conclusion of the 2018 Asian Games all attention now turns to the ITTF Women’s & Men’s World Cups in Chengdu & Paris respectively:   Uncle Pop 2018 ITTF Women’s World Cup – 28-30 Sep 2018 Chengdu (CHN) Liebherr 2018 ITTF Men’s World Cup – 19-21 Oct 2018. Paris (FRA)  Quick Links: 2018 Asian Games News & Articles Results & Schedule Flash Quotes Photos for Editorial Use

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has confirmed 26 host cities for the 2019 ITTF World Junior Circuit. The ITTF World Junior Circuit is the only junior (under 18) & cadet’s (under 15) regular table tennis tour for young up-and-coming stars to gain valuable experience playing with other top juniors from all around the world and prepare them for their senior’s debut internationally.   The top 8 girls and 8 boys on the 2019 World Junior Circuit standings will also be offered scholarships to promote and assist them reach their best playing level in the future.   The 26 events on the circuit will be split into three tiers; four (4) ITTF World Junior Circuit Golden events nine (9) World Junior Circuit Premium events and thirteen (13) World Junior Circuit events with the Golden series being the top tier offering higher prize money. Playing under good conditions and better exposure the rising stars of the sport and the host cities will be exposed through global digital traditional media & TV coverage.   On the announcement ITTF Head of Junior Program Mr Mounir BESSAH stated “I am delighted to announce the ITTF World Junior Circuit will be present all across the world. This year five Continents will host the events and this will give the young players the opportunities to get exposure at the international level.”   The 2019 ITTF World Junior Circuit will see China Hong Kong & Thailand retaining their status as Golden series hosts while 2018 Premium event host Croatia upgraded to be one of the four Golden series events.    For more information please head to the 2019 ITTF World Junior Circuit website here.   The full list of 2019 ITTF World Junior Circuit events are:  ITTF World Junior Circuit Golden:   ITTF Junior Circuit Golden Thailand Junior & Cadet Open Bangkok (THA): 15-19 May ITTF Junior Circuit Golden China Junior & Cadet Open Taicang (CHN): 12-16 Jun ITTF Junior Circuit Golden Hong Kong Junior & Cadet Open Hong Kong (HKG): 7-11 Aug ITTF Junior Circuit Golden Croatian Junior & Cadet Open Varaždin (CRO): 18-22 Sep  ITTF World Junior Circuit Premium:   ITTF Junior Circuit Premium Bahrain Junior & Cadet Open Manama (BRN): 7-11 Feb ITTF Junior Circuit Premium Czech Junior & Cadet Open Hodonín (CZE): 13-17 Feb ITTF Junior Circuit Premium Italy Junior & Cadet Open Lignano (ITA): 20-24 Mar ITTF Junior Circuit Premium French Junior & Cadet Open Metz (FRA): 10-14 Apr ITTF Junior Circuit Premium Belgium Junior & Cadet Open Spa (BEL): 15-19 Apr ITTF Junior Circuit Premium Polish Junior & Cadet Open Władysławowo (POL): 22-26 May ITTF Junior Circuit Premium Chinese Taipei Junior & Cadet Open Taipei (TPE): 24-28 Sep ITTF Junior Circuit Premium Oman Junior & Cadet Open Muscat (OMA): 24-28 Oct ITTF Junior Circuit Premium Hungarian Junior & Cadet Open Szombathely (HUN): 6-10 Nov  ITTF World Junior Circuit   ITTF Junior Circuit Swedish Junior & Cadet Open Örebro (SWE): 20-24 Feb ITTF Junior Circuit Chile Junior & Cadet Open Santiago (CHI): 20-24 Mar ITTF Junior Circuit Ghana Junior & Cadet Open Accra (GHA): 1-5 Apr ITTF Junior Circuit Australian Junior & Cadet Open Darwin (AUS): 28 Apr-1 May ITTF Junior Circuit Spanish Junior & Cadet Open Platja D’Aro (ESP): 1-5 May ITTF Junior Circuit Slovak Junior & Cadet Open Bratislava (SVK): 16-19 May ITTF Junior Circuit Morocco Junior & Cadet Open Meknes (MAR): 12-16 Jun ITTF Junior Circuit El Salvador Junior & Cadet Open San Salvador (ESA): 14-18 Aug ITTF Junior Circuit Serbia Junior & Cadet Open Belgrade (SRB): 24-28 Sep ITTF Junior Circuit Slovenia Junior & Cadet Open Otočec (SLO): 2-6 Oct ITTF Junior Circuit Macedonia Junior & Cadet Open Skopje (MKD): 8-12 Oct ITTF Junior Circuit Egypt Junior & Cadet Open Sharm El Sheikh (EGY): 16-20 Oct ITTF Junior Circuit Portugal Junior & Cadet Open Guimaraes (POR): 18-22 Nov The 2019 ITTF calendar is also available here.

China has successfully defended their Men’s & Women’s Team titles at the 2018 Asian Games today 28 August 2018 clinching its seventh consecutive Men’s & fourth consecutive Women’s Team Gold.   The Chinese men’s team of LIN Gaoyuan FAN Zhendong & WANG Chuqin were pumped in the Men’s Team final against third seeded Korea Republic team formed by LEE Sangsu JEOUNG Youngsik & JANG Woojin.   World number four LIN Gaoyuan was on fire against 2017 World Championships bronze medalist LEE Sangsu giving the latter no chance to fight back ending matters quickly in the first match 11-3 11-3 11-2.   Despite putting up a tough fight JEOUNG Youngsik was unable to upset world number one FAN Zhendong to level the score losing 12-10 8-11 8-11 7-11.   18-year-old WANG Chuqin then faced 23-year-old JANG Woojin in an epic counter that thrilled the sell-out crowd at the Jakarta International Expo. Recovering from his semifinals loss to Chinese Taipei’s LIN Yun-Ju earlier in the day WANG Chuqin held on to his nerves to overcome JANG Woojin 13-11 7-11 11-9 11-6 to help China win its record seventh Gold.   Playing in his first Asian Games WANG Chuqin stated “After the semifinals loss I was devastated. Luckily my team stood behind me and motivated me giving me the power to fight in the final and I was able to give in my everything in the match.”   Though losing to Korea Republic in the semifinals the Indian men’s team made history in Jakarta securing their first ever table tennis medal at the Asian Games.    The trio of Sathiyan GNANASEKARAN Sharath Kamal ACHANTA & Harmeet Rajul DESAI pulled off an incredible upset against second seeded Japanese team of Kenta MATSUDAIRA Jin UEDA & Masaki YOSHIDA 3-1 in the quarterfinals to achieve the historic feat.   India’s top player Sharath Kamal ACHANTA reflected “It’s really awesome to win our first Asian Games medal and make history! We have never dreamt of an Asian Games medal because Asia is so strong and it’s very hard for us to get medals here. We’ve been steadily improving for the last 2 years since the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games gave us a lot of confidence. Now the country knows table tennis people are talking about table tennis and this has been something that I had been wanting for such a long time!”   In the Women’s Team event the Chinese trio of ZHU Yuling CHEN Meng & WANG Manyu proved too strong for the North Korean team of KIM Song I CHA Hyo Sim & KIM Nam Hae defending their title 3-0.   ZHU Yuling was unstoppable in her close encounter with Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist KIM Song I winning 11-9 11-8 11-6 to give China a 1-0 lead.    CHEN Meng was able to keep up the winning momentum against CHA Hyo Sim winning 11-6 11-8 14-12 before two-time World Junior Champion WANG Manyu survived the challenges from KIM Nam Hae to seal the final deal for China 8-11 11-5 11-4 11-7.   “We are very happy with the victory! I played the third match in the last edition of the Asian Games in Incheon and today I played first and was able to win the first point for our team it’s definitely not easy ” stated world number one ZHU Yuling after leading China to Gold. “I think unity is the key for our team victory today all five of us are close in age and it’s easier to communicate between us and cooperate with our coach that was crucial.”   The Chinese Taipei men’s team took home the other Men’s Team Bronze medal while Hong Kong & Korea Republic settled for the Women’s Team Bronze to round up the Team event.   The 2018 Asian Games table tennis event continues tomorrow 29 August with the Mixed Doubles action followed by the Mixed Doubles Final on 30 August while the Men’s & Women’s Singles competition will begin from 30 August till 1 September.   Quick Links: 2018 Asian Games News & Articles Results & Schedule Flash Quotes Photos for Editorial Use