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Louis Laffineur

Only 13 years and listed at no.412 on the current Under 18 Boys’ World Rankings, not only did Louis Laffineur cause a major opening day shock, he caused one of the biggest upsets of the year; he beat Japan’s Takeru Kashiwa in a tense five games duel, determined  by the very minimal two point margin in the deciding fifth game (11-7, 3-11, 11-13, 11-5, 12-10).Not only was Takeru Kashiwa, the no.4 seed, he is listed 370 places higher on the rankings at no.42. Meanwhile, last year on the ITTF World Junior Circuit he was the runner up in Slovenia and earlier this year a quarter-finalist in the Czech Republic.The young man put in shade the efforts of his more illustrious Belgian colleagues.

Continental force but can Portugal land success in Halmstad

Portugal could very well be a force to contend with in Halmstad with Marcos Freitas, Tiago Apolonia and João Monteiro leading the team’s efforts. Diogo Carvalho and young star João Geraldo also make the selection.Victorious at the 2014 European Team Championships held in Lisbon and then one year later at the 2015 European Games in Baku, Portugal has become one of the stalwarts of European table tennis over the past couple of years but on the world stage the team is yet to make a real statement.Never before in the history of the competition has Portugal won a medal at the World Team Championships but two years back at the most recent edition of the event the trio of Marcos Freitas, Tiago Apolonia and João Monteiro achieved a respectable top eight finish in Kuala Lumpur.

Singapore produce another magical performance in Halmstad

Led by the experienced figures of Feng Tianwei and Yu Mengyu, Singapore is taking the opportunity to field some of their younger stars on the world stage with Koh Kai Xin Pearlyn, Lin Ye and Zhang Wanling also making the trip to Halmstad.Runner up in 2008 and 2012, Singapore also secured a bronze medal finish in 2014 but it was the 2010 edition of the World Team Championships where they achieved one of the great upsets in the history of the competition.Against the odds Singapore dethroned top seeds China in the Women’s Team final with Feng Tianwei beating up-and-coming talents at the time Ding Ning and Liu Shiwen in dramatic style.However, it hasn’t all been great news for Team Singapore: Considered as major contenders for silverware but at the Perfect 2016 World Team Championships Singapore failed to negotiate its opening match against DPR Korea and also missed out on a Women’s Team bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Daily aerobic sessions

Created by England’s Steve Rowe in Wigan, a suburb of Greater Manchester, the aim is to deliver Aerobic Table Tennis to hundreds of children and like-minded people over a two week period.Steve has been communicating with organisers Thomas Buza (Marketing & Communication) and Carina Jakobsson (Project Manager) over the last few months, planning all the sessions.We are happy to engage Steve Rowe and his joyful Aerobic Table Tennis; this will help us promote the World Championships in Halmstad as well as increase interest for the sport itself and the fun of moving, bouncing and using your entire body to music. Steve will do about 20 sessions in schools, at libraries and at our main square in the city centre.” Carina JakobssonThe sessions will be organised in liaison with Ping Pong Power

2018 World Tour China Open

ITTF CEO Steve DAINTON stated: “We are happy to welcome AIA, the largest public listed pan-Asian life insurance group, as a partner of the China Open. Their support attests to the continued high profile of table tennis in China, and the ITTF platform is ideal for AIA to promote their brand to a global audience through extensive TV broadcast, local spectators and global social media.”CEO of AIA China, ZHANG Xiaoyu shared “Table tennis is the national sport of China, it’s one of the most popular and common sport amongst people here. Through partnering with the 2018 ITTF China Open, AIA hopes to encourage people to pursue a healthier and active lifestyle, and to work hand in hand to live healthier, longer and better lives.”

World Table Tennis Day

Likewise, led by Igoris Kozemiakinas in Zujunai, a town near the capital city of Vilnius, a Mixed Doubles competition was held. Notably as in Tverai, the youngest player on duty was only nine years old but most pertinently there were celebrated names on duty. Rimas Lesiv and Vitalija Venckute were present, the respective Men‘s Singles runner up and semi-finalist earlier this year at the 2018 Lithuanian National Championships. Also, there were players present who had enjoyed success in the Hopes category in the 2018 Lithuanian National Junior Championships; Laura Abaraviciute and Gabija Abaraviciute were names to note.

Yanapong Panagitgun and Goi Rui Xuan add names to Buenos Aires invitation list

Good form; that good form continued; he overcame Panama’s Jacobo Vahnish (11-8, 11-8, 11-5, 11-9) to add his name to the Buenos Aires invitation list. Undoubtedly the appearance of Jacobo Vahnish in the final was somewhat of a surprise. The no.6 seed, at the quarter-final stage he had beaten Canada’s Jeremy Hazin, the no.2 seed (11-9, 3-11, 11-9, 3-11, 12-10, 11-4), prior to accounting for Peru’s Rodrigo Hidalgo, the no.4 seed (16-14, 3-11, 11-6, 10-12, 11-9, 11-6) in the penultimate round.

Ma Long

Arguably the best two-winged looper in table tennis history, Ma's playing style is that of the modern strategy of close-range third ball play. At the beginning of his career, his play strategy was primarily forehand-oriented, dominating play with powerful forehand loops, only using his backhand for controlled returns and to set up the forehand. He still plays a forehand-oriented style, but his backhand has become more consistent and stable as his career has progressed. Ma uses his backhand mainly to aggressively block and drive, but will occasionally loop himself. Opponents are usually caught off guard when he suddenly loops with his backhand, which he can do near the table or away from it. Compared to when he was younger, he is much more confident using his backhand to attack and defend.

2016 Rio Olympics

After a clean sweep victory in the Men's Singles at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Ma Long became the fifth player to complete a career Grand Slam (winning the Olympics, World Championships, and World Cup), joining Sweden's Jan-Ove Waldner and China's Liu Guoliang, Kong Linghui, and Zhang Jike. Additionally, he became the first male player (and second overall) in the world to have won every singles title in table tennis.

Zhang Jike

Zhang Jike is a two-winged shakehand attacker, using a combination of quick topspin drive attacks, counters, and loops. He is primarily a speed-oriented player, using the harder blue sponge H3 for maximum drive. He stays very low to the ground and is exceptionally quick on his feet. Among all the Chinese National team players, he is known for having the best backhand technique, often using it in the forehand corner, especially when returning heavy under-spin serves and pushes. His backhand on-the-table flick is widely regarded as one of the best in the world.