WTT Champions Montpellier 2025...
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AJ Scott
Oct 28, 2025, 7:59:56 AM10/28/25
to NYTableTennis
In case you weren't aware, this is about to start at 8 am and go on
through Sunday:
https://www.worldtabletennis.com/eventInfo?selectedTab=Matches&innerselectedTab=Scheduled&eventId=3099
[schedule for today & tomorrow]. When looking at the schedule, pls.
remember that France (and Western & Central Europe) is currently 5 hrs.
ahead of us, but will be 6 hrs. ahead of us this Sunday when we turn
back the clock 1 hour. There is one table in play and it will be
livestreamed at the WTT YouTube channel here:
Session 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlCzHPmfYsg [starting at 8
am today]
Session 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU_5tf7Ef8U [starting at
1:30 pm today]
Player list:
https://www.worldtabletennis.com/eventInfo?selectedTab=Player%20List&eventId=3099&innerselectedTab=Scheduled.
Some of the top Chinese players have pulled out of this event and WTT
Champions Frankfurt next week, so the top 5 men's seeds this week are
Hugo Calderano, Harimoto Tomokazu, Felix Lebrun, Truls Moregard, and
Benedikt Duda. As for the women, the top 5 seeds are Chen Xingtong,
Kuai Man, Wang Yidi, Zhu Yuling and Harimoto Miwa. Chen Xingtong plays
in the very 1st match this morning vs. the Berni Szocs, the European no.
1. Oh and by the way, I think that's going to change soon. I think the
current top 2 Germans, Han Ying and Sabine Winter, will pass her soon.
Han Ying was formerly in the top-10, but Winter has never made the
top-10 or top-20, but I think she will soon. I think Sabine Winter will
soon be the European no. 1 woman for the first time in her career.
Penholders... They're just on the men's side this week--Felix Lebrun
and Dang Qiu, who won London this past weekend.
Pips-out/anti-spin players... They're only on the women's side this
week--Itoh Mima (short pips/bh), Hashimoto Honoka (chopper--she's now in
the top-10 for the 1st time), Yang Xiaoxin (long pips/bh--last
chopblocker to make the top-10), Han Ying (last chopper to make the
top-10 before Hashimoto this week), Yuan Jianan (short pips/fh), Sabine
Winter (anti-spin/bh), Liu Yangzi (short pips/bh), and Jee Min-hyung
(medium pips/bh?).
Americans... This week it'll be the US no. 1 man & woman, Kanak Jha and
Lily Zhang, and the PR no. 1 woman, Adriana Diaz. All 3 of them have
really tough 1st matches unfortunately. Kanak plays Hugo Calderano,
Lily plays Chen Yi, and Adriana has to play the former world's no. 1,
Zhu Yuling. It just so happens that Adri plays in the Japanese T-League
this season and Zhu Yuling is one of her teammates.
Anyhow, for me, the most compelling story this week is the ranking
points race. Now that Wang Chuqin & Lin Shidong have pulled out this
week and next, Hugo Calderano has a chance to move up from 3rd place to
2nd place in the world rankings, passing Lin Shidong. These 2 pullouts
are fortuitous for Hugo. He just has to go out and win this week and
next. If you look at the rankings and click the "plus-sign" ("+") next
to Lin Shindong's ranking you will see that 1000 of his ranking points
will expire 2 wks. from now. And Wang Chuqin will lose 1500 points a
month from now. If Hugo can win this week and next, he might pass Lin
Shindong and get close to Wang in the rankings. This couldn't be a
better time for Hugo Calderano--he just has step up and win. I think he
knows this, which is why he left the Pan-Am Championships early. This,
right here, right now, is his time.
Ok, the matches are about to start in a few minutes. I'm sure this 2nd
iteration of Montpellier will be just as entertaining as it was last year
through Sunday:
https://www.worldtabletennis.com/eventInfo?selectedTab=Matches&innerselectedTab=Scheduled&eventId=3099
[schedule for today & tomorrow]. When looking at the schedule, pls.
remember that France (and Western & Central Europe) is currently 5 hrs.
ahead of us, but will be 6 hrs. ahead of us this Sunday when we turn
back the clock 1 hour. There is one table in play and it will be
livestreamed at the WTT YouTube channel here:
Session 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlCzHPmfYsg [starting at 8
am today]
Session 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU_5tf7Ef8U [starting at
1:30 pm today]
Player list:
https://www.worldtabletennis.com/eventInfo?selectedTab=Player%20List&eventId=3099&innerselectedTab=Scheduled.
Some of the top Chinese players have pulled out of this event and WTT
Champions Frankfurt next week, so the top 5 men's seeds this week are
Hugo Calderano, Harimoto Tomokazu, Felix Lebrun, Truls Moregard, and
Benedikt Duda. As for the women, the top 5 seeds are Chen Xingtong,
Kuai Man, Wang Yidi, Zhu Yuling and Harimoto Miwa. Chen Xingtong plays
in the very 1st match this morning vs. the Berni Szocs, the European no.
1. Oh and by the way, I think that's going to change soon. I think the
current top 2 Germans, Han Ying and Sabine Winter, will pass her soon.
Han Ying was formerly in the top-10, but Winter has never made the
top-10 or top-20, but I think she will soon. I think Sabine Winter will
soon be the European no. 1 woman for the first time in her career.
Penholders... They're just on the men's side this week--Felix Lebrun
and Dang Qiu, who won London this past weekend.
Pips-out/anti-spin players... They're only on the women's side this
week--Itoh Mima (short pips/bh), Hashimoto Honoka (chopper--she's now in
the top-10 for the 1st time), Yang Xiaoxin (long pips/bh--last
chopblocker to make the top-10), Han Ying (last chopper to make the
top-10 before Hashimoto this week), Yuan Jianan (short pips/fh), Sabine
Winter (anti-spin/bh), Liu Yangzi (short pips/bh), and Jee Min-hyung
(medium pips/bh?).
Americans... This week it'll be the US no. 1 man & woman, Kanak Jha and
Lily Zhang, and the PR no. 1 woman, Adriana Diaz. All 3 of them have
really tough 1st matches unfortunately. Kanak plays Hugo Calderano,
Lily plays Chen Yi, and Adriana has to play the former world's no. 1,
Zhu Yuling. It just so happens that Adri plays in the Japanese T-League
this season and Zhu Yuling is one of her teammates.
Anyhow, for me, the most compelling story this week is the ranking
points race. Now that Wang Chuqin & Lin Shidong have pulled out this
week and next, Hugo Calderano has a chance to move up from 3rd place to
2nd place in the world rankings, passing Lin Shidong. These 2 pullouts
are fortuitous for Hugo. He just has to go out and win this week and
next. If you look at the rankings and click the "plus-sign" ("+") next
to Lin Shindong's ranking you will see that 1000 of his ranking points
will expire 2 wks. from now. And Wang Chuqin will lose 1500 points a
month from now. If Hugo can win this week and next, he might pass Lin
Shindong and get close to Wang in the rankings. This couldn't be a
better time for Hugo Calderano--he just has step up and win. I think he
knows this, which is why he left the Pan-Am Championships early. This,
right here, right now, is his time.
Ok, the matches are about to start in a few minutes. I'm sure this 2nd
iteration of Montpellier will be just as entertaining as it was last year
AJ Scott
Oct 30, 2025, 4:02:48 AM10/30/25
to NYTableTennis
USA vs. the World...
1. Lily Zhang vs. Chen Yi (5th seed):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5I6J4I-ZUw [highlights]
2. Kanak Jha vs. Hugo Calderano (top seed):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muleofvqafw [highlights]
Day 2 best points: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOvwZXMJ8aI
1. Lily Zhang vs. Chen Yi (5th seed):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5I6J4I-ZUw [highlights]
2. Kanak Jha vs. Hugo Calderano (top seed):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muleofvqafw [highlights]
Day 2 best points: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOvwZXMJ8aI
AJ Scott
Nov 2, 2025, 4:56:51 PM11/2/25
to NYTableTennis
The women's and men's finals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxy1ZwK81b4 [full matches]. I think
coming into the final, Sabine Winter had earned enough points to make
the top-20 for the 1st time in her career and to become the European no.
1--one year after switching to anti-spin rubber on the backhand!
And, as far as the men's final is concerned, this is the fastest I've
ever seen Truls move. I also didn't realize until earlier today that he
has quietly moved back into 5th place on the world rankings and is again
the European no. 1.
Well, now that this thing has ended, everyone will make a mad dash
across the border into Gernany for WTT Champions-Frankfurt which starts
Tuesday morning 5 am. All of the Chinese players have pulled out of
that one:
https://www.worldtabletennis.com/eventInfo?selectedTab=Player%20List&eventId=3100
And then there's the lower level WTT Feeder Vila Nova de Gaia (Portugal)
which starts Wednesday morning at 4:30 am:
https://www.worldtabletennis.com/eventInfo?selectedTab=Player%20List&eventId=3066
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxy1ZwK81b4 [full matches]. I think
coming into the final, Sabine Winter had earned enough points to make
the top-20 for the 1st time in her career and to become the European no.
1--one year after switching to anti-spin rubber on the backhand!
And, as far as the men's final is concerned, this is the fastest I've
ever seen Truls move. I also didn't realize until earlier today that he
has quietly moved back into 5th place on the world rankings and is again
the European no. 1.
Well, now that this thing has ended, everyone will make a mad dash
across the border into Gernany for WTT Champions-Frankfurt which starts
Tuesday morning 5 am. All of the Chinese players have pulled out of
that one:
https://www.worldtabletennis.com/eventInfo?selectedTab=Player%20List&eventId=3100
And then there's the lower level WTT Feeder Vila Nova de Gaia (Portugal)
which starts Wednesday morning at 4:30 am:
https://www.worldtabletennis.com/eventInfo?selectedTab=Player%20List&eventId=3066
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