(by Steve Hopkins)

Americans Sid Naresh, Nandan Naresh, Aryan Jha, and Sally Moyland competed this week in the WTT Youth Contender event in Senec, Slovak Republic.  Puerto Ricans Enrique Rios, Jabdiel Torres, Jose Nieves, Yadier Lopez, Sergio Perez Bohorquez, Alondra Rodriguez, Valentina Davila and Edmarie Leon Burgos and Canada’s Ching Nam Fu made the trip as well.  The North American entrants had a solid showing.

USA’s Nandan Naresh was the big story in the U17 Boys event, winning his first round over Austria’s Hodina before taking out the event’s top seed Nicholas Lum 3-1.  Nandan then won three more matches on his way to the Final before losing a tight match with Taipei’s Hung Jing-Kai.  In the U19 event Nandan Naresh won three matches on his way to Quarters.  He fell to Taipei’s Kuo Guan-Hong in the Quarterfinals 3-1.

In the U17 event, Sally Moyland won her opening match before falling in the second round to Japan’s Sachi Aoki 3-2.  No great results for the other North Americans, as no other entrants reached the second round.  In the U19 Girls event, USA’s Sally Moyland fell in the Round of 16 3-2 to the event’s top seed (Japan’s Yuna Ojio).  Puerto Rico’s Alondra Rodriguez pressed one round further – advancing to the Quarterfinals before falling to Japan’s Kaho Akae 3-0.

In Boys U15, Puerto Rico’s Enrique Rios won a match (over Austria’s Tobias Hold) before falling to Loy Xing Yao of Singapore.  Rios was also the only North American entrant to get past the opening round. In Girls U15, Valentina Davila fell to Lai Chloe in her opening match.  No other North American girls were entered.

In Boys U13, Puerto Rico’s Enrique Rios dominated early and rolled through the Final.  He won two matches on Friday, before breezing through the Quarters and Semis on Saturday.  He was pushed to the fifth game in the Final (a 3-2 win over Taipei’s Lin Chin-Ting), but Rios never trailed in the event – winning the first game in every match and never losing two games in a row.  In Girls U13, Puerto Rico’s Valentina Davila was the only North American entrant.  She fell in the second round to Elina Fuchs.

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