(by Steve Hopkins) In an announcement that was not a surprise, Japan has officially announced they will bar spectators from the Tokyo Olympic events.  The announcement was made yesterday by the Tokyo Olympic Organizing Committee, and it follows the country’s declaration of a State of Emergency due to COVID infection rates.  A few months ago, […]

(by Steve Hopkins) In a video posted in June (on a channel hosted by TT Smash City), Dimitrij Ovtcharov demonstrated his gluing technique. Watch the video below as he outlines how many layers of glue he uses and how he attaches the rubber to the blade.  Included are a few pro tips: (1) pull the […]

(by Steve Hopkins) MK Georgia Table Tennis is in Duluth, Georgia just off of I-85 to the Northeast of Atlanta.  Duluth is in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area, and is a suburb with a strong Asian influence which includes about 10% of the population being of Korean descent.  The club itself is located off Peachtree Industrial […]

(by Steve Hopkins, photo by ITTFWorld) Chen Meng is currently at the top of the ITTF rankings, and it isn’t close.  China’s top player has 11850 points and the next closest player, Japan’s Mima Ito, is nearly 1400 points behind.  Chen will be the top seed at the Olympics and she’ll be a solid favorite.  […]

(by Steve Hopkins) The ITTF Rankings take on more meaning as we are now 23 away from Preliminary Singles rounds at the Olympics (and one month away from the first Team matches). In the most recent ITTF Weekly Rankings there was some shuffling near the bottom of the Top 10.  Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Timo Boll […]

by Steve Hopkins) Despite a draw that required Timo Boll to tackle German teammate Benedikt Duda early (winning 4-3 in the Round of 16), and Dusseldorf teammate Anton Kallberg in the quarterfinals, and top seed Mattias Falck in the semifinals, it was Boll that cruised most of the way.  When Boll faced Dimitrij Ovtcharov in […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Central Ohio is home to Spin & Smash.  Its a table tennis club that is part ping pong social club and part table tennis training center. The club is located on the West side of Columbus just off of I-270, the Jack Nicklaus Freeway.  The club features eleven Butterfly tables and there are […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Germany and Sweden were dominant through the Finals 16 in Men’s Singles, but as the field narrowed, there are few surprises in the final four.   Top seed Mattias Falck, second seed Dimitrij Ovtcharov, and third seed Timo Boll are each in the Semifinals.  The only surprise to the seedings is that Portugal’s […]

(by Steve Hopkins) Germany and Sweden remained dominant as the third day of Men’s Singles competition came to a close at the Leibherr 2020 ITTF European Table Tennis Championships in Warsaw today.  The results bode well as a preview for the Olympics Team competition as Sweden’s Falck, Persson, Kallberg, Morgard, and Karlsson all advanced – […]

(by Steve Hopkins) PongPlanet is a full-time table tennis club with a variety of programs for adults and juniors of all levels. The club is located in San Carlos, California, about half way between San Francisco and San Jose, just off the 101 on the West side of bay. The facility is 9600 square feet with […]