(by Bella Xu)

With the first US edition of the ITTF Pan American Cup taking place last year in Corpus Christi, Texas, this prestigious event recently returned to the States—and did so in remarkable fashion. Hosted by the renowned 888 National Table Tennis Training Center in Burlingame, California, the tournament witnessed top athletes—many of them Olympians—from across the Americas battling to secure their World Cup spots. This Pan Am Cup marked an unprecedented progression in terms of having no limit on the number of players representing each country. It was also likely the first tournament where the food catering somehow managed to get better and better each day.

I gleefully attended the 2025 ITTF Pan American Cup in what essentially felt like an extended vacation during my school’s winter break. The original plan was to play preliminaries, watch some high-caliber matches, eat some good food, and fly home—a relatively transient trip. But what I didn’t foresee was that 7 out of the 9 women in the preliminary round would advance directly into the main draw (with the 2 remaining athletes playing each other), and I certainly didn’t know that I’d be one of those 7. Suddenly, I had around 4 extra days to both practice and spectate. It was truly a privilege to be able to meet and practice with elite athletes from various countries such as Mexico and Puerto Rico.

When it was finally time for the draw ceremony—my first one ever—a couple US teammates and I amusingly all selected the leftmost card option when it was our turn. I remember waiting in anticipation as each of our names was filled into the blank spots of the draw projected onto the TV screen. This process of unveiling each player’s position and their opponent was honestly more suspenseful than I would’ve expected, but quite a fascinating experience. Following the draw ceremony was arguably one of the best parts of the whole tournament: an elaborate welcome dinner hosted by 888 founder and president Mrs. Huifen Chan for the main draw participants and guests. The party filled the evening with lots of excitement, friendly conversations, and tons of amazing food!

Needless to say, the matches sure didn’t disappoint: The electrifying men’s and women’s finals concluded the America’s most prestigious tournament in seven-game victories for U.S. and home-club favorite Kanak Jha and Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi, respectively.

Overall, my rather brief experience at this tournament gave me a valuable takeaway to share—mostly targeted toward anyone who’s not a full-on pro (like me): There’s something that’s both incredibly humbling and rewarding about simply taking part in international events such as the Pan Am Cup. You have the opportunity to meet incredible athletes from different countries and backgrounds, have meaningful conversations with other players, and create new friendships. At this specific tournament, a few players who had already been “eliminated” in the preliminary rounds were still able to advance to the main draw due to there being a couple more available spots to be filled. So, what I’m trying to suggest and encourage is for more players to show up and try something new—you’ll never know what experiences you’ll gain, who you’ll become friends with, or what precious memories you’ll make unless you put yourself out there and give yourself the chance to do so.

Last but not least, a big shoutout to 888 founder/president Mrs. Huifen Chan and the club’s wonderful staff for their hospitality and hard work (and unparalleled food catering). And of course, thank you to USATT and ITTF Americas for hosting and organizing the 2025 ITTF Pan American Cup. As an impressive prelude to the LA 2028 Summer Olympics, this was just the beginning—with even more excitement to come!

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