Site Products
Seeking to match the most successful, Liu Jia and Ni Xialian

Seeking to match the most successful, Liu Jia and Ni Xialian

(by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Manager)
Seeking to match the most successful, Liu Jia and Ni Xialian
List the most successful players ever in the women’s event of the Europe Top 16 Cup and its predecessor the Europe Top 12 Cup and two players who will be on duty at the forthcoming event to be staged in Montreux, Switzerland on Saturday 3rd and Sunday 4th February fit the bill.

Austria’s Liu Jia and Luxembourg’s Ni Xialian will both be on duty at the China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup.

Liu Jia will be making no less than her 15th appearance in the competition, for Ni Xialian it will be the 13th occasion she has plied her skills with the elite of the old continent.

However, it is not just a question of longevity that makes the names stand out. The first venture for Liu Jia was in 2001 in Wels, for Ni Xialian, even earlier, her initial excursion was in 1996 in Charleroi where she emerged successful and then followed suit by winning in both 1997 in Eindhoven and in 1998 in Halmstad to make it three in a row.

Three in a row, it meant she matched the record of Hungary’s Beatrix Kishazi who secured the title on the very first three editions of the event; she won in 1971 in Zadar, the following year in Zagreb, before again being crowned champion in 1973 in Böblingen.

No other female player has ever won on three consecutive occasions but it is the record of Beatrix Kishasi that both Liu Jia and Ni Xialian strive to emulate.

Similar to Ni Xialian, Liu Jia has won three times, her claim to fame being that she has the longest time gap in securing the top prize. She won in 2005 in Rennes prior to regaining the title in 2014 in Lausanne and then repeating the feat one year later in Baku.

Success in Montreux for either Liu Jia or Ni Xialian would mean a fourth title, a feat that would match the record of Beatrix Kishazi and Li Jiao of the Netherlands. Additionally, Beatrix Kishazi won 1977 in Sarajevo; Li Jiao succeeded in 2007 in Arezzo, then immediately ensuing year in Frankfurt. Later, she retained the title in 2010 in Düsseldorf and then enjoyed the same success the following year in Liège.

For full article, please click here

Latest News

Jessie Xu Named 2025 Table Tennis Canada Athlete of the Year

May 20, 2025
(by Bowmar Sports) Recognizing Leadership, Excellence, and Sportsmanship On and Off the Table Bowmar is proud to celebrate the… Read More

World Championships Update: Jarvis Powers Through to Round of 32

May 20, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) A few surprises in the early rounds of the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals… Read More

Apply Finger Pressure With Your Thumb!

May 19, 2025
Backhand block (regular block and no spin block) – robot plays very spinny shots deep SET TO RING… Read More

Bowmar Sports Tournament Highlights – Kef Noorani Tournament Highlights

May 19, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) Bowmar Sports Tournament Highlights, Kef Noorani https://youtu.be/68Or5s_S2yg Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment,… Read More

Learn from Students of the Game, Crafty Veterans, and Hedgehogs

May 19, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) You should always be learning in table tennis, or in any serious activity. I’m always… Read More

WAB CLUB FEATURE: Atlanta International Table Tennis Academy

May 18, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) With their location just North of Atlanta in Suwanee, Atlanta International Table Tennis Academy has… Read More

MLTT Team Feature: East Division Expansion Team the Atlanta Blazers

May 18, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) Major League Table Tennis (MLTT) continues to grow, and the Atlanta Blazers are one of… Read More

Early Action Underway in Doha

May 18, 2025
(by Steve Hopkins) Lin Shidong and Wang Chuqin had 4-0 wins as all of the top seeds advanced… Read More
View All News

Get the latest from Butterfly

Stay “In The Loop” with Butterfly professional table tennis equipment, table tennis news, table tennis technology, tournament results, and We Are Butterfly players, coaches, clubs and more.