Site Products

WTT Contender Rio: 16-year-old Matsushima Reaches Final 4

(by Steve Hopkins)

Seven players in the World Top 25 signed in to play in the WTT Contender series event in Rio de Janeiro.  That included Brazilian Hugo Calderano as the top seed and favorite, as well as Jang Woojin of Korea, Germany’s top three players (Ovtcharov, Franziska, and Qiu), Sweden’s Mattias Falck (who is back up to No. 22 after falling in the rankings), and Chuang Chih-Yuan of Taipei.

Of the top 4 seeds, only Jang Woojin reached the Semifinals, and out of the seven highly ranked seeds, only Woojin and Falck have reached the Final Four.  Of the top seeds, Calderano was among the first to fall.  Korea’s Cho Seungmin dropped the first game, but then won three in a row to eliminate the local favorite on the first day 3-1.  Cho is still alive, not just winning the first match, but also upsetting Simon Gauzy 3-2 in the Round of 16, and upsetting Patrick Franziska 3-1 in the Quarterfinals.  Cho will face Japan’s Sora Matsushima in the Semifinals.  Japan’s 16 year old Matsushima has also run off a list of upsets, beginning with a 3-1 win over Marcos Freitas, then a 3-1 win over Lee Sang Su, and finally a 3-2 victory over Dimitrij Ovtcharov.

In the other half of the draw, Falck and Woojin each prevailed without major upsets.  Falck defeated Anders Lind 3-0, then Pucar 3-2, and the overcame Dang Qiu 3-2.  Woojin defeated Robles in the first round, then topped Jules Rolland and Chuang Chih-Yuan to reach the Semifinals.  Both Semifinal matches are scheduled for Saturday.

In Women’s Singles, top seeded Hina Hayata has cruised through the Semis.  She will face Bernadette Szocs.  Szocs dominated Chen Szu-Yu 3-0 in the Quarterfinal match – a minor upset.  In the other half of the draw, Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi has taken advantage of home field (and perhaps the home crowd) to upset Elizabeta Samara and then to advance through to the Semifinals.  She will face Sweden’s Linda Bergstrom.  Adriana Diaz fell in the Round of 16 to Kim Nayeong 3-1 (Naeyeong lost to Bergstrom in the Quarters).

Visit ButterflyOnline.com for the latest table tennis news and results.

Latest News

Product Validation – Advanced Set up

July 19, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Product Validation, Brian Pace offers an Advanced Setup for Advanced Players. This… Read More

Racket Up All the Time

July 18, 2025
Robot will play RANDOM top spin balls to 2/3 of the table (Backhand), Forehand topspin from Forehand/ middle… Read More

Keep the Swing as Compact as Possible

July 16, 2025
Robot will play RANDOM top spin balls to 2/3 of the table (Backhand, only Forehand topspin from this… Read More

Reviewing Bugller with Logan Rietz

July 15, 2025
(by: Logan Rietz) I love pips.  I like chopping with them, hitting with them, anything I can do… Read More

Keep Your Elbow Closer to Your Body

July 14, 2025
WAIT FUNCTION: Serve long serve to elbow and Robot plays topspin to Forehand, Forehand spin block or counter… Read More

#3 High toss serve that disrupts the opponent’s rhythm and leads to a quick attack

July 14, 2025
[Feature] [Special feature] America’s star! Jha’s strong points #3 High toss serve that disrupts the opponent’s rhythm and… Read More

Ten Tips for Faster Footwork

July 14, 2025
(By Larry Hodges) Tie your shoes tight so there’s less give when you move. Grippy shoes on non-grippy… Read More

Rogelio Castro – Third Ball Attack

July 14, 2025
(by: Bowmar Sports) In this Butterfly Training Tips, Rogelio Castro is executing the “Third Ball Attack” using his… 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.