TEAM MAZE EDGE TEAM ROSSI 13-12 IN THRILLING TEAM FIXTURE 10

Elizabeta Samara chalks up first T2APAC win to leave Singapore’s Feng Tianwei still seeking her first victory

JOHOR BAHRU, 29 Jun 2017 – Coming off the high of a record 21-8 victory over Round 1 winners Team Persson, Team Maze found the going tougher against a resilient Team Rossi who were unlucky to be edged 13-12 in Team Fixture 10 at the T2 Asia Pacific Table Tennis League (T2APAC).

Matches at the T2Cavern at Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios continue to serve up plenty of surprises but none as big as the fact world number six Feng Tianwei continues to be winless after five outings, losing her latest match 3-1 to Elizabeta Samara and handing the Romanian her maiden match victory.

The unpredictable nature of this team event was clearly illustrated by how both teams traded wins, with the match score tied after four matches, and Team Maze overturning a one-game deficit with victory in the very last tie.

Match 1: Chen Chien-An (TPE) vs Dimitrij Ovtcharov (GER)

Chen’s three-match winning streak came to a stop at the hands of Ovtcharov who controlled the early going and shot to a 2-0 lead after winning the first two games 11-8, 11-8. The German also got to game point first in the third game only to see Chen fighting back to close out an 11-10 win. Chen continued to struggle against Ovtcharov’s variations, and was behind 3-7 when time ran out as his opponent closed out a deserved 3-1 victory. Said Ovtcharov: “I really wanted to go ahead for my team and try to get the lead, and we’re really very determined to get our first victory done. We have a great team spirit and I’m glad I could take three points today for my team.”  

Match 2: Hina Hayata (JPN) vs Georgina Pota (HUN)

Pota would be wondering how to finish on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline after getting to 10-8 in the first game before losing 10-11. The Hungarian fought back to win the second game 11-5 only to hand the advantage back to Hayata by losing the third game 5-11. An uplifted Hayata was never really threatened in game four as she took a 10-4 lead before time ran out with the score at 10-6, confirming a 3-1 win for the Japanese teenager.  Said 17-year-old Hayata: “From Round 1 till now, I’m getting used to the atmosphere and the scoring system, so I think I’m improving.”

Match 3: Alexandr Shibaev (RUS) vs Paul Drinkhall (ENG)

Interesting match-up between two players who enjoyed handsome wins the previous day, with Drinkhall’s 4-0 result Chuang was a real eye-opener. However, the Englishman was unable to repeat his form from the previous day, though not for the lack of trying. Having dropped the first game 11-6, Drinkhall matched strides with Shibaev in the second game only to be edged 11-10. Drinkhall quickly seized a 7-3 in the third game, and was 8-4 ahead when his Russian opponent fought back. At 9-9, it was Shibaev who found the winning surge to close out the game 11-9 to lead 3-0. With the clock running down, it was a game of poker with Drinkhall working a 3-1 lead into an eventual 6-4 win as time expired, and a consolation point secured.

Match 4: Feng Tianwei (SGP) vs Elizabeta Samara (ROM)

Both players entered this match seeking their first T2APAC win and the fact it was Samara who broke her duck would surprise many a fan, especially as she had lost her previous four matches. But the Romanian showed she was not going to be cowed by her opponent’s superior world ranking – Feng is world number six, while Samara is 24th – as she matched the Singaporean point for point before powering through to win game one 11-9. Samara again took the lead in game two and reached game point at 10-8 before Feng fought back to level at 10-10. Serving for the sudden death point, Samara hit a forehand winner to go 2-0 up. Feng seized a 9-5 lead in the third game and worked out an 11-8 win to close the deficit. But with the clock winding down in the fourth game, mistakes crept in for Feng as Samara worked out a winning 8-6 lead to take the match 3-1. Said Samara: “Finally my time is here and arrived, so I’m happy with my winning. I’m playing better so I hope to win my next match as well.”

Match 5: Timo Boll (GER) vs Wang Chuqin (CHN)

Wang shrugged off his tentativeness to produce a grand performance to beat a player more than twice his age, speedily taking the first game 11-8. But the 17-year-old showed his youthfulness in squandering a 10-5 lead in the second game, only to win a remarkable sudden death point with a wonderful soft-touch reflex touch after Boll’s return had hit the net on its way back to Wang’s side of the table. A fired-up Boll wasn’t going to upstaged three games in a row, as he took the third 11-5. But Wang shrugged that off to win the fourth 11-6, although his inexperience with the Kill Zone showed as he lost that shortened game 5-0 to hand Boll a consolation.

Said Wang: “I wasn’t quite familiar with the competition format and also playing in this venue when I lost my opening match yesterday but I was able to produce more of my usual game today. It also helped that my team-mates were supporting me and giving me ideas on how to overcome my opponent.”

Match 6: Yang Haeun (KOR) vs Cheng I-Ching (TPE)

It was a match that Cheng could have easily won, especially after her 11-6 win in the opening game. Leading the second game, Cheng was unable to stave off a Yang comeback with the Korean edging the second game 11-9. From 6-6 in the third game, it was Yang again who closed out the stronger as she powered through 11-8. Cheng still had her chances in the fourth game as she came from 4-1 behind to narrow the score to 4-3, but Yang wasn’t in a charitable mood with the clock ticking down as she surged again for a 6-3 win and a crucial 3-1 match result.

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Team Captain’s quotes:

Michael Maze: “My players didn’t play at the top-top level as I know they are capable of but they were fighting very hard. We have good team spirit. We were behind, and today was a bit of a struggle but we came through with a close win. The day off tomorrow is nice as the players can rest and freshen up for Saturday.”

T2APAC

Round 2

Match Day 2

Team Fixture 10: Team Maze vs Team Rossi

TEAM PERSSON BOUNCE BACK FROM T2APAC'S RECORD LOSS TO BEAT TEAM JJ 17-12 IN TEAM FIXTURE 9

Wang Manyu narrowly edges Chinese team-mate Sun Yingsha in high-quality match between two rising stars of table-tennis

JOHOR BAHRU, 13 Jul 2017 – Team Persson bounced back from the record 21-8 thrashing by Team Maze in Team Fixture 8 by securing a well-earned 17-12 win over Team JJ, as Round 2 of the T2 Asia Pacific Table Tennis League (T2APAC) continued in Johor Bahru.

Fans at the purpose-built T2Cavern at Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios, as well as those following live on TV and YouTube were treated to a high quality match filled with intriguing match-ups, kicking off with a fiery all-European women’s tie between Matilda Ekholm and Bernadette Szocs.

Newly-crowned Australian Open champion Vladimir Samsonov showed his vast experience in his match against Swede Mattias Karlsson, while Korean Joo Saehyuk also dug deep in his encounter with 14-year-old Tomokazu Harimoto.

But it was the match between rising Chinese stars Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu that left the audience purring with delight.

 

Match 1: Matilda Ekholm (SWE) vs Bernadette Szocs (ROM)

For a second straight day, an all-European tie opened the early session, and Ekholm was tasked yet again to lead the Team JJ challenge. But if the Swede was expecting a second straight win, she soon found out Szocs is a tough nut to crack. Despite reaching game point first in a tight opening set, it was Szocs who won 11-10. Ekholm did well in the second game to come from 6-10 behind to level at 10-10, and still lost the deciding point to be 2-0 behind. No wonder a frustrated Ekholm couldn’t help showing her emotions on several occasions. Szocs completely dominated the third game to win 11-2 but couldn’t bridge the gap as Ekholm took the consolation fourth game 9-7. Said Szocs: “I’m really happy because I beat a top player and gained three points for my team. I’m also very happy because I played really well.”

Match 2: Chuang Chih-Yuan (TPE) vs Jun Mizutani (JPN)

A highly entertaining encounter with Chuang making amends for his 4-0 loss to Drinkhall the previous day by securing a 3-2 win over Mizutani. Getting off to a good start, Chuang took the first game 11-8, then got the better of the latter stages of the next two games, winning 11-9, 11-9 for a 3-0 lead. Mizutani fought back hard to avert the whitewash and won the fourth 11-7 before taking the Kill Zone game 5-3 to narrow the margin of defeat. Said Chuang: “My form yesterday wasn’t great, so I just focused on doing things right, rather than think too much about how to beat Jun. I’ll just focus on improving my game.”

Match 3: Jeon Jihee (KOR) vs Suthasini Sawettabut (THA)

Jeon’s attempt to break through for her first T2APAC victory will have to wait another day as she went down 4-1 to Suthasini, with the Thai star proving she could improve further with consistency. Against the higher-ranked Jeon, Suthasini got off to the better start, taking the opening game 11-7. Jeon tried her hardest but could not find her rhythm, as Suthasini didn’t let off, winning the next three games 11-9, 11-7 and 11-3. The Kill Zone game gave Jeon the opportunity for damage limitation, which she won 5-3 to avert a 5-0 whitewash. Said Suthasini: “Having lost four points yesterday, I was determined to regain that for my team. I put in a lot of practice, even at the venue before the match, and make sure I kept my energy levels high.”

 

Match 4: Vladimir Samsonov (BLR) vs Mattias Karlsson (SWE)

Samsonov showed his experience in making the right adjustments after losing the opening game 11-4. Varying his lengths and going after Karlsson’s weaker forehand, the Belarussian veteran came back strongly to take the next four games 11-4, 11-9, 11-5, and 10-2, giving his younger Swedish opponent little opportunity to get back in. Karlsson left to question his game as he suffered a second straight 4-1 thumping. Said Samsonov, who was pleased to have his wife and two kids watching him play: “The last time I played against Mattias, I lost. I know I’m in good shape at the moment but it was still tough after losing the first set. I got good advice from my captain, and played more to his forehand, while he was having problems controlling the pimples.”

Match 5: Sun Yingsha (CHN) vs Wang Manyu (CHN)

An intriguing match between two of China’s brightest young stars who could go on to dominate the women’s game in the next two decades. It was the steady, understated style of Wang that won out in the end although this tight affair could have gone either direction. The dynamic Sun took the first game easily, 11-4, then saw Wang come back to take the second game 11-7. Sun came back from 0-4 and 7-10 behind in the third game, winning the tying 10-10 point with an audacious backhand slap return off Wang’s serve, then winning a classy rally for an 11-10 victory. Wang seized an early lead in the fourth game and this time did not let up as she closed it out 11-6. Game five was equally tight with Sun managing to eke out a 6-4 lead and winning 6-5 as time expired. “Playing a team-mate is always hard, so I just focused my own game and making sure I do things right,” said Wang, who admitted to watching hand gestures and listening out to key words when getting advice from captain Jorg Persson.

Match 6: Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN) vs Joo Saehyuk (KOR)

Harimoto belied the 23-year difference with his older Korean opponent by taking the first game handily 11-6. The Japanese teen then led 8-6 in the second game before Joo used his superior experience to get back into the match, and exert his superiority as the match wore on. After winning the second game 11-9, Joo pulled away to take the third game 11-7. Game four looked like going Harimoto’s way after he went 8-5 ahead after calling a time-out, but his mistakes and Joo’s clever variations saw the game ending 11-8 in the Korean’s favour. With time running out, Joo closed out the fifth game 9-6 for a 4-1 overall win. Said captain Persson: “Joo’s experience paid out in this match as he was able to capitalise on Harimoto’s inability to cope with returns that were lower across the net.”

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Team Captains’ quotes:

Jiang Jialiang: “Our women’s players simply can’t get a win streak going despite trying their best. But what a great match between the two Chinese girls, the kind of high tempo that is simply thrilling. We’ve now won and lost a match each in Round 2, so let’s see what happens on the final day.”

Jorgen Persson, whose team lost 21-8 to Team Maze in Team Fixture 8:

“We said today is a new day with new possibilities, and I’m very proud of how the team bounced back.”

Quote of the day:

“She said to me she lost to Sun 4-0 at the Japan Open and felt before the game she had no chance. But I told her this 24-minute match is new for both players so she should go and play her heart’s out.” – Team Persson captain Jorgen Persson on his advice to Wang Manyu

T2APAC

Round 2

Match Day 2

Team Fixture 9: Team JJ vs Team Persson

TEAM MAZE THRASH TEAM PERSSON 21-8 IN MATCH FIXTURE 8

Fightback from debutant Wang Manyu leaves Singapore star Feng Tianwei still seeking her first T2APAC match win

JOHOR BAHRU, 12 July 2017 – If Team Persson had beaten Team Maze 14-12 in the opening round of the T2 Asia Pacific Table Tennis League (T2APAC) two weeks ago, it was the Michael Maze-led side that returned the favour in Round 2.

At the purpose-built T2Cavern at Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios, Michael Maze was all smiles as he watched his players win five of the six matches for an overall score of 21-8, the first time a team has won more than 20 games while restricting the opposition to under 10 games.

Singapore star Feng Tianwei gave notice of more to come as the world number six could count herself unlucky not to carve out her first win of this made-for-TV league, even as Chinese debutant Wang Manyu proved an able replacement for her compatriot Ding Ning on Team Persson.

Match 1: Joo Saehyuk (KOR) vs Chen Chien-An (TPE)

Chen continued from where he left off in Round 1 by getting straight into his stride, giving Joo little chance in the first two games as he won 11-4, 11-5. Korean Joo finally found his way in game three when he came from 6-10 behind to force a final point at 10-10, with the match decided by an exciting crowd-pleasing counter-punching rally won by Chen. The Taiwanese also took the fourth game 11-6 before dropping game 5 6-3 as the clock expired. Said Chen: “I think I was very patient in my play, especially when I was ahead. I’m very satisfied with my performance today.”

Match 2: Bernadette Szocs (ROM) vs Hina Hayata (JPN)

Szocs got off to a flyer, winning the opening game 11-8, then surrendered the next game meekly 1-11. The fiery Romanian fought back hard in the third and were unlucky to drop it 9-11 with nicks off edges leaving her frustrated. Credit to the 22-year-old, she came back strongly to beat Hayata 11-9 in the fourth, having at one point been 5-8 behind. The Kill Zone game was always going to be a lottery, and Hayata finished stronger to win 5-3 and take home the US$1,000 match bonus. Said Hayata: “During the Kill Zone, Szocs changed the way she served, so I told myself so just return it without over-thinking the process, and that worked in my favour.”

 

Match 3: Jun Mizutani (JPN) vs Aleksandr Shibaev (RUS)

Shibaev gave little regard to Mizutani’s superior ranking with an authoritative 4-1 win over the world number seven, winning the first two games easily 11-7, 11-4, before the Japanese pulled one back by winning the third 11-10. Shibaev was forced into a racquet change after hitting the table on the final point of the third game, and after a slow start to the fourth, the Russian came storming through to win 11-6. Despite trailing 4-3 in the Kill Zone game, Shibaev again dug deep to pull off a win in the special game unique to T2APAC. Said Shibaev: “This is the first time I’ve won a Kill Zone game, so today is a very good day for me. I wasn’t nervous at all in the final game but most importantly, I managed to add four games to my team’s total, so that’s most important for me.”

Match 4: Wang Manyu (CHN) vs Feng Tianwei (SGP)

T2APAC debutant Wang belied her world number 33 ranking to pull off a deserved 3-2 win over Singapore’s world number six Feng. Taking over from her Chinese compatriot, the superstar Ding Ning, Wang showed little nerves in taking the first game 11-8. Feng fought back brilliantly in taking in the next two games 11-7, 11-9, showing the skills fans have come to expect of her. But 18-year-old Wang made adjustments in her game to win the fourth game 11-7, and force a Kill Zone game, which she won 5-3 after going 4-1 in front. Feng, meanwhile, is left searching for her first match win after four outings. Said Wang: “The crucial factor in this victory is patience, and just concentrating on every point whether in front or behind. I was prepared to win or lose but more importantly, it was learning from the experience of playing one of the world’s top-ranked players.”

Match 5: Mattias Karlsson (SWE) vs Timo Boll (GER)

Karlsson and Boll served up a compelling battle between two Europeans, one who is an up-and-coming player while the other a wily old veteran. And it was the experience of Boll that prevailed as the German showed his superiority in taking the opening two games 11-7, 11-6 before yielding the third game 11-10 to Karlsson. Boll was not in charitable mood as he took the fourth game 11-5 and was 4-2 up in the Kill Zone game before winning that as well 5-4.

Said Boll: “Yeah, I think I played a good game. I played quite good tactics, thanks to my coach, and I’m very pleased with the results.”

Match 6: Suthasini Sawettabut (THA) vs Yang Haeun (KOR)

Thai ace Suthasini started her T2APAC campaign two weeks ago with a 3-1 victory over Elizabeta Samara but has not found her winning touch since. And that trend continued against Yang as the Korean just about managed to stay a neck or a nose ahead of her opponent, winning 11-8, 11-9, 11-9, and as the final game 8-7 on a sudden-death point after the clock ran down.

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Team Captain’s quote:

Michael Maze: “I had some good players in my team and they performed very well today. We had a little bit of luck at times but everybody was just playing fantastic. But just because we won today doesn’t mean we will win tomorrow, so we have to prepare ourselves for the next match.”

Quote of the day:

“I think everyone’s afraid of Mattias’ crushing forehand, he’s a tall strong guy, but also his backhand is very dangerous.” – Timo Boll of Team Maze after winning his match 4-1 against Mattias Karlsson of Team Persson.

T2APAC

Round 2

Match Day 1

Team Fixture 8: Team Persson vs Team Maze

TEAM JJ ENJOYS COMFORTABLE 16-12 WIN OVER TEAM ROSSI FIXTURE 7

Englishman Drinkhall’s standout performance the consolation for Rosskopf’s team

JOHOR BAHRU, 12 July 2017 – Jiang Jialiang’s right call at the opening coin-toss kicked off Round 2 of the T2 Asia Pacific Table Tennis League (T2APAC) as his Team JJ would go on to record a comfortable 16-12 win over Jorg Rosskopf’s Team Rossi.

Both teams would feature teenage debutants, with 16-year-old Sun Yingsha replacing Wu Yang in Team JJ while 17-year-old Wang Chuqin came in for Shang Kun in Team Rossi.

In accordance with competition rules, players who met in Round 1 would not play each other this round. However, this did not in any way diminished the quality of action as both teams produced matches of scintillating quality.

Match 1: Matilda Ekholm (SWE) vs Elizabeta Samara (ROM)

When the dust settled, Ekholm would ponder if this was the one that got away when she could have recorded a bigger win for her team. But the Swede was certainly good for the US$1,000 match win bonus after taking the first three games 11-8, 11-10, 11-9. That’s after Samara had thrown away a 10-5 lead in the second game. The Romanian would storm back to win the fourth game 11-4 and rode the momentum to run away with the Kill Zone game 5-1.

Said Ekholm: “I didn’t take advantage of the fact that I played really well in the first sets, when she didn’t play so good. I should have just kept going. She started playing better, so what can I say? It was an OK match.”

Match 2: Vladimir Samsonov (BLR) vs Dimitrij Ovtcharov (GER)

Fresh from winning the Australian Open at the Gold Coast, world number 12 Samsonov took the fight to his higher-ranked opponent – Ovtcharov is world number four – and came away a 3-2 winner. It could well have been a 4-1 win had he been able to close out the Kill Zone game when on match point, instead of losing that game 4-5. After both players traded the first two sets 11-10, 9-11, it was Samsonov who seized control to win the next two 11-7, 11-5. But the beauty of the T2APAC format meant there is always a chance to get back in, with Ovtcharov pulling one back more for this team than for himself. Said Samsonov: “I know Dima very well, and we played each other many times, as well as for the same team. I didn’t expect to beat him today, so I’m very pleased to have done that and to give three points to my team. I’m also very satisfied with my performance.”

Match 3: Sun Yingsha (CHN) vs Georgina Pota (HUN)

Sun may have dropped the opening game of her T2APAC debut 9-11 to Pota but the 16-year-old would celebrate a stirring 4-1 overall win over her Hungarian opponent in a highly competitive encounter. Sun fought back to win the second game 11-9 and had to come back from 6-9 behind to win this game, also 11-9. But that was when Pota looked as though she had run out of ideas, as her world number 10 opponent stormed to an 11-4 win in the fourth before wrapping up the Kill Zone game 5-2. Said Sun: “It’s my first appearance here and it took me a while to get used to things here, and Pota played really well at the start, and took me by surprise. After that first game, I just stayed focused on finding my rhythm, and reducing my mistakes. The T2APAC format is interesting and I enjoy it very much.”

Match 4: Chuang Chih-Yuan (TPE) vs Paul Drinkhall (ENG)

Since Round 1, Drinkhall (world no 48) has shown he’s fully capable of taking the fight to the top players, and so it proved against world no 13 Chuang. Leading 7-4 and later 9-7 in the opening game, Drinkhall would see Chuang fighting back to reach game point first. Despite that, the Englishman found the extra belief to grab the next two points and victory. He repeated that fightback in game three, and recorded a comfortable 11-8 win in game two. Now 3-0 up, Drinkhall rode the momentum in the fourth game, going 7-1 in front before Chuang closed the gap, and he managed to just keep his nose in front when the buzzer went, winning 8-7 for an overall 4-0 victory. A great result for Drinkhall who made the semi-finals of the Australian Open before coming to Malaysia for Round 2 of T2APAC.  

Said Drinkhall: “I felt great coming into the match, and my style matches his quite well. Everything went well today, and coming back from the Australian Open where I did quite well, it’s been good I’ve been able to keep that form today.”

Match 5: Jeon Ji-hee (KOR) vs Cheng I-Ching (TPE)

Having not enjoyed much luck in Round 1, Jeon was determined to show she belonged in this competition, and this 2-2 result was an uplifting one for the Korean. But the 24-year-old still needed to come back from two games down (5-11, 10-11) before a stirring 11-8 win heading into the final game. Trailing 1-3 with the clock running down, Jeon fought back to tie the score at 3-3 to force the sudden death tie-break, which she won to take the fourth game 4-3 Said Jeon: “I’ve to thank my team-mate Yingsha for her advice near the end of the match. I was very nervous but she told me I still have the chance to win, and her words calmed me down.”

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Match 6: Tomokazu Harimoto (JPN) vs Wang Chuqin (CHN)

Team Fixture 7 wrapped up with a battle of the teens, with two players setting up a rivalry that could be the hallmark of table tennis in the coming decades. This time around, it was the 14-year-old Harimoto that prevailed over his 17-year-old opponent Wang 4-1. Not that Wang was not competitive, as he won the second game 11-4 having been edged 10-11 in the opener. But the Chinese T2APAC debutant would rue his inconsistencies as the dropped games two and three 11-10, 11-5 before also dropping the Kill Zone game 5-4, despite reaching match point first.  

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Team Captains’ quotes:

Jiang Jialiang: “I think everyone played well but it was a bit of a surprise that we drew a blank from Chuang Chih-Yuan’s match against Paul Drinkhall, especially when they both look evenly matched. It was heartening that Jihee and Matilda added to our scoreboard.”

Jorg Rosskopf: “We had the chance to win this tie, but we keep losing the close games. I’m really happy to see Paul playing with so much confidence, we will need that to rub off on all our players so that we can come back strong for the rest of this round.”

Quote of the day:

“We have older players in our team, and younger players too. So it was up to the ones in the middle to deliver today.” – Team JJ captain Jiang Jialiang

T2APAC

Round 2

Match Day 1

Team Fixture 7: Team JJ vs Team Rossi

T2APAC FINALISES PLAYER CAST FOR INAUGURAL SEASON

Top players from China and Japan round up final competition line-up

The inaugural T2 Asia-Pacific Table Tennis League (T2APAC) has confirmed its player lineup that includes several world-class paddlers from China and Japan.

17-year old World No. 16 Hina Hayata from Japan, who recently clinched the bronze in the women’s doubles at the Liebherr 2017 World Championships, and rising-star 13-year old Miyuu Kihara (world no. 158) will lead.

The contingent from China comprises members of the China men’s national team - World No. 51 Shang Kun, Liu Ding Shuo, Xue Fei, and Wang Chu Qin; and from the China women’s national team – World No. 12 Wu Yang, World No. 41 Wang Manyu, Liu Fei, and Sun Yingsha, as well as 15-year old Shi Xunyao, the Girl’s champion of the 2016 World Junior Championships.

Several players will be playing on a rotational basis during the inaugural season.

Said T2APAC CEO, Jeff Chue: “We are delighted to have these top players from China and Japan completing our list of paddlers for the first ever T2APAC season. We believe we have strong international representation that will resonate with audiences from around the world, and we look forward to kicking-off a great event.”

The league currently boasts several world-renowned women’s players including the world’s top female paddler in Ding Ning from China, as well as Singapore’s Feng Tianwei (World No. 4), Cheng I-Ching from Chinese Taipei (World No. 7), and South Korean Yang Haeun (World No. 23). The event will also feature major top-10 men’s players including Dima Ovtcharov from Germany (World No. 5), Jun Mizutani (World No. 6), former World No. 1 Timo Boll from Germany (World No. 8), Chuang Chih-Yuan (World No. 10) of Chinese Taipei, and legendary defensive player Joo Sae Hyuk of South Korea who was ranked 5^th in the world at his peak (World No. 17). The league will also feature some of the best young talents in the world such as 13-year-old child prodigy Tomokazu Harimoto (World No. 69) from Japan.

Other top names competing in T2APAC’s inaugural season for a prize purse of over USD 1.5 million include Chen Chien-an (Chinese Taipei), Vladimir Samsonov (Belarus), Paul Drinkhall (England), Georgina Pota (Hungary), Elizabeta Samara and Bernadette Szocs (Romania), Jeon Jihee (South Korea), Aleksandr Shibaev (Russia), Matilda Ekholm and Mattias Karlsson (Sweden), as well as Suthasini Sawettabut (Thailand).

All players will be grouped into four mixed-teams for the Team Championship by way of a selection process, and picked by four table tennis legends each of whom will lead a team - Jiang Jialiang (former two-time world champion from China, multiple medalist at the World Championships, World Cup and Asian Championships), Jörgen Persson (former world champion and seven-time Olympian from Sweden), Jörg Rosskopf, (bronze medalist in the 1996 Summer Olympics men’s singles from Germany) and Michael Maze (bronze medal winner at the 2004 Olympic Games in the men’s doubles from Denmark).

The four Team Captains will compete to select the best paddlers to build a winning team - each mixed-team will comprise three men’s and three women’s players. The Team Championship will add a new dimension of competitive excitement for audiences throughout the season.

Premiering this 28 June, this first-ever sports league will be held live entirely in the Asian location of Hollywood’s iconic Pinewood Studios, situated in Johor, Malaysia.  Unique to T2APAC, all 228 matches in Season 1 will be played and televised live before an invite-only studio audience from the T2CAVERN, a purpose-built arena integrating competition field-of-play, sponsor lounges, hospitality suites, player training area, and production sets that will be specially constructed within a dedicated film stage at the world-class film and television production complex.  Since 1936, the world-renowned Pinewood Studios has been the home of blockbuster Hollywood franchises such as Star Wars and James Bond.

In partnership with Pinewood Studios and Astro Malaysia, Southeast Asia’s leading consumer entertainment group, T2APAC aims to deliver the next generation of multi-media ‘sportainment’ for fans and consumers, and an immersive in-venue experience that will enable studio audiences to get up close and personal to the world-class stars and table tennis action.

Touted as the richest competition in today’s professional table-tennis calendar, the players will be battling for an unprecedented prize purse of more than USD 1.75 million in the inaugural season, which will be played across seven match rounds from end of this June to December 2017.