by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor
He will be making his fifth ITTF World Junior Circuit appearance of the year and he has already hit the headlines.
Excelled expectations
In France, Poland and Spain, he departed in the early rounds; there was nothing spectacular, nothing to raise the eyebrows.
However, in the Slovak Republic, it was the very opposite; the no.9 seed, against all expectations he won the Junior Boys’ Singles title.
Furthermore, in an age when Asia rules the waves, he beat strong Japanese opposition to secure the top prize. Impressively, he accounted for Shunsuke Togami at the quarter-final stage, prior to overcoming colleague, Nils Hohmeier in the semi-finals and Shunsuke Togami’s compatriot Aoto Asazu, the no.2 seed and in the final.
Won in Morocco
Success in the Slovak Republic; Tobias Hippler is one of two players on duty in the Junior Boys’ Singles event in Hammamet, who has ascended the top step of the podium this year.
Qatar’s Mohammed Abdulwahhab, the no.2 seed, who will be making his fifth appearance of the year on the ITTF World Junior Circuit, won in Morocco whilst also being a semi-finalist in Jordan.
Pertinent result
Recently he was on duty at Arab Team Championships which concluded on Monday 29th August and were also staged in Hammamet; he was in action in the Junior Boys’ Team event and suffered a loss which could prove pertinent at the Sopal 2016 Tunisia Junior and Cadet Open
In the group stage of proceedings, he was beaten by Rashed Sanad in the contest against Bahrain; it was to prove a costly defeat. Bahrain won the engagement by three matches to two and duly progressed to secure the title.
One defeat only
Notably Rashed Sanad suffered just one defeat in the whole tournament; at the semi-final stage against the United Arab Emirates, he was beaten by Abdulla Al-Balooshi.
It is for Rashed Sanad his third ITTF World Junior Circuit appearance of the year, previously he competed in Qatar and on home turf in Bahrain; as for Portugal’s Vitor Amorin, the player who completes the top four names, it will be his fifth ITTF World Junior Circuit excursion of the year.
He played in France, Spain and Portugal where he did not enjoy the best of fortunes but on home soil in Vilanova de Gaia he excelled; he reached the quarter-final round of the Junior Boys’ Singles event.
Entry
A total of 62 boys will compete at the Sopal 2016 Tunisia Junior and Cadet Open.
