by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

The top seed, at the semi-final stage he beat Denmark’s Martin Nielsen (12-10, 9-11, 11-7, 11-6) prior to securing the title at the final expense of Great Britain’s Kim Daybell (11-9, 11-7, 11-6); the player against whom he had experienced defeat in the group stage of proceedings at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

On that occasion he had been beaten by Kim Daybell in full distance five games thriller (11-9, 9–1, 14-12, 5-11, 14-12).

“I feel very happy about winning; the more important thing is that I have qualified for the World Championship next year. It is also special because I beat the guy I lost to in the Paralympics 2016. I myself want to get very good training and stay in a good physical condition to prepare for the tournament; as athletes, we all want to be number one but to just get a medal from the Paralympics in Tokyo is good enough for me.” David Jacobs

In the opposite half of the draw, in the penultimate round, Kim Daybell, the no.2 seed, had accounted for Komet Akkbar, like David Jacobs from Indonesia.

“It’s a nice way to finish the season with a silver medal. I struggled a little in the final against a tough opponent but I’m quite pleased with the way I played overall.” Kim Daybell

Success as status predicted, with one exception it was the same in all the Men’s Singles standing events, the top seeds emerging successful.

The exception to the rule came in Class 6; Thailand’s Rungroj Thainiyom, the no.2 seed and London 2012 Paralympic Games gold medallist secured the title at the final expense of Denmark’s Peter Rosenmeier, the top seed and gold medallist in Rio de Janeiro. In a most imposing manner, at the final hurdle Rungroj Thainiyom emerged successful in three straight games (11-8, 11-7, 11-8).

Top prize for Thailand, it was the same in Class 8 where Phisit Wangphonphatanasiri emerged successful overcoming Japan’s Takumi Shukunobe in the final (11-5, 11-5, 11-13, 8-11, 11-5).

Meanwhile, Jean-Paul Montanus of the Netherlands secured gold in Class 7 overcoming Brazil’s Israel Stroh in the final (11-4, 12-10, 9-11, 11-5), whilst Tahl Leibovitz brought smiles to the faces of the host nation by winning the Class 9 event. At the final hurdle he beat Koyo Iwabuchi, like Takumi Shukunobe from Japan (12-10, 11-6, 11-4).

Silver medals for Japan but there was gold, Takashi Takeda won the Class 11 event, the competition for those players with a learning difficulty.

Play in the individual events over; eyes now focus on the team competitions.

2017 United States Para Open: Latest Results and Forthcoming Matches