by Simon Daish
Commencing from 10.00am (local time) the first final of the day comes in the Women’s Doubles event as top seeds Honoka Hashimoto and Hitomi Sato do battle with the fourth seeded pairing of Sarah De Nutte and Ni Xialian.
Japan’s Honoka Hashimoto and Hitomi Sato will head into the tie with the odds in their favour having won three ITTF Challenge Series titles as a partnership, however, their opponents from Luxembourg aren’t to be underestimated with Sarah De Nutte and Ni Xialian yet to drop a game in Guadalajara.
The Men’s Doubles title will be awarded to Korea Republic but the question that remains to be answered is which of the country’s pairings will be crowned champions?
Sitting eighth in the seeding list An Jaehyun and Cho Seungmin are hoping to win their first trophy as a team at an ITTF Challenge Series event, but despite being unseeded for the competition the duo of Cho Eonrae and Kim Minhyeok are no pushovers and will be determined to give the 2016 World Junior Champions are good fight.
There will then be a short break in play before the action resumes at 11.50am with the gold medal contest in the Women’s Singles tournament.
Meeting for a seventh occasion on the international stage Japan’s Hitomi Sato and Saki Shibata know each other well and while the former of the two players enters the tie as the top seeded competitor at the event it is Shibata who holds the head-to-head advantage with four wins – Will it be a fifth win for Shibata or will Sato make it back-to-back successes against her fellow compatriot?
The day concludes with the Men’s Singles final where second seed Robert Gardos takes on qualifier Kim Minhyeok in the closing match of the 2018 ITTF Challenge Spanish Open.
Austria’s Robert Gardos and Korean counterpart Kim Minhyeok will put everything on the line in the final as both players attempt to reach the top step of the Men’s Singles podium for the first time in their respective careers but only one can be crowned champion in Guadalajara.
Watch the action unfold live from Guadalajara with itTV
