by Ian Marshall, Editor
Quarter-finalist at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games and later in the year the runner up at the Pan American Junior Championships in the Dominican Republic, Amy Wang is the top seed in the junior girls’ singles event.
Furthermore, she enters proceedings having to date enjoyed a successful year. She was pivotal to the United States success in the girls’ team event at this year’s Pan American Junior Championships; meanwhile, on the ITTF World Junior Circuit she was the runner up in France and a semi-finalist in Italy.
Leading names
Success this year, it is very much the same scenario for the next in line; Russia’s Elizabet Abraamian is the no.2 seed in the junior girls’ singles event followed by Isa Cok of France and Russia’s Olga Vishniakova.
Notably, Elizabet Abraamian was the junior girls’ singles runner up at the Spanish Junior and Cadet Open, as well as being a quarter-finalist in Italy and at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava. Similarly Isa Cok reached the penultimate round in Bangkok.
However of the leading names the one in particular to note is that of Olga Vishniakova. She was the runner up on Bahrain before emerging the winner in Spain.
Australia’s Parleen Kaur, runner up in the Oceania Cup in Bora Bora earlier this year is the no.5 seed, Russia’s Natalia Malinina, Hungary’s Helga Dari and Tunisia’s Fadwa Garci complete the top eight names. Helga Dari has yet to reach the later rounds of an ITTF World Junior Circuit tournament; somewhat differently Natalia Malinina was a quarter-finalist in Spain, Fadwa Garci finished in fifth place at the African Youth, Junior and Cadet Championships in Accra.
Silver in Ulaanbaator
Meanwhile, in the junior boys’ singles event, vital to India’s silver medal team success earlier this month in Ulaanbaator at the 2019 Asian Junior and Cadet Championships, Raegan Albuquerque heads the order of merit. He is listed ahead of Brazil’s Guilherme Teodoro, the Czech Republic’s Tomas Martinko and Slovakia’s Terence Yeung.
Impressively, last year, Guilherme Teodoro, emerged successful at the 2018 Paraguay Junior and Cadet Open in Asuncion, whilst also being a bronze medallist at the Pan American Junior Championships. Likewise Filip Delincak enjoyed success in 2018; he was the runner up in the junior boys’ singles event at the Opatija Milenij Open.
However, as with Tomas Martinko, all have to make an impact this year as does Canada’s Terence Yeung, junior boys’ singles quarter-finalist last year at the United States Open. The Czech Republic’s Radek Skala, Russia’s Damir Akmetsatin and Romania’s Darius Toma complete the top eight names.
Play commences with the junior boys’ singles and junior girls’ singles events.
