by Simon Daish
Benemax-Virgo 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus North American Open
Markham will play host to the 14th and final ITTF Challenge Series event of the year as the Benemax-Virgo 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus North American Open heads to Canadian shores from Friday 6th to Sunday 8th December.
Fans travelling to the Markham Pan Am Centre will be treated to a very high standard of play with a number of standout names on display including the likes of Japan’s Koki Niwa and Kasumi Ishikawa. They lead the men’s and women’s singles seedings respectively.
2019 ITTF Star Awards
The biggest names associated with the sport of table tennis will don their finest attire for the glamourous 2019 ITTF Star Awards at the JW Marriott Hotel in Zhengzhou, China on Wednesday 11th December.
Seven awards will be presented during the ceremony in celebration of another thrilling year of action on the international circuit. You can view the full list of nominees here.
2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals
Following a long and gruelling campaign, the best performing players from the 2019 ITTF World Tour will gather in Zhengzhou for the crown jewel known, the 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals.
Commencing on Friday 12th and closing on Sunday 15th December, a prize fund of USD $1 million across five events is on the line, not to mention the honour and prestige of World Tour Grand Finals glory.
World champions Ma Long and Liu Shiwen will be present in Zhengzhou as well as Men’s World Cup gold medallist Fan Zhendong. Other world beaters heading to the event include World Championships runner up Mattias Falck, Olympic champion Ding Ning and 2018 World Tour Grand Finals champions Tomokazu Harimoto and Chen Meng.
Who will steal the show at the end of year showstopper?
View the full player list for the 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals here.
Full Schedule: December 2019
- South Asian Games, Kathmandu (NPL): 1-10 Dec
- Benemax-Virgo 2019 ITTF Challenge Plus North American Open, Markham (CAN): 4-8 Dec
- Finlandia Open 2019, Lohja (FIN): 5-8 Dec
- Oceania Team Qualification, Mornington, Victoria (AUS): 6 Dec
- ITTF Para Copa Costa Rica, San José (CRC): 12-14 Dec
- 2019 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals, Zhengzhou (CHN): 12-15 Dec
- 2019 ITTF World Veterans Tour – Cardiff, Cardiff (WAL): 13-16 Dec
- 2019 US Open Table Tennis Championships, Fort Worth, Texas (USA): 17-21 Dec