Ovtcharov Navigates the Maze

Perhaps one of the most intense matches in the mens singles in the Olympic Games so far was that of Dimitrij Ovtcharov of Germany and Michael Maze from Denmark. Maze having beaten Mizutani 4-0 to proceed into the round, a sure sign that he the match could go any way. Having beaten Ovtcharov twice at last year's Intersport European Supercup, Maze could almost have been tipped as a slight favourite, however as we know at the Olympics anything can happen.

Dimitrij Ovtcharov into the final 4

It was Ovtcharov that took the early lead, though both of the first two sets were close, the first 11-8 and the second going to deuce and ending two points later, 12-10 for the Germany. That gave the last hope for Germany a 2-0 lead. What happened next was quite remarkable. Maze hit back strong and took the next set 11-1, a surprising result for fans on site and a ridiculous margin to come back on. This changed the momentum in the match, it was 2-1.

The next two sets were a battle of will and it came down to the crucial point at the end of both sets, they were both 11-9 and both fell in favour of the Danish player. He had come back from 2-0 down to now lead 3-2. Maze just one set away from an appearance in the semifinals of the Olympics and Ovtcharov having to fight to remain in the match. Ovtcharov was the one who came back with confidence, his usually class on both wings was prominent and he took the 6th set 11-6, setting up for a 7th set showdown.

Maze didn't let up, towards the end of the set he held the lead, but it was not to be. Maze fans were probably jumping out of their seats as the champion who fell off the radar came back to shock everyone at the Olympics. He held a lead at 8-7 but Ovtcharov was too strong in the very last points of the match and was victorious 11-9.

Maze Hits Top Form. Mizutani Eliminated.

For years Michael Maze fans around the world spoke of a comeback for the Olympic Games. After suffering an injury an leaving the world stage in table tennis for some time, the Michael Maze we saw return to it was not the same. The 2009 European Champion had come back looking very poor in form, competing in the VW Cup and looking to have lost much of his former talent. Maze fans again shrugged off the idea, certain he would return in London. He pulled off amazing wins at the 2011 Intersport European Supercup to claim victory, even taking out Ovtcharov twice in the groups and final stage.

Maze's form returns!
Image courtesy of ITTF

Having beaten Kreanga  of Greece in the round of 32, Maze looked to be in reasonable form, his big test was to come. The moment Michael Maze fans had been waiting for. Mizutani among the top 4 seeds for the competition. Maze took full advantage in the first set demonstrating the smooth gamestyle of his youth, the open rallies went in his favour, forcing error usually after a string of 3 to 4 forehand loops. 11-7 was the score.

Mizutani crawled back in the second set to lead 6-5, that was as far as he got. Maze's placement on attack had the Japanese Open champion stumped. Maze won 6 points in a row to take the second 11-6, to the crowds approval. The next set fell by an even greater margin, Maze winning 11-4. Mizutani was looking weak and most definitely on the back foot. Michael Maze's consistent attack and quick direction changes were leaving Mizutani with no response, no effective tactic and no real hope of coming back.

Michael Maze sealed out the final set 11-6 and claimed an incredible 4-0 victory over a player expected to reach the semifinal stages of the Olympics. Mizutani was out, joining other realistic medal chance players, Timo Boll, Joo Se Hyuk and Oh Sang Eun.

Adrian Crisan Flies High

In 2006 Adrian Crisan of Romania sat at number 10 on the ITTF World Ranking list, since then he has represented Europe twice in the EuroAsia Cup and despite having only won one event on the ITTF Pro Tour in his career, was noted by the ITTF just days ago as a very real threat to Germany's Timo Boll. The win ratio showed hope for the Romanian and he did not disappoint.

Down and Out, Timo's medal hopes over in the singles

The match was hard fought the first set going 11-9 to Crisan, the first move made. Timo found his rhythm in the second set to win 11-8. A level playing field now presented a much more likely outcome for Boll. The real champion of Europe and notable the most realistic medal chance outside of the two Chinese players, hopes for Gold pinned upon the German and his solid game. The game got exciting, both of the next 2 sets pushed to deuce and both swinging the same way. 15-13 the 3rd set and 12-10 the 4th...both going to Crisan. Timo Boll was clinging on to his medal hopes and all Adrian Crisan had to do was win one more set to eliminate him.

Having won a World Cup on 2 occasions, Timo Boll was looking for another major event, not having won one since 2005. His back injury and reduced training as well as an absence on the ITTF World Tour brought his chances into question. Adrian Crisan answered that question, 11-8 the final set and the champion of Europe, Timo Boll, was eliminated from London's 2012 Olympic Games.

Congratulations Adrian, a top result for an underrated top player :)

Seedings Almost Intact for Round of 16

The seeds for the Olympic Mens Singles in Table Tennis stood their ground today as the storm of opposition met with them in the round of 32. Some matches were close, others outright victories to the top seeds.

Zhang Jike, Dimitrij Ovtcharov, Chen Weixing, Timo Boll, Chuang Chih-Yuan and Oh Sang Eun all posted 4-0 victories in their matches. For Ovtcharov his responsibility was wiping the hosts from the draw as he dispatched Paul Drinkhall in straight sets. Chen Weixing posted the most interesting result of the 6 players as he defeated Adrien Mattenet of France without any problems at all, a somewhat unexpected result and outstanding margin.

Wang Hao in action in London
Image courtesy of PRNews Wire

Wang Hao, Jun Mizutani, Michael Maze and Tianyi Jiang all won their matches in 5 sets with reasonable comfort. Wang Hao faced a good challenge from 2003 World Champion Werner Schlager who played well throughout the match and managed to force errors by slowing the game down and constantly playing into the Chinese player's backhand side. Michael Maze also battled for Europe, eliminating Kalinikos Kreanga in his match. Tianyi Jiang was responsible for taking out Russia's Alexey Smirnov in a tough matchup, the sets were close but the outcome, not so much, with Jiang taking it away to the next round.

Six sets were the words of brilliance for North Korea, Kim Hyok Bong ended the campaign of Joo Se Hyuk before it had even begun, the DPRK player 77th in the world, an amazing result for him and North Korea. Adrian Crisan was the other player to advance with a 4-2 win over Spain's Hi Zhiwen, the veteran player causing a few problems early on and drawing at 2-2, however the former top 10 world ranked player Crisan had other ideas and lines up an appearance against Timo Boll in the next round.

Kishikawa survives Greek onslaught
Image courtesy of ITTF

Vladimir Samsonov and Seiya Kishikawa are probably still in awe after marginally escaping with their Olympic hopes. The threats from the most unlikely of places. For Samsonov it was Australia's William Henzell taking on the challenge. Samsonov found his confidence in the crucial moment of the game, trailing 6-4 in the 7th set he led a huge comeback and surged ahead to lead 10-6, dropping just 1 point out of the last 8 to claim the game 11-7 and take the match, a test for him worthy of his next opponent Zhang Jike. Kishikawa on the other hand had a battle of his own, facing the long pipped defensive player from Greece Panagiotis Gionis. Renowned for his backhand chop and freakishly large forehand swing, Gionis performed amazingly. The rallies in the match were top class and put on perfect entertainment for the crowd gathered there to watch this tight final match of the round of 32. It came down to the wire after Gionis won 8 points in a row to take the match to the 7th. Gionis missing a smash at match point and Japan's Kishikawa swung around the match and took it out 12-10 in the final set.

The round 4 matches start in just 4 hours. Look out for Michael Maze vs. Jun Mizutani and also Adrian Crisan vs. Timo Boll, these have true potential to be great matches!

Joo Se Hyuk Bows Out to the North

In a shock twist it was North Korea that had the last laugh today in London as World Ranked 77 player Kim Hyok Bong claimed a 4-2 win over the legendary master of defence, Joo Se Hyuk of South Korea. Spectators were shocked at how up and down the match was, with all sets but the last in reasonably comfortable margins.

Kim Hyok Bong wins the battle of North and South against the odds

Kim took the first 11-5, a commonly occuring theme so far in the games with many seeded players struggling to get in the zone early. Joo pegged back a set 11-6 to level at 1-1. He took another 11-8 and set himself a 2-1 lead. Confidence was returning and that magical consistency in Joo's game looked to be back. It was North Korea's Kim which levelled the match again at 2-2. Pressure was now mounting and the more experienced world player Joo is known to take control in pressure situations, where errors can be forced easier as players crumble under dwaning confidence and safer plays.

It was not the case this time. The North Korean fired out and won the 4th set 11-8. It was now do or die for Joo Se Hyuk, a highly seeded medal hope for South Korea in the table tennis and a strong contender in the mind of the table tennis world for any colour of medal in the spectrum. The 6th set was a tight fought battle, one player vying for the win, the other ironically defending to stay in the match. The defense fell and North Korea's Kim Hyok Bong was triumphant, a 15-13 margin in 6 sets and he had created a formidable upset, over 50 places difference on ITTF's World Rankings. For Joo, the teams will offer some solace, but the loss of the chance at a singles medal will no doubt be weighing heavily on his mind tonight.

Henzell Puts up the Fight of his Life

The Excel Arena were blown away with the performance of William Henzell today as he performed out of his skin against former World Number 1 Vladimir Samsonov. After claiming a career win yesterday against Joao Monteiro of Portugal, 4-1, Henzell had the momentum and the drive to take the fight to Samsonov. From the word go William Henzell was in the game, taking advantage of every opportunity. The first set came down to a head and Samsonov got away with it 12-10, a sure sign that Henzell had a fighting chance to push this match to its limits. He did just that.

The next set Henzell made his move to draw the match up, winning 11-8. Samsonov was starting to see that Henzell could present a real challenge. The third set extended all the way as well, Henzell's trademark backhand loop presenting a very real threat to Samsonov's softer touch. This time it was Henzell who swiped away the set in its critical stages 13-11.

William Henzell's amazing performance yesterday in the Round of 32
Image from London 2012 Olympics Official page

Henzell was now up 2-1, the reality was probably starting to hit that there was a chance here to make history for Australian table tennis. The next 2 sets went in the favour of Vladimir Samsonov, the former world champion player from Belarus, vastly experienced and holding a record number of ITTF Pro Tour titles, also a 3 time winner of the prestigious World Cup. The sets were battled hard and both were 11-9, the game was so incredibly tight it could go either way, Henzell's 130th world ranking was out the window, he was playing like a true champion. He took away the 6th set 11-8 and presented his final challenge before Samsonov. One final set to make or break, one chance to take himself into the last 16 at the Olympic Games, never done before by a player from Australia or Oceania.

The Australian took an early lead and held himself up at 6-4, but Samsonov and all his worldly experience brought back the fight, and brought it back strong. He claimed an incredible 6 points in a row, showing his impressive play under unimaginable pressure circumstances. Henzell's mounted comeback drew short and Samsonov took the match, winning the final set 11-7. The loss, a tough one for Henzell, so close, however the testament to his hard training and his determination to represent himself and his nation to the very peak of his ability is clear. William Henzell has etched his name as Australia and Oceania's greatest table tennis player and has shown that no matter how the domestic training stands to the rest of the world, through sacrifice and hard work, a player from the depths of the world can give a former World Number 1 one hell of a close shave match. Congratulations on your enormous effort William!

The Heat is On in London

There have already been some intense table tennis matches at the Excel Arena in London for the 2012 Games but the coming rounds promise to be absolute thrillers with the top seeds all becoming involved. Henzell and Samsonov will be one to watch and of course the 2 Chinese players Zhang Jike and Wang Hao come into the mix along with top Korean, Japanese and German players. Today's matches were a flare in the sky, a signal to London and the World that table tennis is the sport to be watching at these games.

Three legends eliminated from London
Image from Xinhua.net

Three of the most respected players in the men's draw at the games were eliminated in today's rounds. The renowned fighter Jean Michel Saive was taken out 4-1 by Kalinikos Kreanga, Zoran Primorac had a narrow 4-3 loss to El-Shayed Lashin, a match which went neck and neck, and of course the 3rd casualty was Jorgen Persson. The three players, now into their 40s, are a reminder of the potential that Europe has to succeed in this sport. Also through to the next round, Bojan Tokic who only just saved his bacon in a tight 7 set match with Argentina's Liu Song and Daniel Zwickl who defeated Aleksandar Karakasevic, a great win for the Hungarian, 4-1 with 4 of the sets being 12-10! A close one.

In the women's draw the next round will be the round of 16. Elizabeta Samara provided a world class win for Romania after defeating 3rd seed Tie Yana of Hong Kong. A huge result but the attention of the crowd lay elsewhere. 16 year old United States player Ariel Hsing was having the match of her life on the adjacent table. She had drawn at 2-2 with former World Number 1 Li Xiaoxia, the 2nd seed for the London Games. Despite an admirable effort, Ariel lost the next two sets 11-8 and 11-9, close margins and an amazing effort.

Keep your eyes on the Excel Arena for more table tennis action!

Drinkhall Topples Commonwealth Champion on Home Turf

Paul Drinkhall had the hopes of Britain on his shoulders at the Excel Arena in London as 5,000 spectators heaped on the pressure. Drinkhall faced the 2010 Commonwealth Games Champion Yang Zi of Singapore, a player ranked over 50 places higher than him on the ITTF World Rankings. Confidence was the elixir of the match and Drinkhall had an edge on that front from the word go.

Drinkhall defies odds for Britain
Image from Barrow Table Tennis Club

It appeared that the touch and play of Yang Zi was absent as Drinkhall took off the starting blocks. Attacking with confidence and showing an adept level of touch for the short service receives, as well as anticipating his opponent in the rallies, it was Drinkhall who stole away the first set 11-7. The spectators showed their support and delight for the Team GB player. Drinkhall had momentum and continued on into the second set which he also clenched 11-7. Everything seemed to be going right for the young Englishman. The third set fell in much the same way and Paul Drinkhall staved off a comeback from Yang Zi towards the end of the set to take a 3-0 lead. One more set was all required to bring ping pong home to London and take Drinkhall into the next round.

Yang Zi wasn't ready to give up and made all the plays in the 4th set showing a dominating game, he took an 8-2 lead at haste and seemed to have settled into some rhythm. 11-4 was the score in the Singaporean's favour and he set the foundations for his comeback. The 5th set was neck and neck and came to a pinnacle at 9-9 with the crowd and the players nervous, a net serve kept the suspense on high and upon the next serve the young brit played a backhand down the line and followed it up with a forehand loop straight down the line to lead 10-9. He held his cool to take the final point and bring the crowd to their feet. The 107th ranked player moves into the next round, an amazing result for him and for England!

Henzell Triumphs Through to Round 3 in London

In a match which had Oceania sitting on the edges of their seats, everyone wondered whether the endless months of training which William Henzell had dedicated himself to in the buildup to London could provide a result. Joao Monteiro his opponent, 39 on the ITTF World Rankings, Henzell almost a hundred places below at 130. We all know that William is a fighter, he proved his worth beating Jens Lundqvist in Beijing and giving Wang Liqin a scare. Could he take out Monteiro here in London?

Realise Henzell's potential to cause upsets

The match started in the least favourable manner. Monteiro shot off to a significant lead, winning the first set 11-2. Despite doubts coming into play, Henzell gained momentum and confidence and took the next 3 sets, 11-8, 11-9 and 11-6. There were tense moments but William pulled through to take a 3-1 lead. Now all he had to do was convert one final set to claim the match and make history for Oceania. Monteiro wasn't ready to give up and took the next set 11-6. There was an immense amount of pressure coming down on the match and before we knew it the score was locked at 10-10 in the 6th.

The real pressure came hurtling down and the biggest test of William's table tennis career was upon him. The nerves were clear but the confidence came through and Henzell swiped the last couple of points to take victory. His celebration was well suited to the scale of his win, congratulations William you have done Oceania proud. Best of luck with your next round match against Vladimir Samsonov!

London 2012 Olympics: Early Rounds

Well the first round of the mens singles at the Excel Arena in London for the Olympic Games has been truly splendid. Australia's William Henzell took a 4-1 victory over Adam Pattantyus of Hungary, despite having lost to him just weeks earlier in the Challenger Series competition! His next round matchup will see him face fellow Schlager Academy trainee Joao Monteiro in round 2. A special story for the first round is that of Quadri Aruna, in his first ever match of his first Olympics he made Nigeria proud by claiming a 4-2 win over Spain's Carlos Machado. In the final set the Nigerian player lost one of his shoes mid-point but continued on hitting a string of excellent shots to win the final point with just a single shoe.

Quadri Aruna shows that one shoe is enough
Image courtesy of ITTF

Jean Michel Saive sets up an appearance against Kalinikos Kreanga in round 2, this one will be exciting to watch. While Jorgen Persson faces Andrej Gacina. Werner Schlager vs. Mihai Bobocica may also be one to keep an eye on. The matches are getting exciting now. Keep your eyes peeled for more! :)

Let the Games Begin!

The start of the Olympic Games was an extraordinary one as always, the opening ceremony was a true spectacle. I for one spent most of the time trying to spot table tennis players, here are a few pics from the opening ceremony and the games as they were officially opened!

Yana Noskova shows off her team formal attire!

Georgina Pota with Team Hungary!

Feng Tianwei carries the flag for Singapore

Liam Pitchford and Kelly Sibley get into the spirit of the games
singing Hey Jude with Paul McCartney!

Opening Ceremony Looms

Check it out. The Opening Ceremony is just a matter of hours away. My promotional video has almost run its course!

China v China Final?

The draw is out for the Olympic Games and the top 2 seeds are of course Zhang Jike and Wang Hao. The two have proven themselves time and again against any other world class players and to stop them from reaching the final would be a monumental upset. Zhang Jike has beaten Wang Hao in his two major World Event titles, the 2011 World Table Tennis Championships title and the 2011 World Cup Title. Can he do it again to claim a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games? Well it shall be interesting, the draw is packed full of the world's most elite players and the pressure is huge.

Wang Hao has the experience on his side, though having failed to win an Olympic gold medal, he has claimed two silver medals with more chinese players in the field. Could this give him the winning edge over his younger and less experienced teammate? Time will tell.

Video of the week is of course Wang Hao's Olympic Final against Ma Lin from the 2008 games in Beijing. A classic China vs China final, could we see it again? Personally I'd like to see some upsets ;)

Olympic Singles Draw Complete

The live draw for the singles event at the Olympic Games was completed hours ago in London. The results have spurred excitement around the globe with predictions running wild as to what the outcomes will be come the end of the competition.

The top half of the draw leads to an expected semifinal matchup between Zhang Jike and Jun Mizutani. Sharing the top half of the draw also are Joo Se Hyuk and Dimitrij Ovtcharov, these are major threats to the two expected semifinalists should they continue through the draw. Also sharing the top half of the draw are Denmark's Michael Maze, who as we all know, has the potential to create upsets and surprise if he hits form. Veteran former World Number 1 Vladimir Samsonov will also join the top of the draw as well as Hong Kong's Tianyi Jiang and Adrien Mattenet of France. Also in the top half are Australia's William Henzell and Alexey Smirnov of Russia, they are not expected to make it as far, but have the potential to cause some havoc.

Wang Hao 2 time Silver Medallist

The bottom half of the draw's expected semifinal is to be between Wang Hao and Timo Boll. The prospect of this exciting match will keep people on the very edges of their seats. Chuang Chih-Yuan will stand in Timo's way at the quarterfinal stage, this presents a very real possibility that there will be some huge matches in the quarterfinal stages and that the German may struggle to make the semifinals, it won't be easy! Gao Ning, Seiya Kishikawa and Oh Sang Eun all represent Asia, all will have high expectations of making the last 16 players. Adrian Crisan of Romania also holds high hopes and Alexander Shibaev, who made some surprise results on the World Tour in the last 2 months will also challenge the bottom half of the draw. The earlier rounds on the bottom half of the draw appear to be more challenging with Andrej Gacina, Werner Schlager, Jorgen Persson, Bojan Tokic, Aleksandar Karakasevic, Tang Peng, Marcos Freitas and Gionis Panagiotis all expected in the round of 32 players.

There are going to be fantastic matches, the competition will be fierce. The draw offers an exciting clash to make those matches happen!

Szocs and Flore Victorious Youths!

Bernadette Szocs won her second consecutive singles title at the European Youth Championships in Schwechat just recently. Ironically it was also the second consecutive title for France's Tristan Flore and a match of pure quality to take him there.

The Women's Singles was fairly one sided with Szocs taking command of the match early and keeping it throughout the match. Germany's Petrissa Solja appeared to have no answer. With no shortage of passion, Bernadette stayed focus throughout the match and went all out to claim the title 4-0.

For Tristan Flore the match was much closer. Teammate and top French junior Simon Gauzy was his opposition, and a highly skilled one at that. The match went all the way to seven sets, the full mile to claim the championship. It was fortune in the end that halted a late comeback in the final set by Gauzy, a back edge ball gave Flore the set 11-9 and a 4-3 victory. Luck had stolen the dream for Gauzy, this was apparent, but for Flore, victory was just as sweet.

Precious moments for French teammates Flore and Gauzy
Image from ETTU

The Final Countdown to the Games

The Olympic Games are right around the corner, the final few days are counting down and the players are in London preparing for what promises to be one of the most fantastic table tennis events of the decade. This is my opportunity to connect you with my friends around the table tennis community. I will be doing my best to keep in touch with some of the top players in the world as they bid for biggest prize for athletes around the world, an Olympic Games Medal.

The Olympic Rings
Image from sportscientist.com

First off I have to direct you to the online action. Here I will support some of my supporters and some of the wider known and hard working individuals who work to make table tennis on the web the fantastic following that it continues to achieve. The world turns to table tennis as one of the major and most followed Olympic events. Here is where I guide you!

Table Tennis Daily: Daniel Ives and his team will be hard at work, canvassing every news channel they can get to bring you the most up to date news, they will be on the ground in London for the most live information possible. The unique international forum that TTDaily is represents the force of online table tennis in the UK, the home of the games. Check out the forum HERE and keep up to date over the olympics!

Table Tennis Rulez: The powerhouse of table tennis on youtube, the unique collaboration of two of youtube's greatest table tennis workers. GecaPhoenix and TTCountenance are tt youtube giants, they will be working together to ensure that the action comes to you! Check out their team facebook page HERE.

Pingskills: Working as part of the 'Invade London' campaign to make certain that these Olympic Games achieve the best media attention possible, Jeff Plumb and Alois Rosario have already begun their effort to make sure that table tennis hits the scene in London. Pingskills are online HERE.

Other links can be found in my TT Links tab under my blog banner, please support these 3 sites as they have supported me in kind.

Video of the Week 20/07/12

Some of the bizarre shots of table tennis, including Timo Boll's infamous hand switching and some great behind the back shots and more. Brought to you by the one and only GecaPhoenix! :)

Pink Pong and Vinqui Team Up

Pink Pong are a Cancer Charity who have teamed up with Vinqui to create these magnificent pink table tennis pendants. £10 from each unit will go to Pink Pong who will pass 100% of the proceeds on to Breast Cancer Charities and Foundations. It is a great cause so make sure you take a look, follow the link off my page to Vinqui and see their range of products including the Pink Pong pendant.

Vinqui's Pink Pong Pendant

The Pink Pong pendant is a 925 silver pendant with a pink shell surface, 925 silver table tennis ball with a small diamond in the centre.

The Best of Ma Long vs. Zhang Jike

The clash of the two top players in the world, Ma Long and Zhang Jike. Producing some of the most splendid displays of table tennis in their pitted battles, it was time I made a video to capture the greatest table tennis rivalry of this decade. Enjoy!

Mezyan Makes Magic with Table Tennis

Table Tennis player and Magician Mike Mezyan from the United States recently began stirring a passion for graphic artwork in table tennis. Starting with some basic designs based on action cards of US players he quickly branched out into more elaborate designs, some of my favourite pieces can be seen below. Creating complex landscapes and merging table tennis into fantasy scenarios has proven to be very popular with the ITTF recently sharing one of Mike's pieces on their facebook page, the reception has been highly positive and I thought it was time I shared Mike's work here also!

Mike Mezyan's 'Universal Dragon of Fire' the Chen Qi player card

The player card fiasco began and Mike created player cards with unique artwork designs, quickly moving through a list of high profile Killerspin and US players and figures. Three of my favourite pieces are below. The rest can be found on Mike's facebook page.

Mike Mezyan's 'Battle from Within'

Mike Mezyan's 'Killerspin Egg'

William Henzell features in Mike Mezyan's 'The Henzell Mansion'

Video of the Week 9/07/12

This is a video that just never gets old for me. Seeing Kreanga in such insane form is just amazing, the video is packed with the best rallies of the tournament and some fantastic slow frame clips from the event. Great to see the best in Europe pitched in battle!

Predictions are Hot for London 2012 Olympics

It's been a while since I canvassed the athletes out there, so I figured it was time to get their predictions on who the podium would hold high in the Mens Singles at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Here's what they said:

Hunor Szocs (Romanian National Mens Champion):
Gold: Zhang Jike
Silver: Wang Hao
Bronze: Chuang Chih-Yuan

Jonathan Groth (Danish National Mens Team):
Gold: Zhang Jike
Silver: Wang Hao
Bronze: Timo Boll

Simon Gauzy (French National Mens Team):
Gold: Zhang Jike
Silver: Wang Hao
Bronze: Joo Se Hyuk or Timo Boll

Thomas Keinath (Challenger Series Champion, US Open Winner):
Gold: Wang Hao
Silver: Zhang Jike
Bronze: Oh Sang Eun

Margarita Pesotska (European Championships Bronze Medalist 2011):
Gold: Zhang Jike
Silver: Wang Hao
Bronze: Timo Boll

Matt Hetherington: (MEEEEE)
Gold: Zhang Jike
Silver: Wang Hao
Bronze: Chuang Chih-Yuan