NSW JUNIOR PLAYER CLAIMED 6 INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN EUROPE

Rising Australian table tennis star - NSW Junior player Yangzi Liu claimed her 6^th international championship at the 2021 World Table Tennis (WTT) Youth Contender in Szombathely, Hungary on 7 Nov 2021. Rising Australian star Yangzi Liu stood out from the crowd as she took home her third WTT Youth Series title at 2021 WTT Youth Contender Series in Europe within 9 days.  

Champion of U19 Girls’ Singles - 2021 WTT Youth Contender Szombathely, Hungary - 7 Nov 2021

Having lifted the U19 Girls Singles trophy aloft 8 days ago in Lignano, Italy on 30 Oct 2021 with victory over Jingyi Zhou from Singapore, Yangzi was tasked with meeting the same opponent at the final hurdle in Senec, Slovak Republic on 3 Nov 2021.

Composed from start to finish, Yangzi once again held the upper hand against her Singaporean compatriot (13-11, 11-6, 11-5) as she navigated the event without dropping a game.

 Champion of U19 Girls’ Singles - 2021 WTT Youth Contender Senec, Slovak - 3 Nov 2021

Yangzi’s impressive campaign also included a stunning win against Jingyi Zhou from Singapore (11-9, 5:11, 11-8, 11-5) in Lignano, Italy on 30 October 2021.

Yangzi stormed to victory in the Under-19 Girls’ Singles in 2021 WTT Youth Series in Italy, Slovak and Hungary by winning 20 consecutive matches without losing a single game to claim her three WTT Youth Series titles within 9 days.

Yangzi said: “All my hard work paid off, and I’m so excited with all of my wins. I’m enjoying my wins, and all three championships will motivate me to do better and continue to play well.”

   Champion of U19 Girls’ Singles - 2021 WTT Youth Contender Lignano, Italy - 30 Oct 2021

       Champion of Women’s Singles - 2019 Finlandia Open, Lohja, Finland, 5 - 8 Dec 2019

TTNSW Director and NSW State Junior Team Manager, Leonie Whiteford said “TTNSW congratulates the rising Australian stars Yangzi Liu (NSW), Nicholas Lum (VIC) and Finn Luu (VIC) for their achievements in 2021 WTT Youth Contender Series in Europe, and wishes them good luck in the coming brilliant future.

TTNSW is definitely cheering them on as they achieve their goals. We are looking forward to hearing the good news from them in coming years

TTNSW will continue to work hard and work closely with TTA to motivate and promote more junior players to join Yangzi Liu, Nicholas Lum and Finn Luu, and win more medals for Australia in the international events.”

         Champion of U19 Girls’ Singles - 2019 Tabletennis11 Estonian Open, Tallin, Estonia, 28 Nov - 1 Dec 2019

“It was a challenging 2021 but we believe we will have a bright 2022,” said Matt Pound, WTT Managing Director. “With the start of the WTT Feeder Series next year, the pyramid of events is also coming together. Along with the WTT Series and the WTT Youth Series, WTT creates a pathway that showcases the journey of a player from day one to World No. 1 through the ITTF Table Tennis World Rankings.”

“Once the pandemic subsides, we can kickstart various plans in the pipeline and slowly expand our sports property to power its growth around the world.” said WTT Council Chair Guoliang Liu.

    Champion of Women’s Singles - 2019 Tabletennis11 Estonian Open, Tallin, Estonia, 28 Nov - 1 Dec 2019

TTNSW Director, Dr Michael Li said: “Yangzi, making her first international competitive appearance in nearly two years, proved too strong for the opponents on her way to winning the titles. She crushed all opposition, winning 20 consecutive matches without the loss of a single game within 9 days. These victories see Yangzi become the first Australian female player to lift the WTT Youth Series gold medals.”

                  Champion of U19 Girls’ Singles - 2018 Portugal Junior & Cadet Open

                         ITTF Junior Circuit, Guimarães, Portugal, 27 - 30 Nov 2018

“Following the outbreak of COVID-19, ITTF/WTT cancelled 30 of 34 scheduled Junior/Youth events in 2020, and cancelled 15 of 27 of Junior/Youth events in 2021. Congratulations Yangzi, Nicholas and Finn for flying the Australian flags with distinction on the international stages.”

“TTNSW congratulates TTA on these great achievement with the performances at the World Table Tennis Youth Contender events in Europe where our players claimed 5 Gold Medals, 1 Silver Medal and 2 Bronze Medals within 9 days. This was due to the excellent leadership and the strong team work of Scott Houston, Chief Executive Officer; John Murphy, National Head Coach (Able-Bodied); Eva Jeler, National Coach - Performance Pathway (Able-Bodied); and Simon Gerada, National Performance Pathway Manager (Able-Bodied).

“TTNSW wishes all members of the National Squad members good luck in their tournaments. Min Hyung Jee, Qian Yang, Dillon Chambers, Xavier Dixon, Yangzi Liu, Nicholas Lum and Finn Luu will be competing in the World Table Tennis Contender Championships in Novo Mesto, Lasko, Slovenia during 8 - 14 Nov 2021. “

                                           2021 World Table Tennis Youth Series                 

David Lee and Michael Li wish to gratefully acknowledge Yangzi Liu, Table Tennis NSW, Table Tennis Australia, ITTF and World Table Tennis.