Westchester Table Tennis Holds First Major Youth Competition

Last week, some of the best young table tennis players in the world descended on Westchester for one of the sport's premier events for young participants.

The Westchester Table Tennis Center in Pleasantville hosted the first WTT Youth Contender series, one of 35 events held annually around the world that determine the international rankings for players 19 and under.

Last week’s tournament is one of three events held in the United States this year that count toward the rankings. The other two are in San Francisco, said Vlad Farcas, an events coordinator for USA Table Tennis who oversaw last week’s four-day gathering.

There were 120 players from about 12 countries, both boys and girls, in five age categories U11, U13, U15, U17 and U19 who competed in the Youth Contender matchup. Farcas estimated that about 60 to 70 coaches and of course parents made the trip to see their children play.

It's grown so much in the U.S., especially in the last five years, I would say, the membership of USA Table Tennis has grown so much, the clubs, there's a lot of clubs on the East Coast, there's a lot of clubs on the West Coast, and a lot more professionals in table tennis, Farcas said of the gradual growth and status of the American game. So it's grown so much in the last five years.

The strides made have been reflected in the individual rankings of the young players. While China, Japan, South Korea and Germany remain among the strongest contingents internationally, the U.S. has both a top 30 male and female player, according to Virginia Sung, CEO of USA Table Tennis.

In fact, the top American male player, Nandan Naresh, competed in the Youth Contender event last week. Other countries represented last week were Canada, Australia, France, Italy, the Philippines, Chinese Taipei, Ukraine, France and Luxembourg.

Sung said table tennis is a club sport in the U.S., so USA Table Tennis helps clubs develop programs that provide a training ground for young players. She said Westchester Table Tennis Center is perhaps the best facility in the U.S., if not the entire Pan Am region, and was a natural fit to host the Youth Contender Series.

USA Table Tennis will host as many international events as possible to accommodate players, giving them more experience and the opportunity to compete with foreign players, Sung said.

One of those American players is Hasan Saidov, who was born and raised in New York after his parents emigrated to the U.S. from Uzbekistan. On the third day of the tournament, Saidov spoke about his table tennis game after beating a player from Canada in the U19 category.

Saidov said he started playing table tennis when he was about eight years old, which is late for those aiming for an international ranking. However, it is a fun sport that you can take as seriously as you want, he said.

You can win some money, you can play for fun; even if you have bad days, you can still make a good day out of it, but sometimes you just play to become a pro, Saidov said. Losing, winning, it doesn't matter, just play. That's what keeps me going, why I keep playing.

Another player from New York, Lucy Chen, has been playing since she was four years old. Her parents are both table tennis coaches, so the sport has been a part of her life since she can remember.

Chen said she was honored to participate in the Youth Contender event and represent the U.S. contingent.

I really hope I get good results, she said.

Farcas said that as young players outgrow youth competition, the rankings can also help determine whether they are ready for international play at the adult level.

There are a number of players here who are good enough to also play in the senior competition, said Farcas.

That was also the case for Naresh, who is a member of the U.S. adult national team, according to the Westchester Table Tennis Center.

Farcas said he was pleased that USA Table Tennis was able to bring the event to Pleasantville.

We have 120 players, most of them are staying in a hotel, most of them are eating here, so it really helps economically over five days, he said. That's really good for the community.