ITTF World Youth Championships 2025, Cluj Napoca, 11/23-30

[NextLevel]

Found this:

 

[NextLevel]

All-JPN final is boring...

The funny thing is I totally agree even if you are joking. Or wouldn't we have been more engaged with a China vs Japan final? Just saying.

 

[piligrim]

All Kawakami serves illegal. He always raising arm when tossing ball

 

[Tornado2016]

Koharu Itagaki goes through to the U15 Girls final. A really intense match facing a Japanese player in a semi final. Was Koharu born and raised in Germany or did she just recently qualify to play for Germany?

Her family moved to Germany when Koharu was 6 because her father became head coach of a German TTBL team (Bad Königshofen). She started playing table tennis after coming to Germany.

Sorry, I have just seen that zeio had already replied to this question before.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

All Kawakami serves illegal. He always raising arm when tossing ball

raising arm is not illegal though.
his free hand is still in the way though.

many serves are illegal in this event, the umpires are not able to measure it due to same technology used in the past 50 years.

 

[joshmak10]

raising arm is not illegal though.
his free hand is still in the way though.

many serves are illegal in this event, the umpires are not able to measure it due to same technology used in the past 50 years.

One of the most illegal I have seen was Daniel Berzosa against WRB. He was barely even tossing the ball

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

One of the most illegal I have seen was Daniel Berzosa against WRB. He was barely even tossing the ball

and a new trend in youth is holding open palm facing backwards, so your opponent cannot see the "resting" ball on the palm.
more and more youths are doing it.

but yeah, our umpires are only volunteers, what do you expect.

 

[piligrim]

 

[piligrim]

raising arm is not illegal though.
his free hand is still in the way though.

many serves are illegal in this event, the umpires are not able to measure it due to same technology used in the past 50 years.

It should be 16cm between palm and ball. Because he rising arm he doesn't have 16cm

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

It should be 16cm between palm and ball. Because he rising arm he doesn't have 16cm

yep
you are right

but there is no ways to see if his palm is still holding that ball in this angle.
from another angle, it should be more than 16cm.
I can toss the same.

but with your free hand arm going up like that, it will be slow going away, of which he is late and does obstruct some times.

I can obstruct with my head and free arm going out.

WRB on the other side uses his head to obstruct when he is on the bh corner serving.

end of the day, this is youth tt and it is getting worse I tell you.

I have spoken to many youth players from other countries and they said everyone is doing it.
And I turn around and see our kids from Taiwan and think they are serving too legally

 

[JackJohnson]

and a new trend in youth is holding open palm facing backwards, so your opponent cannot see the "resting" ball on the palm.
more and more youths are doing it.

but yeah, our umpires are only volunteers, what do you expect.

I’ve seen it happen during ITTF and WTT events as well not just Youth. I believe An Jaehyun does it a lot.

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

I’ve seen it happen during ITTF and WTT events as well not just Youth. I believe An Jaehyun does it a lot.

I don't have the stats, but from what culprits are telling me, youth is worse than seniors.
and these youth will become seniors soon.

I showed a few of them on how to toss more legally/border line illegal.
I said, don't be only illegal as you will get called eventually (or maybe they are right and I am wrong lol).

 

[igorponger]

Too much boosters, too many missed balls. Distressing spectacle, degradation of the sport. ITTF wake up, open your eyes.

 

[IB66]

Mixed doubles final with Chirita (from Romania) as well.

Qui Yuxuan won the semi pretty convincingly.

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

Congratulations to a very clever young lady, Koharu Itagaki of Germany, for taking the U15 GS title!

 

[Tony's Table Tennis]

Congratulations to a very clever young lady, Koharu Itagaki of Germany, for taking the U15 GS title!

was a lot of pressure.

her backhand stance leaves her fh very vulnerable, but as she gets taller, her movement will also improve.
I am glad to see a "coaches" kid taking up the responsibilities for the next generations.

I had a long chat with French Olympian Xian Yi Fang and on how much time she invested in her son to make the cut. Funny thing is the younger daughter is more clever and hardworking (also SP on backhand like Itagaki) but the mom invested probably 10 folds less.

Xian's took her son to train with CNT C team and the kid beat most of the C team players.
But isn't really considered a prospect in her mom's eye (and I agree). She actually given him an ultimatum and probably will go study in school if progress during the next age group isn't reach.
I feel the daughter has more potential, and that was what I told her.
They both are coached by a very respected coach in France (not the mom).

I'm also waiting for Apolonia's kids to get older.

 

[zeio]

Hong An-Dania put Malaysia on world podium
https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2025/11/1325743/hong-dania-put-malaysia-world-podium

KUALA LUMPUR: Lee Hong An-Dania Elisha Airul Hafis made Malaysian table tennis history in winning the bronze medal in the Under-15 mixed doubles at the World Youth Championships in Romania on Thursday.

The debutants fell 8-11, 11-9, 4-11, 8-11 to China's Yu Haiyang-Zhu Qihui in the semi-finals but their run was enough to secure Malaysia's first-ever medal on the world stage.

...

National youth team coach Beh Lee Fong hailed the breakthrough, noting the progress Malaysia has made on the youth stage.

"This is Malaysia's second time participating in the World Youth Championships. In 2023, we only competed in the individual events. This time, our girls' team also qualified. It is a very good sign of improvement," said the former national paddler.

"Our mixed doubles pair performed very well, especially with their fearless fighting spirit. In the semi-finals against China, they also had opportunities, but a few points were not handled well. Overall, their performance is still excellent, and they made full use of a favourable draw after avoiding Korea and Japan in the earlier stages.

"This medal is also one of the rare medals in our history. We hope it will attract more external attention and serve as motivation for our young players."

Dania, who only picked up the sport four years ago, also reached the quarter-finals in the girls' doubles with Cheah Yu Zheng before they lost 11-7, 7-11, 3-11, 12-10, 5-11 to Germany's Josephina Neumann-Koharu Itagaki.

Dania also stretched American Abigail Yu to seven games in the last 32 of the girls' singles, while Yu Zheng and Hong An exited in the same stage of their respective singles events.

The Malaysian juniors will head next to the Global Youth Training Camp in Chengdu, China from Dec 4-13, involving Dania, Choo Ke Ying and Faiz Danial Hizir.

Lee Fong credited Table Tennis Association of Malaysia (TTAM) president Datuk Seri Tee Lip Sin and vice president Datuk Lau Joo Han for their vital support in the junior paddlers' development.

 

[zeio]

เด็กไทยสร้างประวัติศาสตร์! พลอย-นอร์ตั้น ผงาดแชมป์โลกปิงปองคู่ผสม รุ่น U15 (Thai kids make history! Ploy-Norton emerge as U15 mixed doubles world table tennis champions)
https://thestandard.co/thai-u15-tabletennis-world-champ-ploy-norton/

“นอร์ตั้น–พลอย” ผงาดคว้าแชมป์ยช.โลก! ประวัติศาสตร์หน้าใหม่ปิงปองไทย (Norton-Ploy wins the World Junior Championship! A new chapter in Thai table tennis history)
https://www.siamsport.co.th/other-sports/sports-world/95175/

“พลอย-นอร์ตั้น” สร้างประวัติศาสตร์ คว้าแชมป์คู่ผสมปิงปองเยาวชนโลก 2025 (Ploy-Norton made history by winning the 2025 World Junior Table Tennis Mixed Doubles Championships)
https://mgronline.com/sport/detail/9680000114380

 

[zeio]

U19BS F
Yoshiyama K. 2-4 Kawakami Ryuusei (7, -7, 11, -9, -7, -7)
Fantastic results for the 16-year-old, winning the U19 BS and BT and reaching the F in BD and SF in XD.
As for Yoshiyama, not meant to be, always coming in 2nd, domestically and internationally...

2007/7/4 YOSHIYAMA Kazuki
2009/10/5 KAWAKAMI Ryuusei

2024/11/23
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...s-2024-helsingborg-11-22-29.35915/post-494491

As many Tieba users expected, KAWAKAMI Ryuusei is performing well but he will likely be another Harimoto, holding out for a real teammate.

2025/1/11
https://www.tabletennisdaily.com/fo...der-doha-2025-6-11-jan-2025.35821/post-502769

I was not wowed by any of their performances at WYC 2024 or in other matches that I've seen of them here or there but time will tell.

Yeah, WYC 2024 was pretty bad except for Kawakami who lost 3-4 against Tang Yiren in U15 BS QF and won both his matches against TPE in U15 BT QF. The desirable thing about him is that he is a righty.

 

[pongfugrasshopper]

Ryuusei Kawakami takes the U19 title at 16 years of age taking down China's top junior and one of France's top juniors along the way. This young man is special.