2024 U.S. Open Table Tennis Championships are Underway, Mixed Doubles Begin
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by Joshua Dyke
Doubles: Jishan Liang/Hong Lin playing against Shuang Wang/Timothy Cudjoe in the Mixed Doubles Round of 32 at the 2024 U.S. Open Table Tennis Championships. Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada. Dec. 16, 2024. (USATT/Rich London)
Las Vegas, Nev. – The 2024 U.S. Open Table Tennis Championships are underway at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. The six-day event runs from Monday, Dec. 16, through Saturday, Dec. 21, attracting 1,478 participants competing across 115 championship events. This annual tournament, the largest of its kind in the United States, has brought athletes and fans from around the globe to Las Vegas.
Day One Highlights
The opening day featured 23 events with players representing 19 different countries. Among the standout competitions, the Open Mixed Doubles Championships took center stage, showcasing a higher level of international play right from the start.
"This year we have a lot of good international players, from Japan, Europe, and other countries. It’s very exciting. We’ll try our best." – Jishan Liang/Hong Lin
Jishan Liang, a U.S. Men’s National Team Member, and Hong Lin, the reigning 2024 U.S. National Champion, entered the tournament as the third seed and the highest-rated mixed doubles team representing the United States. They boast a combined rating of 5,468. On day one, Liang and Lin found success, advancing through both the Round of 32 and Round of 16 with relative ease. Liang and Lin face Bosman Botha and Amy Wang in the mixed doubles quarterfinals tomorrow, Tuesday, Dec. 17, on Day 2.
First Gold Medalist: Ayano Yo
Japan’s Ayano Yo claimed the first gold medal of the 2024 U.S. Open by winning the Hardbat Women’s Singles. She defeated Ziwei Wang 2-0 (21-18, 21-18) in a best-of-three final match.
Following her victory, Yo shared her enthusiasm about her return to the U.S. Open:
"I'm from Japan and I studied in the U.S. two years ago, so this is the third time for me to play in the U.S. Open. I think this is the best tournament in the world. Actually, I travel around the world, and I play ping pong in every country, but the U.S. Open is the best tournament for me." – Ayano Yo
By the end of day one, nine new champions had been crowned, marking an exciting start to the prestigious tournament.
2024 U.S. Open Champions – Day 1
Hardbat Women’s Singles Champion
Ayano Yo
Hardbat Junior Boys’ Singles Champion
Zichun Shen
80 & Over Men’s Singles Champion
Mike Sturtevant
80 & Over Women’s Singles Champion
Winnie Hui
U17 Boys’ Doubles Champions
Anav Gupta / Ryan Lin
U11 Boys’ Doubles Champions
Titus Ho / Yuan Kai Wu
U11 Girls’ Doubles Champions
Anya Shanbhag / Emma Yang
40 & Over Women’s Doubles Champions
Lily Yip / Hui (may Tong) Huang
70 & Over Women’s Doubles Champions
June Li / Xianyu Hui
Keep up with the 2024 U.S. Open Table Tennis Championships Live Stream on YouTube and the 2024 U.S. Open Homepage.
