US Junior Stars Shine at WTT Youth Contender San Francisco I

USA players won 10 of the 12 events at the prestigious event which kicked off 2025

From January 2-5^th 2025, top USA junior players joined their counterparts from around the world to compete at the WTT Youth Contender San Francisco I at the 888 Table Tennis Center. The event, presented by Ethos, was the first WTT event of 2025, and did not disappoint. The event brought together junior players from USA, Australia, Canada, Cambodia, Antigua and Barbuda, Ecuador, Mongolia, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Poland, and Thailand, all looking to kick off the new year with valuable junior world ranking points and titles.

American players dominated the event, winning 10 of the 12 championship titles on offer. Recently crowned Under 19 2024 US Open Champion Nandan Naresh (USA) continued his dominance in the category by winning the Under 19 at the WTT Youth Contender over fellow American Daniel Tran (USA) 3-2. Sally Moyland (USA) captured the Under 19 title over 14-year-old Tashiya Piyadasa (USA). Australian Aditya Sareen captured the U17 boys singles title, while Thai player Thitaphat Preechayan won the U15 boy’s title. The remaining championships were all won by American junior players, many from the powerhouse clubs in and around California.

WTT Youth Contender Champions:

• Nandan Naresh (USA) – U19 Boys
• Sally Moyland (USA) – U19 Girls
• Sally Moyland (USA) / Alex Luo (USA) – U19 Mixed Doubles
• Aditya Sareen (AUS) – U17 Boys
• Irene Yeoh (USA) – U17 Girls
• Thitaphat Preechayan (THA) – U15 Boys
• Jiaqi Zhu (USA) – U15 Girls
• Irene Yeoh (USA) / Kef Noorani (USA) – U15 Mixed Doubles
• Joe Zhang (USA) – U13 Boys
• Jiaqi Zhu (USA) – U13 Girls
• Allen Mao (USA) – U11 Boys
• Holly Huang (USA) – U11 Girls

USA will be home to 6 WTT Youth Contender events in 2025, marking a new record for WTT Youth Contenders held on American soil in a single year. 888 TTC will be home to four of those events, with the next WTT Youth Contender at 888 Table Tennis Center to be held from April 5-8^th and later ones in July and November.

"We are thrilled with the success of the recent WTT Youth Contender event held at the 888. Hosting such a prestigious tournament reflects our commitment to advancing table tennis on a global stage while fostering a community of excellence here at 888. It was a privilege to welcome 136 players from 12 countries, and an honor to witness remarkable talent and sportsmanship displayed by these young athletes. We are especially grateful to Ethos for their generous sponsorship, which highlights the growing support for table tennis from the wider community.” — Huifen Chan Founder, 888 Table Tennis Center

Huifen Chan and 888 Table Tennis Center, a USA Table Tennis National Training Center, look forward to continued success in hosting WTT Youth Contender events throughout 2025.