by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor

Furthermore, both players emerged successful in style; at the final hurdle Andrea Landrieu accounted for Chile’s Juan Lamadrid in three straight games (11-2, 11-5, 11-4); by a very similar margin Bruna Takahashi overcame compatriot, Fernanda Kodama (12-10, 11-7, 11-7).

Defeat for Juan Lamadrid and once again defeat in the final in an ITTF Challenge Series Under 21 Men’s Singles event. One week ago he was beaten in the title deciding contest on home soil in Santiago by Argentina’s Horacio Cifuentes; last year, again in Santiago, he suffered when facing Germany’s Florian Schreiner.

Notably, for both Andrea Landrieu and Bruna Takahashi, it is building on major success gained in the Cadet age group.

In 2011 at the European Youth Championships in the Russian city of Kazan, Abdrea Landrieu won the Cadet Boys’ Singles title beating Sweden’s Carl Ahlander-Johansson in the final.

More recently, Bruna Takahashi was a member of the successful Latin American outfit at the 2015 ITTF World Cadet Challenge in the Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh; not only did she win gold in the Girls’ Team event, later in the proceedings she accounted for Romania’s Andreea Dragoman to secure the Girls’ Singles crown.

It is the second time that Bruna Takahashi has won an ITTF Challenge Series Under 21 Women’s Singles title; last year she emerged successful in Chile beating colleague, Leticia Nakada in the final.

Meanwhile, for Andrea Landrieu it is his first such title either at an ITTF Challenge Series or ITTF World Tour tournament; a milestone moment.