2018 ITTF World Cadet Challenge

Repeat of nine years earlier, Japan wins on home soil

28 Oct 2018

Selecting from Masaki Yoshida, Koki Niwa, Asuka Machi and Yuto Muramatsu, Japan won the Boys’ Team title at the 2009 World Cadet Challenge in Tokyo; prior to the commencement of play in Tottori it was the only occasion when the Land of the Rising Sun had won the event and the only time that the host nation selection had prevailed.

On Sunday 28th October that record was matched; selecting Kazuki Hamada, Hiroto Shinozuka and Yuma Tanigaki, with 11 year old Sora Matsushima resigned to the bench, the title was secured and secured in a most impressive manner.

Kazuki Hamada who beat Wang Guan-Ru in the vital third match of the final (Photo: Jan Brychta)

by Ian Marshall, Editor

At the final hurdle a three-one victory was recorded against the Asian trio comprising Iran’s Radin Khayyam, Chinese Tapei’s Wang Guan-Ru and China’s Zeng Beixun.

Man of the moment was Horoto Shinozuka; in the opening match of the fixture he beat Radin Khayyam (11-8, 11-9, 11-5), before crucially in the fourth match accounting for Zeng Beixun (11-4, 11-3, 9-11, 14-12), the winner earlier this year of the Cadet Boys’ Singles title at the Asian Junior and Cadet Championships in Myanmar. The one further win for Japan was secured in the third match of the engagement when Kazuki Hamada overcame Wang Guan-Ru (11-8, 11-6, 11-8); the one success for Asia accrued in the opening match, Zeng Beixun having given his team the ideal start by beating Yuma Tanigaki (11-6, 11-7, 11-5).

Earlier, fielding the same trio, Japan had beaten the European outfit formed by Frenchman Mysaal Sabhi, Poland’s Maciej Kubik and Germany’s Mike Hollo by three matches to nil.

Meanwhile, in the counterpart semi-final, selecting as in the title decider, Radin Khayyam, Wang Guan-Ru and Zeng Beixun, a three-one success was recorded in opposition to North America who selected Canada’s Edward Ly and Edison Huang alongside Nikhil Kumar of the United States.

The one success for the United States was secured in the opening match of the fixture when Nikhil Kumar beat Wang Guan-Ru (12-14, 11-4, 11-9, 11-7); however defeats for Edward Ly against Zeng Beixun (11-4, 11-8, 11-8) and Wang Guan-Ru (16-14, 12-10, 7-11, 11-6) plus a reverse for Edison Huang when opposing Radin Khayyam (11-3, 11-1, 11-9) ended North American aspirations.

Proceedings in the Boys’ Team event over, attention now turns to the individual events.

2018 ITTF World Cadet Challenge Hiroto Shinozuka Yuma Tanigaki Kazuki Hamada

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Photo Gallery

Day 5 - 2018 World Cadet Challenge