Overall a total of 20 coaches from all parts of India attended, the maximum number accepted.

Notably, the Academy is a full-time dedicated table tennis stadium that features room for 40 tables with seating for up to 12,000 spectators. Participants were housed at the connected, Indore Sports Club, which is one of India’s finest facilities.

The ITTF Coach Education Programme in India is the result of a unique collaboration between the Table Tennis Federation of India and Tenvic, a company formed by Anil Kumble and Vasanth Bharadwaj. The company promotes the well-being of people and ecosystems across personal and professional spheres. It fosters lasting cultural, social and economic benefits for individuals, societies in India aimed at positively impacting the lives of people through sports in schools and clubs.

Significantly, this year Tenvic is organizing five ITTF courses along with a high performance camp.

An intense six days, the ITTF Level Two Course is always hard study both in the class room and on the tables, as coaches work on every aspect of teaching technique. Late night study sessions were the norm as the coaches prepared for the course examinations. All the hard work was rewarded as 16 out of 20 passed the course, many achieving the high marks necessary to qualify for a future ITTF Level Three Course.

Courses by the International Table Tennis Federation are not possible without the help of the local organizing committee and in Indore; we had an excellent one.

A special thank you goes to the Madhya Pradesh Table Tennis Association, in particular to Jayesh Acharya, the General Secretary, Padmashree Abhay Chhajlani, Shri. Sharad Goyal, the Secretary and Mr. Sanjay, staff member, for all the help and support needed to make this course possible.

In fact, only twice has a Chinese player experienced defeat against an adversary from foreign shores in the contest to decide who will hold high the St Bride Vase, both occasions involved Guo Yuehua against Japanese opposition. In 1977 in Birmingham he was beaten by Mitsuru Konno, two years later in Pyongyang by Seiji Ono when at the end of the third game being forced to withdraw injured.

European players have tried three times, never successful.

Now generations ago, in 1959 in Dortmund on the first ever occasion when a Chinese player reached the men’s singles final, Hungary’s Ferenc Sido was beaten by Rong Guotuan; later in 1973 on the other two instances when Europe faced China in the title decider, it was compatriots of Mattias Falck who experienced defeat. In 1973 in Sarajevo, at the final hurdle Kjell Johansson was beaten by Xi Enting; in 1987 in New Delhi, Jan-Ove Waldner lost to Jiang Jialiang.

Europe has enjoyed success since the appearance of China now 60 years ago; in particularly Sweden. In addition Hungary’s Istvan Jonyer, Frenchman Jean-Philippe Gatien and Werner Schlager; Stellan Bengtsson, Jan-Ove Waldner and Jörgen Persson all secured the precious title.

However, none beat Chinese opposition in the final; in fact Jan-Ove Waldner who won in 1989 in Dortmund and later in 1997 in Manchester, in the overall 14 matches played, he only faced one Chinese player; in Manchester he beat Yan Sen in the semi-finals.

Earlier, in 1989 Jörgen Persson, the runner up, had beaten them for him. After accounting for Indonesia’s Tonny Meringgi and England’s Skylet Andrew, he overcame Chen Zhibin, Xie Chaojie, Xu Zengcai and Yu Shentong to reach the final.

Now surely that is good news for Mattias Falck; the coach sitting courtside in Budapest will be Jörgen Persson!

Women’s Doubles final reaction

Wang Manyu reacts to her and Sun Yingsha’s title winning performance:

“This is our second big international tournament and when we were down, we just tried our best because our opponents are very strong and competitive. We just told ourselves not to give but stick with the match.” Wang Manyu

SUN YINGSHA AND WANG MANYU ARE CHAMPIONS! (8-11, 3-11, 11-8, 11-3, 12-10, 11-8)

That’s it! In a tricky situation at 0-2 down on games at one stage in the match but it is Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu who take home the women’s doubles trophy 4-2. Japan’s Hina Hayata and Mima Ito save two championship points against them but the second seeds from China seal game six 11-8 to win gold on their World Championships debut.

Three in a row: Hayata/Ito 2-3 Sun/Wang

Well, well, well. From two games down the Chinese pair of Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu now lead 3-2 following a 12-10 win in game five. Hina Hayata and Mima Ito will feel disappointed with how the latter stages of the game unfolded but they must put game five behind them now and respond.

Time-out!

Hina Hayata and Mima Ito call time-out at 9-9 after the officials call a let service disputed by the Japanese pair.

Back to square one: Hayata/Ito 2-2 Sun/Wang

Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu take game four by a convincing 11-3 margin to level the game scores at 2-2. Is the tide beginning to turn?

Bouncing back: Hayata/Ito 2-1 Sun/Wang

The time-out works a treat for Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu, who take the next two points to gain three game points. Hina Hayata and Mima Ito save one but they can’t prevent the Chinese pair from winning 11-8.

Time-out!

The Chinese duo take a time-out at 8-7 after dropping back-to-back points to their Japanese opponents.

Press Conference: Ma Long 4-1 Mattias Falck

Men’s singles gold and silver medallists Ma Long and Mattias Falck speak to the press about their thrilling battle:

“As a member of the Chinese team you have to play under pressure because of the records set by our predecessors for us. So for me I want to continue with the tradition and that is why I tried my best in every tournament. I think the pressure was more in 2017 than now because I was ranked 11th in this competition and that did not give me more pressure like 2017. I have to put in my best in this final because this might be the last chance for me to win the title. I also think Mattias has improved a lot since last year because we played against each other at Halmstad in 2018. He is a rare player with his style of play, he is strong tactically and mentally and I think he will be our rival in future. Fortunately for both of us we were prepared for the match by two former champions and that made it tough for us.” Ma Long

“I think this is my best performance in my career and it has been a fantastic tournament for me. I am happy with my performance in this tournament. I just need one more year to be higher than this again. Ma Long is a clever player, who changes a lot in the match and he has no weaknesses whatsoever. But I will have to improve my tactics and be more aggressive next time I meet him.” Mattias Falck

Positive signs for Japanese pair: Hayata/Ito 2-0 Sun/Wang

The signs are looking very positive for Hina Hayata and Mima Ito as they take game 11-3 to sail into a two games advantage – can Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu pull themselves back into this one?

Top seeds off to solid start: Hayata/Ito 1-0 Sun/Wang

Game one goes to the Japanese pair as Hina Hayata and Mima Ito fight back from a 3-5 deficit to take the opener 11-8.

Match underway

The players are on the table, the women’s doubles final is now underway.

Japan vs China

Next up we have another exciting contest on the way as Japanese top seeds Hina Hayata and Mima Ito take on Chinese second seeds Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu for the women’s doubles title.

The champion speaks

Ma Long takes a moment to thank his fans following his third World Championships success:

“I think this is a special celebration for me and I just want to enjoy this moment for now. I want to thank my Chinese fans and also the foreign fans for their support. I am not only interested in winning this title but I also want to gain your respect.” Ma Long

MA LONG IS WORLD CHAMPION!!! (11-5, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-5)

He has done it! Ma Long wins the men’s singles title for the third time in a row, Mattias Falck puts up a brave fight but it is the Dragon, the Captain, the Dictator that claims game five 11-5.

Time-out!

Ma Long now takes his time-out leading 9-5. Will he get the job done?

Narrow margins: Ma Long 3-1 Mattias Falck

The time-out doesn’t produce the desired effect for Mattias Falck as Ma Long picks up three consecutive points to take the game 11-9. How will the Swede respond?

Time-out!

Mattias Falck opts for his time-out, he leads 9-8 in a crucial fourth game.

Swede responds: Ma Long 2-1 Mattias Falck

That’s more like it from Mattias Falck! The Swede storms into a convincing 9-2 lead, Ma Long manages to bridge the gap slightly but game three belongs to Falck 11-7. This is the first time Falck has taken a game off Ma in his career!

Ma Long unfazed: Ma Long 2-0 Mattias Falck

Mattias Falck begins to grow into the match, fighting back from 5-2 down to establish a 5-6 lead but Ma Long isn’t fazed winning the second game 11-7. The Dragon holds a two games advantage in this match.

Early lead for defending champion: Ma Long 1-0 Mattias Falck

Ma Long strikes first with an 11-5 win in game one. The defending champion is dealing with his opponent’s short pimples well, keeping the ball low and restricting Mattias Falck to just a handful of points.

Warm-up concludes

Here we go, the warm-up session is over. Now it’s time for the main event!

Players on court

Ma Long and Mattias Falck have entered the arena for the men’s singles final – get ready for a thrilling battle!

Closing day in Budapest

It’s time for the final day of play in Budapest. Get ready for what promises to be an exciting finale – for detailed information take a look at the fixture schedule below:

Preview Final Day

Take a closer look at the two fixtures coming up on the final day with our quick preview article:

Preview Final Day: Crunch time in Budapest, destiny awaits

Manika Batra x TATA Trickshot

Watch Manika Batra take on the TATA Trickshot Challenge:

Thus for the sixth consecutive occasion Ma Long stood on the men’s singles podium when the World Championships curtain closed, more significantly for the third time in a row on the top step.

Most certainly he was tested, after losing the opening two games, Mattias Falck dominated the third before establishing an 8-6 lead in the fourth, at 9-8 in arrears Ma Long called “Time Out”, advice from coach Qin Zhijian, the pause worked to perfection. A two game cushion a more relaxed Ma Long, pressed the accelerator.

“I think this is a special celebration for me and I just want to enjoy this moment for now.
I want thank my Chinese fans and also the foreign fans for their support. I am not only interested in winning this title but I also want to gain your respect.” Ma Long

Only on debut, when in 2017 in the fourth round in Zagreb he tried to blast the defensive skills of the Korea Republic’s Joo Saehyuk out of the water and duly came to grief, has Ma Long not departed with a men’s singles medal. Commencing in 2009 in Yokohama, on three editions it was a semi-final defeat at the hands of colleague Wang Hao; in 2015 in Suzhou he turned the corner and ever since has been driving down the main road.

He now joins the elite club of which Hungarian born Victor Barna and China’s Zhuang Zedong are members; players who have won the men’s singles title at a World Championships on three consecutive occasions.

Notably in an era when the event was he held on an annual basis Victor Barna won in 1930 in Berlin, before in 1931 being the runner up in Budapest; one year later he succeeded in 1932 in Prague and then on the next three occasions to make it an incredible four in row, five overall.

A total of six World Championships and always a place on the podium, it is the same number for Ma Long but note over a period of more than a decade, as opposed to the seven year period of Victor Barna. The two great names stand shoulder to shoulder.

Equally, Ma Long matches Zhuang Zedong, the winner on three consecutive occasions, when as now the event is held on a biennial basis; he won in 1961 in Beijing, in 1963 in Prague and then in 1965 in Ljubljana. One can only surmise but had it not been for the Cultural Revolution would he have made it four in a row in 1967 in Stockholm?

It is to that illustrious club Ma Long now belongs; legendary status.

Men’s Singles Final: Match Report

by Ian Marshall, Editor

Success and they very much maintained the ethos of the tournament; they commenced play as the second seeds as opposed to their opponents who headed the order. Thus, somewhat different to previous years, of the five events on offer, not one was won by the top seeds.

Undoubtedly the crucial stage of the contest arose in the sixth game, level at 9-all, Hina Hayata and Mima Ito, elected for “Time Out”, the break was to work in favour of Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu.

Notably Hina Hayata and Mima Ito had enjoyed success in opposition to Chinese partnerships; on the Seamaster ITTF World Tour, they beat Chen Meng and Zhu Yuling in the final in 2017 in Stockholm before last year securing the title in Linz at the final expense of Chen Xingtong and Sun Yingsha.

In Budapest there was to be no repeat, Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu underled their growing status, having earlier this year won on the Seamaster 2019 ITTF World Tour in Qatar.

It is the 22nd time when China has won the women’s doubles title but since 1997 in Manchester when Deng Yaping and Yang won, it is only the second time that the title has not been won be a left and right handed partnership. Like colleagues Liu Shiwen and Zhu Yuling who won in 2015 in Suzhou both Sun Yingsha and Wang Manyu are right handers.

Moreover, it is the ninth time China has completed the clean sweep of the five events.

Men’s Singles Final: Match Report