Team JOOLA athletes excelled at the recent 2021 US National Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada, with a handful of National Titles being claimed by our sponsored athletes and sponsored club players. 552 players descended upon the Mandalay Bay Convention Center for the tournament, with 48 events contested. New champions were crowned, and JOOLA players featured all the way to the top.
Hat Trick and Top Honors for Amy Wang
The big result came from Amy Wang, who took home three gold medals from the event, the most notable being her first ever Women’s Singles title. In strongly contested final, against JOOLA teammate and 5-time National Champion Lily Zhang, Wang brought her very best game to the table.
As always, Wang was lightning fast in the rallies, combining speed with razor sharp placement. This high caliber play was all executed with an air of calm on the face of the young champion.
It was certainly a proud moment to see Wang lift the trophy, another accolade to add to her career. A silver for Lily Zhang, who is currently in final preparation for Tokyo. The two will travel together, as Wang is the team’s first reserve.
Alongside her women’s singles title, Wang also took home golds for the Under 21 and Under 19 Girls Singles events.
Sharon Alguetti Reaches Final Showdown
On the Men’s side there were some exceptional results, with Sharon Alguetti reaching the Men’s Singles Final. It has been a great year so far for Alguetti, who earlier won the US National Team Trial and broke the 2700 rating barrier.
Alguetti won gold in the Under 21 Men’s Singles, and took home silver in the Men’s Singles after a bold fight against 2021 US Olympian and former Chinese National Team player Zhou Xin.
Lily Yip Table Tennis Center Lands 5 National Titles
LYTTC fielded a strong team and earned itself 5 national titles, and plenty of podium finishes. Amy Wang took home three golds for the team, while Jayden Zhou claimed victory in the Under 19 Boy’s Singles.
One of the biggest results for the club was the Under 15 Boy’s Singles title, won by Darius Fahimi. The victory was a big surprise for the young man in form on the day, ninth seeded in the event and upsetting his way through the field.
The upsets began in the round of 16, where the 2272 rated Fahimi overcame Sean Chen in a quick 3-game sweep. He then moved on to take down clubmate Charlie Wang in 5, fighting back from a 2-0 deficit. After defeating the second seeded Wang, he then eliminated Daniel Tran in the semifinal, before closing out Nandan Naresh in the final.
Overall it was back to back upsets from the round of 16 to the final, with both Wang and Naresh being rated over 2400. A phenomenal performance from Darius Fahimi to become National Champion.
Alongside these 5 crowns, Max Mouchinski also took silver in the Under 11 Boy’s Singles event, and Nishant Lebaka narrowly lost out the final of the Under2450 event.
Naresh Brothers Prominent on Podiums Again
The Naresh Brothers have become household names in the Youth team trials and Nationals alike. In Vegas, it was Sid Naresh who left his mark on the titles list – winning out the Under 17 Boy’s National Title. This earns him a direct place in the Under 17 National Team.
Sid also fought hard in the Under 19 Boy’s Final, taking home a silver from that event. He also lost out deuce in the decider in the final of the Under 2550 to Earl James Alto, and was defeated in straight games in the Under 21 Men’s Singles Final by Sharon Alguetti.
Nandan Naresh took home his silver medal in the Under 15 Boy’s Singles.
Zarehbin Lands Big Win
Aziz Zarehbin made a power move to shake up the Men’s Singles draw, eliminating 3rd seed Zhang Kai on his way through to the quarterfinals. His challenge for a medal was cut short by one round, defeated by Gal Alguetti (who took home the bronze medal).
Zahrebin was able to seal the deal on the Under 2450 rating event. It was a hotly contested final between Aziz and LYTTC’s Nishant Lebaka, almost going to 7 games. At 9-9 in the 6th game, as Zarehbin led 3-2, Lebaka was faulted for his serve – handing Zarehbin a match point and some breathing room.
Anguish for Lebaka, but for Zarehbin a quick conversion handed him the gold.
Zarehbin also won a bronze medal in the Under 19 Boy’s Singles event to add to his tally.
Leibovitz Ready for Paralympics
In the Para Standing Class 6-10 it was dominance from Tahl Leibovitz, adding another medal to decades of domestic victories.
Leibovitz also picked up bronze medals in the Over 40 Men’s Singles and the Under 2450 event. Lots of competitive matches and podium finishes are bound to give him confidence ahead of Tokyo.
Stanley Hsu Solidifies Record
MDTTC’s Stanley Hsu was victorious in the Under 13 Boy’s Singles, just weeks after having won the US National Team Trial for the same event. He overcame a tough semifinal challenge against Xianyao He, fighting back after losing the first two games to win in the fifth.
MDTTC teammate Mu Du reached the semifinal and won bronze in the event also, losing out to Patryk Zyworonek, who was unable to contend the final, leaving Hsu to take the gold.
The Final Standings
Overall, outstanding results from JOOLA players, we are immensely proud of all of you. We want to thank our players, coaches and clubs for the time and energy you invest in putting forward your best on the table – and representing our brand with pride.
Here is a rundown of the medals captured by Team JOOLA!
Women’s Singles:
Gold – Amy Wang
Silver – Lily Zhang
Men’s Singles:
Silver – Sharon Alguetti
Bronze – Gal Alguetti
Men’s 70+ Singles:
Bronze – Richard McAfee
Men’s 65+ Singles:
Bronze – Richard McAfee
Under 21 Men’s Singles:
Gold – Sharon Alguetti
Silver – Sid Naresh
Bronze – Jayden Zhou, Gal Alguetti
Under 21 Women’s Singles:
Gold – Amy Wang
Under 19 Girl’s Singles:
Gold – Amy Wang
Under 19 Boy’s Singles:
Gold – Jayden Zhou (LYTTC)
Silver – Sid Naresh
Bronze – Aziz Zarehbin
Under 17 Boy’s Singles:
Gold – Sid Naresh
Bronze – Nandan Naresh
Under 15 Boy’s Singles:
Gold – Darius Fahimi (LYTTC)
Silver – Nandan Naresh
Para Classes 6-10:
Gold – Tahl Leibovitz
Under 13 Boy’s Singles:
Gold – Stanley Hsu
Bronze – Mu Du (MDTTC)
Under 2450 Rating Event:
Gold – Aziz Zarehbin
Silver- Nishant Lebaka (LYTTC)
Bronze.- Tahl Leibovitz
Under 2300 Rating Event:
Ashwin Sankuratri (ICC)
Under 2550 Rating Event:
Silver – Sid Naresh
Bronze – Ved Sheth (ICC)
Over 40 Men’s Singles:
Bronze – Tahl Leibovitz
Under 11 Boy’s Singles:
Silver – Max Mouchinski (LYTTC)
Bronze – Advik Pradhan (ICC)
Under 1600 Rating Event:
Silver – Ryan Ekdalh (ICC)
Under 11 Girl’s Singles:
Bronze – Daria Feng (ICC)
