by Calvin Koh The 16-year-old had earlier beaten Van Hauwaert for the Under-17 Girls’ Singles title and triumphed over her compatriot again with a 3-2 (11-8, 9-11, 3-11, 11-6, 11-8) victory that stretched over five games. “I was feeling very nervous because after my Under-17 win yesterday, people were saying I would go on to […]
by Simon Daish Russia’s Orlov endured a gruelling day at the office in the Under 17 Boys’ Singles draw, with his sixth and final fixture of the day providing his most formidable challenge. Taking on Liu Zhenlong, the second-ranked competitor in the event, Orlov embraced the occasion and his bravery was rewarded as he prevailed […]
Chirita defies expectations to land U-17 title in Vila Real 13 May 2021
Packed with drama, the second day of play at WTT Youth Contender Vila Real saw the event’s first champions being crowned with Romania’s Iulian Chirita providing the headline act with his success in the Under-17 Boys’ Singles tournament.
Iulian Chirita lands U17 title in Vila Real
by Simon Daish
Earlier than anticipated departures for Puerto Rico’s Angel Naranjo and Belgium’s Louis Laffineur blew the title race wide open, ready for an ambitious outsider to capitalise. Step forward Iulian Chirita!
Negotiating his two remaining group fixtures against Portugal’s Francisco Ferreira and Spain’s Francesc Carrera in straight games, Chirita, ranked 22nd on the ITTF Table Tennis Youth Ranking list, then went on to see off Israel’s Uri Almor across four games (9-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-5), before defeating Czech Republic’s Simon Belik by the same margin in the semi-finals (11-6, 6-11, 11-9, 1