English Open Underway in Sheffield

 

by James Skitt - 29.10.09

England’s top Table Tennis players will be hoping to prove their 2012 credentials this week at the 65th English Open, already underway at the English Institute of Sport – Sheffield.

One of the sports most prestigious events, the tournament has attracted many of the worlds top players to Yorkshire including Olympic Champion Ma Lin and World number one Wang Hao.

26 English players will be competing this week as the tournament marks a significant step on the road to London 2012 for the squad, with those on the World Class Performance Programme having access to Performance Analysis, Strength and Conditioning, Sports Psychology and Physiotherapy support as well as Sports Medicine services from the English Institute of Sport (EIS) at their Sheffield training base.

Paul Drinkhall is undoubtably the host nations top prospect this weekend following his stunning victory at the Chinese Open in June, and starts his campaign against qualifiers in both the men’s and under 21 catagories on Friday.

Also hoping to boost their rankings with good results in Sheffield are Joanna Parker and Kelly Sibley, who also line up against qualifiers in tomorrows women’s singles draw, whilst Sibley is another competing in both the women’s and under 21 classifications.

Among the highlights on day one of the tournament was the performance of local teenager Liam Pitchford.

The 16 year-old from Chesterfield gave experienced Hungarian Daniel Kriston a scare before eventually losing in seven games in their men’s singles group match.

You can click here to follow news and results from the tournament via the English Table Tennis Association (ETTA) website

The English Open will also be shown on Sky Sports Extra – click here for TV schedule

Photography © Getty Images