USA Table Tennis Launches the Hall of Fame Cup

USA Table Tennis Launches the Hall of Fame Cup

Brand New Elite Level Invitational Two-Person Team Event, Which Will Offer Some $9,000 in Total Prize Money, Will Be Held at Westchester Table Tennis Center on June 9 – 10

(Colorado Springs, CO – May 3, 2021) – USA Table Tennis (“USATT”), the National Governing Body for the sport of table tennis, in conjunction with the US Table Tennis Hall of Fame today announced the details of a new elite level invitational two-person team table tennis tournament, the Hall of Fame Cup. The HOF Cup, which will be played at the West Chester Table Tennis Center in Pleasantville, New York, on June 9 and 10, will offer a total of $9,000 in prize money, including a $4,000 payday for the winning two-person team.

“The US Hall of Fame Committee is pleased to partner with USA Table Tennis to create a new and exciting team event to assist our Olympic Team Members prepare for Tokyo,” said US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Committee member, Dean Johnson. “The Westchester Club is the perfect location for this inaugural event, and we know that Will Shortz and his team will deliver!  Go Team USA!”

The HOF Cup, which will be played on Double Happiness tables and with Nittaku balls – respectively, the official table and ball sponsors of the event, is set up to pit twenty-four top level two-person teams in a single elimination best-three-of-five format comprised of four singles matches and one doubles match (singles-singles-doubles-singles-singles). It is currently expected that the top-eight rated teams will get a first round bye, while the other 16 teams will play a preliminary round for the opportunity to be part of a sixteen-team final bracket. 

“Team events have always been one of my favorite types of tournaments and the Hall of Fame is honored to be associated with this new USATT Invitational competition,” said Donna Sakai, US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Committee Member and a Mark Matthews Lifetime Achievement Recipient. “The traditional Corbillon format (four singles and one doubles match) should be exciting, and we are looking forward to watching the action on-line.”

The HOF Cup is an invitation-only event, and to qualify a participant must either: (i) be a current member of Team Alpha or Team Omega of the T2 Challenge – Season Two; (ii) a member of the 2021 US Adult National Team (which will be determined at the US National Team Trials in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 21 – 26); (iii) a 2020 US Olympian or Paralympian; or (iv) receive one of up to six still-to-be-determined invitations from the US National Team coaches. 

Each eligible participant, all of whom must hold an active USATT Pro Membership, must join forces with another eligible participant to form a two-person team. The deadline for invited players to submit their teams is June 2, 2021. The cost of participating in the event is $250 per team. Eligible teams can register for the event on www.Omnipong.com. 

The current tournament schedule at Westchester has the preliminary rounds (Teams 9 – 24), beginning action at 3:00 pm on June 9. It is expected that the quarters, semis, and finals will be played on June 10 with action completing after 5:00 pm that date. Participants are encouraged to book flights after 8:00 pm on June 10 (or even June 11). It is important to note that USATT reserves the right to modify the tournament schedule as necessary.

Questions regarding the HOF Cup should be directed to USATT High Performance Director, Sean O’Neill (Sean.ONeill@usatt.org).  

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