USATT National Junior Ranking Tournament II Kicks Off in Charlotte, NC Charlotte, NC

The second installment of the USATT National Junior Ranking Tournament officially began today at the Belk Gym, located on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. This tournament is a significant step forward in USA Table Tennis’ long-term development strategy in North Carolina and aligns closely with the newly launched USATT Para Residency Program, a collaborative initiative with the U.S. Performance Center.

Featuring five age divisions—U19, U17, U15, U13, and U11—the event opened with competition in the U15 and U11 categories, showcasing many of the country’s top junior talents vying for coveted spots on Team USA ahead of the ITTF Pan American Junior Championships.

Boys U11 Division

Top seed Saivaishnav Senthilkumar advanced to the semifinals without dropping a single set and will face Allen Mao of HITTA in a highly anticipated match. On the bottom half of the draw, second seed Jacob Kordus lived up to expectations and will face Joey Yang, who made headlines with a standout upset in the quarterfinals.

Girls U11 Division

The Girls U11 category proceeded largely as predicted, with the top four seeds all advancing to the semifinals. No. 1 seed Isabella Gao will take on Holly Huang, while Beier Hsiung is set to face Karina Xiao. All semifinalists delivered strong performances, setting the stage for a competitive finish to the division.

Boys U15 Division

Kef Noorani turned in a stellar performance, securing victories over Banala, Zhang, and Musthafa to earn a spot in the semifinals, where he will meet Kyler Chen. Chen battled back from behind to overcome Jaden Jia in the round of 16 before defeating Pradhan in straight sets in the quarterfinals. In the lower half of the bracket, Lucas Wu continued his impressive run by dispatching Thomas Sui and Tanish Mamidyala. Wu will now face Kevin Doyle, the reigning champion from Junior Ranking Tournament I, who edged out a determined Max Mouchinski in a tightly contested quarterfinal.

Girls U15 Division

The Girls U15 draw remained tightly packed, with the top four seeds advancing to the semifinals. Tashiya Piyadasa will go head-to-head with Abigail Yu, while Satya Aspathi faces Irene Yeoh. Given the close ratings among the semifinalists, both matchups are expected to be fiercely competitive.

Looking ahead, the Boys and Girls U13 divisions will commence tomorrow as the tournament continues through the weekend. With national team selections on the line, the level of play is expected to rise even further as the event progresses.