Percy Lu is going to get a lot of support in the PingSkills Classic and will have a home ground advantage since he is from the Coburg Table Tennis club. He’s going to need to make use of his deadly serves if he has any chances of getting past the quarter finals and into the semis. He’s also the only left hander in the field. Watch the video to decide if you’ll be supporting Percy.
For the first time in many many moons Table Tennis will be on TV in Australia on Fox Sports 3 this coming Thursday (4th August 2011) @ 8am and Friday (5th of August) @ 8:30am for 2 x 2 hour programs of the Liebherr 2011 ITTF – Oceania Cup.
It may not be Prime Time TV, but we need all Table Tennis people to support us by switching it on. This will ensure we can help the product to grow and win further support of the TV network Fox and in the future hopefully improve our allocated time slot. Its important for our future growth of the commercialisation of Table Tennis in the region and Australia.
So please let all your Table Tennis buddies, your non Table Tennis buddies, your grandmother and generally any sports fans know. I am sure they will appreciate to see some extremely high quality Table Tennis. Any way you can help us promote this is appreciated.
Brian Berry is the oldest and most unique player in the PIngSkills Classic. His game varies from fast aggressive topspins to heavy defensive chopping. The biggest problem facing Brian will be his consistency. To beat the top players he will need to mix up his game and have a very low unforced error count. Brian can also be quite entertaining during his matches and often comments aloud about his performance after a critical point. If you like to see unusual players and support the underdog then the Berry is your man!
We are very excited to have Simon Gerada join PingSkills to initially help out answering some of the Ask the Coach questions via video. Simon runs the successful Health Wellness and Table Tennis club. He’s had a fantastic playing career which you can learn more about in this PingPod interview. Below is the first question he has answered regarding the pendulum backspin serve.
Will our only female player in the main draw be able to take the title at the first ever PingSkills Classic? Miao Miao is a legend of Australian Table Tennis who uses short pimples on the forehand and medium pimples on the backhand. She plays very attacking Table Tennis with powerful smashes from close to the table.
Can Trent Carter win the PingSkills Classic? Being a home grown Coburg boy, he will have tremendous support. He’s no stranger to winning big events either as he has won on the World Junior Circuit and was also the Oceania Men’s Singles Championships.
The Draw for the inaugural PingSkills Classic has been done with some interesting results. Te top two seeds for the event have been set as Simon Gerada and Shibaji Datta. They look to be the favourites but you can now see who they will be up against. You can also check out how your favourite player has fared in the draw.
Shibaji Datta is playing in the PingSkills Classic. In this PingPod we describe why you should be supporting him and discuss whether we think he can win the tournament.
Shibaji has one of the best backhand blocks in Australia. Combine that with his deadly forehand, deceptive serves and smooth footwork and you can see why he is a formidable opponent for anyone.
Fox have advised that the ITTF-Oceania Cup will be broadcast at the following times in Australia:
FOX3
4/08/2011 08:00:00 Part 1 2hr
5/08/2011 08:30:00 Part 2 2hr
FOX1
16/08/2011 02:30:00 Part 1 2hr
16/08/2011 04:30:00 Part 2 2hr
Support viewing this fantastic event because this will help to ensure more Table Tennis on our screens.
Here is an interesting question and answer from one of the members of the Australian Paralympic squad, Biagio Pitruzzello. Make interesting reading. Thanks to Alan Davidson Publicity for the article.
Q: Describe your goals.
Answer: I would like to try and get some sponsorship to help me raise funds so I can attend international table tennis qualifying tournaments to qualify for the 2012 Paralympics.
