TABLE TENNIS
By KATRINA BRANDON
TRARALGON’S Gippsland Regional Indoor Sporting Stadium (GRISS) welcomed more than 450 of Australia’s most elite table tennis players to the local courts.
From July 6 to July 13, players from all over Australia participated in individual and team matches, with some players returning from international tournaments making an appearance for the not-to-miss event.
Walking into the establishment, people found themselves in a table tennis frenzy, with all rooms filled to the brim with everything table tennis.
Across the eight days, locals were able to witness some of the most intense games between players, with some wagering Victoria would take the majority of the top spots.
While waiting for matches, you could find spectators and other players watching other games, or, in the case of the younger athletes, playing rock, paper, scissors in the stands. Older elite players could be found practising between games.
Throughout the week, tables 10 to 13 were livestreamed, presenting games from the older junior, seniors and para players. The livestreamed videos can be found on the Table Tennis Australia YouTube channel.
Victorian all-stars to watch out for continued to impress, with Yousef Hassan, Jia Xian Boon, Anthony Silk and Max Geering in the men’s division continuing their progress to the top, as well as Nguyen Cherry Le, Ellen Walker, Riti Shankar, and Sanaya Buddhadasa in the women’s division.
In the para section, Victoria’s Lisa Daniela di Toro also maintained her winning streak in the Open Class 1-5 Mixed Wheelchair Doubles, Class 4-5 Singles and the Open Class 1-5 Women’s Wheelchair Singles. Toro is an eight-time Paralympian competing for Australia, where she has competed not only in table tennis but in para tennis as well.
Multiple other table tennis Paralympians and Olympians were present throughout the event.
Other top players include Chelsea Wu and Abbey Man from Western Australia, Kailey Reddy from New South Wales, Hayden Green from Queensland, Coral Zhao and Victoria Zhang from Victoria, Rayan Vardinejad from Western Australia and Dahyeon Kang, Clarence Cheng and Jeffery Guo from New South Wales.
Australia’s top coaches could also be spotted on the sides of the courts, with two coaches receiving Australia’s top table tennis recognition.
On a local level, Latrobe City Mayor, Dale Harriman was happy to see elite players at GRISS.
“Council was thrilled to welcome the Table Tennis Australia National Championships to Traralgon,” he said.
“Events like this not only inspire our local athletes and young people, they also deliver a fantastic boost to the local economy and community spirit.”
Published on day six, Table Tennis Australia posted on their website that this year’s nationals were already shaping up to be one of the most significant and most memorable events on the Australian Table Tennis calendar.
“It’s been an incredible five days at the 2025 Table Tennis Australia National Championships!”
“Last night (July 10) saw the conclusion of the Teams Events, Mixed Doubles, Doubles, Para Teams, and Para Individual events – with fierce rallies, unforgettable performances, and a celebration of the best of Australian table tennis and Para table tennis. A huge congratulations to all the medallists across the events,” Table Tennis Australia posted.
“From elite-level rallies to inspiring Para performances, the quality of play, sportsmanship, and community spirit have been simply outstanding.”
Alongside TTA, Table Tennis Victoria (TTV) were also happy with results throughout the tournament.
“The 2025 Australia National Table Tennis Championships, were a fabulous display of our exceptional talent within the state team,” TTV said in a media release.
“Both the Men’s and Women’s Open teams placed silver in their respective events, facing some incredibly tough competition this year!”
Victorian head coach, David Powell shared that he was very pleased with the quality of play, stating that “we have seen some incredible matches played throughout the teams competition from our players.”
“It was nice to have a bit of a home advantage for this event, with a fantastic setup in Traralgon helping out our teams.”
State team manager, Frank Pearce shared that “the team spirit has been off the charts this year, with everyone being a little bit more coherent.”
Pearce also mentioned that “compared to previous years, the standard has been way higher, with a lot of medals coming our way!”
State para coach, Jenny Langridge also shared her thoughts about the para squads’ performance, stating, “The Victorian Para Table Tennis team delivered an outstanding performance at the recent National Table Tennis Championships held in Traralgon.”
“Competing across 25 Para events, the team secured medals in 15 of them, taking home an impressive tally of eight gold, eight silver and three bronze medals.
“The squad of 14 athletes, including four first-time competitors at a National Championships, showcased not only their skill and preparation but also the team’s strong values of High Performance, Connection, Inclusiveness, Resilience and Determination.”
These values were evident in the months of training leading up to the event and throughout the intense week of competition.
Having been in the game for close to 20 years, Xuqi Lin from RTTC Table Tennis Academy told the Express that the nationals tournament was a great opportunity, and that he enjoyed playing the Traralgon tournament.
“The environment is definitely pretty professional,” he said.
“This has been a great opportunity for everyone to have a match here together and to have a new experience. From the set-up to the rubber floors, it has been very professional with all of the details.”
Lin started playing table tennis when he was seven-years-old, and began coaching while still playing in tournaments at the age of 18.
From day one to seven, the tables were always full, but by the final day, all attention shifted to the main courts.
As the event neared its end, the last round of games drew excitement. Despite most games having concluded, about 200 people stayed around to watch the games finish and to celebrate the final moments of the event.
The last game to finish was one of many intense contests, which saw NSW player, Clarence Cheng, against Victoria’s Yousef Hassan in the Under 19 Boys Singles.
Among the wave of claps and excitement, Cheng and Hassan fought to a fifth set, with each and every moment of the game drawing more excitement. Banking on Hassan winning, the unexpected happened as Cheng beat the ‘one-to-watch’ in the last set 11 to one.
Another standout game from the final day came from Victoria’s players Qinle Alice Xia and Kavyaa Madaan, who battled a fierce final as they fought four sets, with Madaan coming out on top, and Xia losing energy toward the end.
While the fourth set brought forward the victor of the game, earlier matches could have had the tip of the scales falling on either side. The first two sets went to Madaan, winning 14-12 and 12-10. Whereas, Xia managed to take the third set, fighting for the chance to take top spot, taking the set 11-9. The final set was won 11 points to four.
