The latest WTT Contender event in Table Tennis starts in just a few days time when we will see the brightest up and coming stars in Table Tennis competing for a prize fund of $75,000 at the WTT Contender Nova Gorica.
This is the final WTT Contender Series event of the year and with that comes the pressure of finishing the season on a high to increase world ranking positions ahead of 2023. The competition starts on October 31st, and ends on November 6th. As is always the case with WTT Contender events, they are fast and furious, and over in a flash.
- What; WTT Contender Nova Gorica 2022
- Where; Primary School Milojka Strukelj, Nova Gorica, Slovenia
- When; Monday, October 21st, 2022 - Sunday, November 6th, 2022
Jorgic is the top man in action
The top attraction in the Menâs draw in Slovenia is world number eight, Darko Jorgic, who, as the number one seed, will be looking to accrue more ranking points and improve his world status.
Jorgic is the only man from inside the top 10 to be competing here. Chuang Chih-Yuan (16), Kristian Karlsson (18), and Lim Jonghoon (19)Â are the only other competitors from inside the top 20 on the show.
Two of the world's top ten players are in the women's draw
In the womenâs draw, we have two players from the top ten. The top-ranked woman is Doo Hoi Kem, ranked seventh, with Austriaâs Sofia Polcanova (10th) also competing. They also make up the top two seeds in the womenâs draw.
Monacoâs Xiaoxin Yang is also competing. The world number 12 is ranked three here, and she is the third player from inside the worldâs top 20 playing in the womenâs competition. Itâs a pretty safe bet that the winner here will come from one of this trio of ladies.
To add to the week of entertainment, there is also a Menâs Double competition, a Womenâs Doubles, and a Mixed Doubles.
For the best betting odds on the competition, stick with us, and in the meantime, why not check out our sportsbook reviews page for to find the best bookmakers to bet on Table Tennis with.
What is the WTT Contender Series?
The WTT Contender Series is basically a series of second-tier Table Tennis competitions organized by World Table Tennis. The competition is in its second year, and at this stage, itâs fair to say itâs a work in progress.
Ten events were scheduled in 2022, and so far, weâve had nine. The WTT Contender Nova Gorica is the final event of the year.
The seasonâs opening competition was held in Muscat back in February. In the menâs draw, world number three Liang Jingkun took the honors, while in the womenâs competition, world number 30 Kuai Man of China won the title.
The WTT Contender Series is not to be mixed up with the WTT Champions Series. The Champions Series is only open to the top 32 men and women in the world. Winning Contender Series competitions is the best way for a player to force his or her way into the exclusive Champions Series.
WTT Champions Series Macau
And speaking of the Champions Series, there is currently one taking place in Macau. The aforementioned Darko Jorgic is also competing in this competition, where he has just knocked out Marcos Freitas in the Round of 32. He will take on Patrick Franziska in the Round of 16 on Friday.
In the latest Table Tennis betting odds, this looks like a close contest on paper, with both players -120 with Bovada.
Jorgic v Franziska Match Winner Betting | |
---|---|
Darko Jorgic | -120 |
Patrick Franziska | -120 |
Check out our Bovada sportsbook review for more great betting offers.
Elsewhere and world number one, Fan Zhendong is also safely through to the Round of 16. He defeated Wong Chun Ting 3-0 on Thursday and is -10000 to beat Kanak Jha in the last 16.
World number two Ma Long also booked his place in the Round of 16 when he defeated Yukiya Uda 3-1 in the Round of 32. Long will now take on Dang Qiu of Germany for a place in the last eight. Qiu is +1000 to win, with Long a very short looking -5000.
To give you an indication of just how one-sided some matches in Table Tennis are, Long is -1000 just to win the first game!
Presenting your top 16 Men and Women at #WTTMacao đČđŽđ€©
Who will you be rooting for?
Catch your favourite stars LIVE from #WTTChampions Macao at 10am (GMT +8) đ„ pic.twitter.com/Tv431jFqGh
— World Table Tennis (@WTTGlobal) October 20, 2022
Wang Manyu shock casualty in women's draw
Over in the womenâs draw, there were shocks aplenty. Third seed Wang Manyu was sensationally knocked out - in what is described as one of the biggest shocks in Table Tennis - by Franceâs Jia Nan Yuan.
Yuan, the world number 25, will now face Chen Szu-Yu in the Round of 16. Yuan is +137 to progress to the Round of 8, with Szu-Yu at -188.
The loss of Manyu further opens the door to world numbers one and two, Sun Yingsha and Chen Meng, who play later on Friday. Having seen the back of one of their chief rivals, they will need to make sure theyâre also not the victims of major upsets when they play their respective Round of 16 matches.
Sun Yingsha takes on Xiaoxin Yang first. Yingsha is -5000, with Xiaoxin at +1000. Number two in the world Chen Meng plays immediately after the conclusion of Sun and Xiaoxin. Meng is -10000 to win, with her opponent Bernadette Szocs of Romania at +1400.
Obviously, they are both very risky bets at such prices. But the chances of upsets are minimal.