Photo: WSA

Richard Prause, WSA Head Coach and prominent representative of the Werner Schlager Academy at the World Table Tennis Championships 2015 in Suzhou, has already flown to the Chinese metropolis on last Wednesday and was on site for the traditional Butterfly evening before the competition starts.

“We have a wonderful atmosphere here. Everybody likes to be here at this evening, it is just a traditional part of a World Championship. Of course you can feel the tension. It is like the silence before the storm comes”, reported the renowned table tennis expert.

The players talk a lot about the draws and discuss the upcoming matches. Especially in the doubles the draw promises thrilling table tennis moments. Already in the second round the top doubles Ma / Boll and Zhang / Xu face each other. A guarantee for best table tennis!

From the Austrian point of view it is likely that the National team players Stefan Fegerl and Robert Gardos meet in the second round of the World Championships. Their team mate Daniel Habesohn would play against the defensive specialist Joo Se Hyuk from South Korea who is an extremely strong opponent, but “Danny” could beat him at the World Team Championships in 2012. Another attractive match promise the two chopping artists Chen Weixing and Yuto Muramatsu (JAP) who can both impress with a safe game and a strong, powerful forehand attack.

WSA’s number 1, Marcos Freitas (POR), would face Masaki Yoshida in the second round. His national team mate Joao Monteiro meets Kristian Karlsson who he could beat in the last European Team Championships when Portugal became European Team Champion.

Richard Prause: “Of course the players have a close look at the draw and already calculate who could be their opponent in the next rounds. But we are at the World Championships and first of all the seeded players need to win in the first round. It is necessary that they think round by round and focus only on the next match. Especially the qualifiers are eager to prove themselves in the main draw. I am sure that we will see some very exciting matches and surprising results today. I really look forward to the matches today and great World Championships 2015. Greetings from Suzhou!”

More information about the World Championships 2015:

ITTF World Championships in Suzhou 2015