WINDHOEK – This year’s Liebherr Master’s Cup, hosted by the Namibian Table Tennis Association (NTTA) last Saturday, exceeded expectations as the games between the country’s top eight ranked senior players and a variety of show matches had hundreds of people in Windhoek’s Wernhil Park shopping mall in awe throughout the day.
Most people stopped on their way through the mall to catch a glimpse of the senior and junior players in action. Liebherr Namibia and Windhoek Renovations were the official sponsors.
“Once again, for the fourth consecutive year, the NTTA Master’s Cup was a big success. With Namibia’s top eight players battling it out to win the cup. This tournament is always a test of sportsmanship and technique, as the space is small and there is also the added pressure from the crowd in the Wernhil shopping mall,” NTTA Chairperson Reinhardt Stanley said.
The Master’s Cup is a promotional event, aiming at generating a bigger interest in the sport. The NTTA had decided to include several show acts this year to further increase exposure and to give a number of juniors a chance to showcase their talent and skills in front of a massive crowed.
The show events included a mixed doubles game, junior boy act, junior girl and a number of skills specific shows such as a top spin and lob and smash act. Some of Namibia’s top juniors made sure they didn’t miss out on such a prestigious chance, with the likes of Reese Saunderson, Raimo Dengeinge, PW and Anja Steenkamp giving the spectators a good show.
As per NTTA rules and regulations, the eight best placed senior players of the previous Season (2014), went head to head. The games were played in a three game must win system, the winner being determined by the highest number of games won.
And it was Heiko Fleidl who came out on top and successfully defended his title. The Namibian number one won 15 points in total to clinch the top spot, although he got off to a slow start, losing to Colin Wang Yuqing in his first match.
Ultimately, he was the most consistent player of all the participants, winning six of his eight matches and in the process earning the most points, a mere one point more than the second-placed player.
The second place went to Chinese native Charles Cui Yunke, number two of the NTTA men’s ranking. Last year’s Namibian open winner managed to take 14 points, the same as his third-placed compatriot Yuqing, but Yunke saw off Yuqing in their game (2:1) to be the runner-up.
The forth place went to veteran Theo Beukes with 13 points. The other competitors were Reinhardt Stanley, Johann Malan, Ashley Julius and Wayne Green.