7 years back against World #1 Dimitrij Ovtcharov

The first tournament of 2026 hosted by Fremont Table Tennis Academy, the 2026 Fremont TTA Butterfly March Open, took place this past weekend featuring over 100 players battling it out in various age, rating, and open events. It took place at the usual nearby venue, the Siliman Center. The players to win multiple events were Ayaan Mohan (4 1st!) and Praful Bhaidasna (2 1st and 1 2nd). The next 3 singles tournament will take place on May 16, August 15, and October 17 followed by a Thanksgiving team tournament…

Fremont Table Tennis Academy advanced students went to the 2025 US Open in Las Vegas, Nevada which featured 1300 of the best players in North America and some other top international players. The serious advanced students train year-round to try to perform well in these tournaments. Students to go were Mihika, Raghav, Anchit, Hasini, Isha, Smayan, Kavi, Siddanth, and Kethan. Raghav, Anchit, Hasini, Isha, Kavi, Siddanth, and me all reached the quarters or better in a rating category highlighted by Siddanth’s bronze medal in the Under 1000 rating event….

The 2025 Newark Butterfly West Coast Teams tournament took place this past weekend with a chance to burn off the Thanksgiving calories. Each player played more matches than a normal tournament with singles and doubles both in play. Team tournaments are usually more fun than singles tournaments. More players went home with trophies than not. Teams were divided into 3 divisions with the winning teams being Alex Tre for Division 1, Titans (Vipin, Isha) for Division 2, and Team Champions (Arnav, Dylan) for Division 3….