Also successful earlier this year on the ITTF World Junior Circuit in Italy, when she won the junior girls’ singles event, Chen Yi is a member of a very strong Chinese contingent on duty in Varazdin.

Notably she lines up alongside Wu Yangchen, Yuan Yuan and Kuai Man; all players who like Chen Yi have impressed in recent months. Wu Yangchen was beaten by Chen Yi in the Italian final; in Thailand Kuai Man emerged the winner accounting for Yuan Yuan in the penultimate round.

Seeding

In Varazdin, Wu Yangchen is the no.3 seed in the junior girls’ singles event behind Italy’s Jamila Laurenti and Prithika Pavade of France; earlier this year, on duty at the French Junior and Cadet Open, Prithika Pavade emerged the junior girls’ singles winner, Jamila Laurenti reached the semi-final round.

Meanwhile, Yuan Yuan is the no.5, next in line to Romania’s Tania Plaian. She is followed by Russia’s Elizabet Abraamian and Chen Yi; Kuai Man is the no.10 seed behind Anastasia Bondareva.

Impressively on this year’s ITTF Word Junior Circuit, Tania Plaian reached the quarter-final round in Poland, Elizabet Abraamian was the runner up in Spain, Anastasia Bondareva has yet to reach the later rounds.

Continental champions

Prominent names, Chen Yi and Kuai Man are also very much in evidence in the cadet girls’ singles event, one which witnesses three continental champions on duty. Kuai Man is the top seed followed by Chen Yi, Romania’s Elena Zaharia and Egypt’s Hana Goda.

Recently Elena Zaharia won the cadet girls’ singles title at the European Youth Championships, Hana Goda prevailed at the African Youth, Junior and Cadet Championships.

Similar situation

Similarly, in the junior boys’ singles event there is a strong Chinese presence; Quan Kaiyuan,successful in Belgium in May is named on the entry list, as is Chen Yuanyu, the winner of the cadet boys’ singles title at the 2019 Asian Junior and Cadet Championships some ten days ago.

In Varazdin, Quan Kaiyuan is the no.7 seed, Chen Yuanyu is the no.15 seed but occupies the top seeded position in the cadet boys’ singles event ahead of Romania’s Denis Movilieanu, the recently crowned European champion.

Samuel Kulcyzycki heads list

Top seed in the junior boys’ singles event is Poland’s Samuel Kulcyzycki followed by Russia’s Maksim Grebnev, Hungary’s Bence Csaba, Germany’s Kay Stumper and Belgium’s Olav Kosolosky.

Significantly, this year Samuel Kulczycki won in the Czech Republic, Maksim Grebnev was a semi-finalist in both the Czech Republic and Italy. Similarly, Bence Csaba was the runner up in Poland, Kay Stumper in Sweden. Belgium’s Adrien Rassenfosse completes the top eight names.

Play commences with the junior boys’ singles and junior girls’ singles events.