The national adult table tennis team begins its participation in the World Table Tennis Championships, which will take place from today until next Monday, November 29, at the George R. Brown Convention Center, in Houston, Texas.
Adriana Díaz, Melanie Díaz, Daniely Ríos, Brian Afanador and Daniel González will be active in the singles and mixed doubles event.
“This is the most important event. This is more difficult than the Olympic Games, because there go two per country. Here the possibility of the powers of China, Japan and the Asian countries is doubled. And go through that sieve It is difficult. It is more relevant to be world champion, “said the president of the Puerto Rican Table Tennis Federation (FPTM), Iván Santos, to THE SPOKESMAN.
González will be the first to make his debut, at 12:20 pm (Puerto Rico time), when he meets England’s Samuel Walker in round 128 of the singles event. The second racket of the Puerto Rican men’s squad is ranked 147th in the world ranking of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), while Walker is ranked 97th.
Then, at 2:20 pm, it will be the debut of Ríos (# 184) in round 128. The third racket of the women’s squad will hit the Kazakh Kauresh Akasleva (# 170).
For her part, Adriana, the first Puerto Rican racket and current American champion, will play at 3:00 pm against the Greek Aikaterini Toliou. Adriana is ranked number 17 in the world and Toliou is ranked 144.
At that same time, but at another table, Afanador – number 93 in the world – will be active, who will collide with Portuguese Joao Monteiro (# 77).
Melanie will be the last to debut in singles, starting at 8:00 pm, when she faces Li Yu-Jhun of Chinese Taipei. The second women’s racket is ranked number 70 worldwide and the Taiwanese is number 169.
Prior to that duel, at 5:00 pm, Melanie and González will play their mixed doubles match against the Nigerian couple made up of Bode Abiodun and Offiong Edem, in round 64. An hour later, at 6:00 pm, Adriana and Afanador will enter the scene to face Nandor Ecseki and Dora Madarasz, from Hungary.
The Díaz González sisters will also compete in women’s doubles as will Afanador and González in the men’s division.
The format of the World Cup will be single elimination. This event will award points for the world ranking. In the last World Cup competition held in 2019, China won in all events.
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