KHEITH Rhynne Cruz won her second World Table Tennis (WTT) Youth Contender crown by ruling the Westchester 2024 leg Under-19 girls singles division over the weekend in Pleasantville, New York.
Cruz defeated Lichen Chen of the United States, 11-5, 11-13, 11-8, 12-10, to capture the title eight months after ruling the Puerto Princesa final last October.
The 17-year-old student of Paco Citizen Academy Foundation went 2-0 win-loss in Group 1 of the eliminations after beating Louise Fan of Canada and Rachel Wang of United States in straight sets.
Cruz overcame Daymar Castro of Puerto Rico, 11-5, 11-8, 11-4, to clinch a finals berth.
The Philippine Table Tennis Federation Inc. is optimistic about Cruz’s future.
“PTTF is really proud of Cruz accomplishments after winning two WTT Under 19 youth contender Championships in less than a year,” said PTTF president Ting Ledesma.
“We believe in her abilities, and with proper support, training and guidance, we believe that she is our best bet to represent the Philippines in the 2028 Olympics. She has a very bright future ahead of her.”
Cruz will see action in more tournaments in the United States with the Westchester Open, Alabama Nationals, and the WTT Youth Contender San Francisco.
The PTTF also thanked the Philippine Sports Commission, the Philippine Olympic Committee, and Huaching Foundation for their support to Cruz and the federation’s programs.
Cruz second in mixed doubles
Cruz also placed second in the U19 mixed doubles after she and Bosman Botha were defeated by Naresh Nandan and Rachel Wang, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9.
Meanwhile, the PTTF announced that the Huaching Invitational Tournament this year will not push through due to venue renovations.
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