Island table tennis player makes mark on national stage

A young Isle of Wight table tennis player is making his mark on the national stage.

Ryan Cates, 19, reached the final of the Burgess Hill 2-Star Tournament, his best result on the mainland to date, earning around 50 national ranking points.

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Competing against senior players and international opponents, Ryan fought his way to the final of the morning event with a standout 3-1 win in the semi-final over Ryan Farthing, a Senior British League A Division player.

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He was defeated 3-0 by Tunisian international Bourass Aboubaker, a player with a career-high world ranking of 126, but pushed him close in two games that went to deuce.

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Ryan said: "I lost 3-0 in the final, but I was really happy with how I played.

"My opponent is a very talented player, so to have two games go to deuce against someone of his quality was really pleasing."

He continued his strong form in the afternoon competition with three more wins before a narrow 3-1 loss to the second seed.

Ryan said: "I gained around 50 ranking points from the tournament, which is a significant step in the right direction and gives me a lot of confidence going forward."

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