Teen, accomplice dominate US Open

Kheith Rhynne Cruz, a 17-year-old Filipino desk tennis prodigy, dominated the under-19 ladies doubles class with American accomplice Irene Yeoh within the 2024 US Open Desk Tennis Championships on the Mandalay Bay Resort and Conference Heart in Las Vegas, including to her rising checklist of accolades.

Cruz and Yeoh dominated Canada’s Crystal Liu and Zige Ding, the top-seeded pair, within the closing. The duo clinched the title in straight units, 11-8, 11-7, 11-2. This victory follows Cruz’s triumph on the 2024 World Desk Tennis Youth Contender in New York, the place she secured gold within the under-19 ladies singles division.

Born to folks with roots in Bacolod and Pampanga, Cruz first gained worldwide consideration by profitable the identical division within the world match in 2023.

Article continues after this commercial

“She holds a whole lot of promise and is a giant asset to our nationwide staff,” mentioned Ting Ledesma, president of the Philippine Desk Tennis Affiliation. “By competing and excelling in top-tier tournaments within the US, Kheith is setting herself up for a vivid future within the sport.”

The US Open was notably rewarding for Crew Philippines, which introduced dwelling two gold medals. Cruz’s youthful brother, Khevin Kheith Cruz, paired with Liam Zion Cabalu to seize the boys’ under-13 doubles title. The duo pulled off a surprising upset towards top-seeded Kyler Chen and Liren Zhang, profitable 11-4, 11-9, 11-6.

Kheith Cruz additionally claimed silver in a combined doubles occasion with Bosman Botha of america and bronze within the combined under-19 doubles, rounding off a stellar match.

Ledesma expressed confidence within the staff’s prospects for subsequent yr’s Southeast Asian Video games, citing skilled gamers like SEA Video games bronze medalist John Russel Misal and 2018 Youth Olympian Jann Nayre as key contributors.