Isle of Wight table tennis player Ryan Cates produced one of the best performances of his career after reaching the semi-finals of a national tournament in Southampton at the weekend.
The 20-year-old impressed at the Waterside Table Tennis Club 2-Star Open Tournament, held at Testwood Secondary School in Totton on 26th July, where he competed against a strong field of players from across the UK.
Cates made a confident start to the Senior event, recording group stage victories over James Roberts and Mike Rhodes before defeating Christos Hanniddes in the first knockout round.
He then enjoyed the standout victories of his tournament, sweeping aside 3rd seed Sam Ricks 3-0 before following it up with another straight-sets win over 6th seed James Wright to book his place in the semi-finals.
Cates faced Ian Parkyn in the last 4 and fought back to level the match at 1-1 before eventually going down 3-1, with Parkyn taking the final 2 ends to secure his place in the final.
Despite the defeat, the result marks a significant milestone for the young Islander.
His run to the semi-finals earned him 55 England Table Tennis national ranking points and is expected to see him climb around 25 places in the national rankings.
