(by Steve Hopkins, photo courtesy of ITTF)

The first major event of the Summer kicks off on Monday at the Dom Sportova complex in Zagreb, Croatia.  The WTT Contender Zagreb features Truls Moregard (World No. 5), Darko Jorgic (World No. 6), Tomokazu Harimoto (World No. 7), Lin Yun-Ju (World No. 8), and Patrick Franziska (World No. 12).  The Women’s Singles are equally stacked with Hina Hayata (World No. 5), Mima Ito (World No. 6), Doo Hoi Kem (World No. 7), and Ying Hang (World No. 8).

Qualifying rounds begin on Monday, with 8 players advancing to the Main Draw.  If all of the seeds were to hold true, Truls Moregard could face Patrick Franziska in a Quarterfinal match (perhaps with the winner facing Lin Yun-Ju in the Semifinals).  Harimoto and Jorgic will anchor the bottom half of the draw, each with a seemingly easier run to the Semifinals.  Play in the Main Draw begins on Thursday with the Finals scheduled for Sunday afternoon.

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