Eli Ho won the Men’s Singles title at the 2025 New Zealand Open Table Tennis Championships

Eli Ho won the Men’s Singles title at the 2025 New Zealand Open Table Tennis Championships, making history as the youngest ever winner of the tournament at age 13. He captured the championship in Auckland by defeating 17-year-old Timothy Choi in a thrilling seven-game final, showcasing remarkable composure and the innovative TigerWing playing style under the coaching of his father.

He plays with the innovative TigerWing style, known for its unique grip and tactical advantages. His coaching is primarily led by his father, whose guidance has been instrumental in his development and competitive success. Eli’s fast, aggressive style combined with strong technical skills under TigerWing grip is widely recognized in the table tennis community.

Event Background

• The 2025 New Zealand Open was held in Auckland from September 20–28, with 22 playing events and over 320 individual entries.
• The men’s singles field included past champions such as Barry Griffiths and Teng Teng Liu, but Eli Ho’s historic win became the tournament highlight.

Match Details

• In the final, Eli Ho played with remarkable composure and focus, closing out the match 4–3 against Timothy Choi after a tough battle.
• His innovative TigerWing playing style and family-led coaching contributed to this achievement, with Eli’s father John Ho coaching and his sister previously ranked as New Zealand No. 1. 

Record Broken

• Eli Ho broke the previous youngest winner record held by Roger Rao since 2010, winning the title at just 13 and a half years old.
• Ho described the win as “special” and recognized the difficulty of the final and his concentration on every point.

The history of the youngest champions at the New Zealand Open Table Tennis Championships features several remarkable milestones. Eli Ho set a new record by winning the Men’s Singles title at the age of 13, making him the youngest winner in the tournament’s history and surpassing the previous record set by Roger Rao in 2010.

Notable Youngest Champions

• Eli Ho (2025, age 13): Youngest Men’s Singles winner in tournament history.
• Roger Rao (2010): Previous record-holder for youngest Men’s Singles champion, now surpassed by Eli Ho.
• Hannah Li (2025, age 19): Youngest Women’s Singles champion in recent history.

These achievements highlight a trend towards younger champions making significant impacts at the national level in New Zealand table tennis.

Additional Accolades

• Prior to this win, Eli Ho claimed victory in the ITTF World Hopes Week Challenge boys singles, further cementing his status as an emerging talent in international youth table tennis.

Eli Ho’s achievement not only marks a pivotal moment in New Zealand table tennis history but also highlights the rise of innovative playing styles and youthful talent at elite competition level.

Family-led coaching 

Eli Ho is coached by his father, John Ho, a respected table tennis coach known for his technical expertise and tactical creativity. John Ho developed Eli’s unique “TigerWing” playing style, which combines elements of the shakehand and penhold grips, featuring a long pips backhand. 

This hybrid grip and style allow Eli to attack, block, and defend with great versatility and tactical options not common among traditional players. John Ho’s innovative coaching and commitment to rigorous training have been central to Eli’s development and competitive success.

Eli began training seriously around age 5 and a half, initially with conventional techniques, then switched to the TigerWing style at about 6 and a half under his father’s guidance. From age 7 and a half, John Ho took Eli on weekly 100-kilometer trips to Auckland for further high-level training. 

Eli’s training background reflects a process-oriented and innovative approach, combining technical skill development with tactical intelligence, which has helped him succeed in national and international competitions at a young age. He has steadily grown into a key member of New Zealand’s youth national team with Olympic aspirations.

Eli’s training emphasizes skill versatility, including double-sided looping, fast attacks, seamless transitions between forehand and backhand, and the use of long pips rubber, all mastered through his father’s inventive coaching.