Darko Jorgic (Photo WTT)
Darko Jorgic has been crowned men’s singles champion at the WTT Contender Table Tennis Skopje in North Macedonia, after posting a 3-11, 16-14, 14-12, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7 victory over Kanak Jha in a breathless title clash.
All the talk leading up to the final was centred on Jorgic’s American counterpart, with Jha producing the kind of form that led him to a historic semifinal finish at WTT Champions Yokohama 2025 a little under a year ago.
Appearing in his first WTT Series final, Jha couldn’t have asked for a better start. Seizing the opening game by a statement eight-point margin, the number six 6 seed threatened to speed out into the distance with a commanding 4-9 lead in the second game.
Three game point opportunities put Jha on the cusp of a huge two-game lead, but remarkably Jorgic denied the American on all three occasions. Breathing a huge sigh of relief, Jorgic would pull off the Houdini escape act once again in game three, undoing a nightmarish 0-5 start before kicking on to save another Game Point at 9-10 down.
Jha, who on another day could have found himself three games to the good, instead came to grips with the frustrating reality of a 2-1 deficit. To his credit, the 25-year-old continued to throw the kitchen sink at his Slovenian rival, but in the end, it was Jorgic who held the upper hand in six.
Darko Jorgic is back in the winner’s circle for the second time on the WTT Series, adding to his WTT Contender Lima 2024 success. He also ekes out a lead in his WTT Head-To-Head against Kanak Jha, prevailing in two of their three WTT encounters.
Over in the women’s singles final, Satsuki Odo emerged as champion after putting Honoka Hashimoto to the sword to win 11-7, 11-9, 11-7, 11-3.
Odo had to be patient in Sunday’s final, constantly calculating while biding her time to strike against one of the sport’s top defenders. And she was rewarded for her persistence, beating Hashimoto in straight games to lay claim to her fourth ’s title of 2026.
That’s not the only trophy Odo would take home on Sunday, joining forces with Sakura Yokoi to beat Sachi Aoki-Cocona Muramatsu 11-5, 11-6, 17-15 for the women’s doubles crown.
Meanwhile, Oh Junsung-Lim Jonghoon successfully defended their men’s doubles title in Skopje, building on their 2025 win with another powerful display against Darko Jorgic-Deni Kozul winning 12-10, 11-9, 11-5.
