Wim Verdonschot (Photo WTT)
Twenty-year-old Wim Verdonschot has finally made his big breakthrough on the world stage, lifting his first-ever men’s singles title upstaging Cho Daeseong 13-11, 11-6, 6-11, 11-5 at the WTT Feeder Gdansk 2025.
Entering the week as the No.12 seed, Verdonschot knew he arrived in Gdansk as one of the rank outsiders in the title race. But that didn’t deter the German ace, who cut through the playing field with purpose to reach the Final.
Knocking out No.10 seed Kim Minhyeok at the penultimate hurdle 11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7, all that stood between Verdonschot and a career first title was one more Korean rival, but with that player being Daeseong, the odds were still stacked against the German.
A player with two WTT Feeder Series titles to his name already, and a regular on the WTT Champions stage in the 2024 season, Daeseong was amongst the fiercest opponents Verdonschot could have met in Gdansk. But remarkably, the German hopeful staged an upset, building up steam after capturing a crucial opening game to leave Centrum Szkolenia PZTS stunned.
This was a milestone moment for Verdonschot, who not claimed his first senior title, but also his first-ever WTT title across all age disciplines.
In the Women’s Singles draw, Hitomi Sato lived up to her top-seeded status, tearing through the draw at breakneck speed.
Nothing short of perfection across five matches, the Japanese defender didn’t drop one game on her way to the title, crowning her triumphant week in style as she dispatched Kim Seongjin 11-3, 11-9, 11-5 3-0 in the final hurdle.
