Victory for Nahom at Wrexham Grand Prix
The inaugural Wrexham Grand Prix took place over the weekend of 24th–25th May 2025 at Wrexham University Sports Centre. Organised by Table Tennis Wales, the event welcomed players from across the United Kingdom for two days of thrilling competition.
Saturday – Bands 2, 4, and 6
The tournament kicked off on Saturday morning with Bands 2, 4, and 6.
In Band 2, Wajid Wafiq defied expectations by advancing from his group after defeating the top-ranked and third-seeded players. However, he was stopped in the final by second seed Abdullah Abaidullah, who won 3:0 in an entertaining match.
Band 4 saw unseeded Steve Gao make an impressive run, progressing through the group stage and knockout rounds to meet top seed Kiarash Shaddel in the final. Gao delivered a strong performance, winning 3:1 to claim the Band 4 title.
Band 6 concluded the morning session, with Terrence Clifton winning Group 3 and continuing his momentum through the knockout rounds. In the final, he overcame top seed Joseph Allen. After dropping the first set, Clifton rallied to win the next three and secure the Band 6 title.
Saturday – Bands 1, 3, and 5
The afternoon session featured Bands 1, 3, and 5.
In Band 1, top seed Umair Mauthoor advanced from Group 2, while Gabriel Schogger upset the seedings to top his group. Both players reached the final, which turned out to be a crowd favourite. Umair took the first set, but Gabriel responded by winning the next two. Umair levelled the match with a narrow fourth-set win and then edged out the decider 11:8 to claim the Band 1 title.
Band 3 featured several surprises. Henry Morrell (Swansea University) defeated top seed Klodian Shaqiri in the quarter-finals but lost to Will Hopkins in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Joey Chen beat Band 4 winner Steven Gao in the quarter-finals, followed by a win over Ian Parkyn in the semi-finals. In a rematch of their earlier group-stage encounter, Will Hopkins turned the tables on Joey Chen, winning 3:1 to secure the Band 3 crown.
Band 5 concluded Saturday’s competition. Unseeded players Mason Neil and Zemao Liu advanced through their groups and knockout stages to meet in the final. Zemao stormed to a 2:0 lead, but Mason fought back to level the match. In the decisive fifth set, Zemao pulled ahead quickly, taking it 11:4 to win the Band 5 title.
Sunday – Men’s Singles and More
Sunday 25th May, featured the main event: the Men’s Singles.
In a competitive draw of 48 players, the top two seeds met in the final. Nahom Asgedom lived up to his number 1 seed status, defeating second seed Umair Mauthoor 3:0 in a high-quality performance to claim the Wrexham Grand Prix title and a £260 prize. Semi-finalists Wajid Wafiq and Zak Earley impressed with strong performances, each knocking out higher-ranked players along the way.
In the Under 21 Men’s Singles, Gabriel Schogger stole the spotlight, winning the title without dropping a single set. He overcame Rayan Ansari in the final to cap off a dominant performance.
The Restricted Singles event featured standout rallies and intense play. Howard Onweng emerged victorious after topping his group and defeating David Barnes and Steven Gao en route to the final. There, he dropped the first set to David McKenzie but bounced back to win the next three sets and take the title.
The final event of the weekend was the Veteran Singles. Zayd Mauthoor battled through a series of close matches to reach the final against Simon Jones. Down 0:2, Zayd showed resilience and determination to win the next three sets, sealing the veterans’ crown.
