HITTA Juniors Shine at the 2026 ITTF Americas U11 & U13 Championships

‍

The 2026 ITTF Americas U11 & U13 Championships were an unforgettable milestone for Houston International Table Tennis Academy.

From September 9–16, HITTA had the privilege of hosting the continental championships in Katy, Texas, bringing together some of the best young table tennis players from across the Americas.

For HITTA, however, the event was about much more than hosting.

It was about watching our own young athletes step onto an international stage, represent Team USA, and deliver one of the strongest collective performances in the history of our junior program.

Eight HITTA Players on the Continental Stage

Eight HITTA juniors competed for the United States:

Allen Mao, Anya Shanbhag, Allison Zhang, Amanda Liu, Mira Shanbhag, Julia Zhu, Isabella Joseph, and William Zhang.

Together, they produced an extraordinary 18 medal finishes — 7 gold, 5 silver, and 6 bronze across singles, doubles, mixed doubles, and team events.

That achievement reflects both the individual talent of these young athletes and the depth of the training environment being built at HITTA.

Allen Mao Leads the Way

Allen Mao delivered one of the most impressive performances of the championships.

Allen captured the U11 Boys’ Singles championship, defeating William Jin in the final in straight games. He also won gold in U11 Boys’ Doubles and U11 Boys’ Team, while adding a silver medal in U11 Mixed Doubles with Mira Shanbhag.

Three gold medals and one silver on home courts made Allen one of the standout performers of the entire tournament.

For a young player, winning a continental singles title is a tremendous achievement. Doing it inside the academy where he trains made the moment even more special.

Anya Shanbhag Reaches the U13 Girls’ Final

Anya Shanbhag also enjoyed an outstanding championship.

She advanced to the U13 Girls’ Singles final, finishing as the continental silver medalist after an excellent run through the draw. Anya also captured gold in U13 Girls’ Team alongside Emma Yang and won the U13 Mixed Doubles title with Chirag Pradhan.

Her ability to contribute across singles, mixed doubles, and team competition demonstrated both consistency and versatility at the highest continental level for her age group.

Allison Zhang and Amanda Liu Capture Doubles Gold

One of HITTA’s biggest highlights came in U13 Girls’ Doubles, where Allison Zhang and Amanda Liu captured the championship.

Allison also reached the semifinals of U13 Girls’ Singles, earning bronze, while both Allison and Amanda added another medal in the team competition.

Their doubles championship was another example of HITTA athletes succeeding not only as individual competitors, but also as strong partners under pressure.

Mira Shanbhag Earns Three Medals

Mira Shanbhag reached the podium three times during the championship.

She earned silver in U11 Mixed Doubles with Allen Mao, silver in U11 Girls’ Doubles, and bronze in U11 Girls’ Team.

Three medals across different disciplines represented an excellent tournament for one of HITTA’s youngest international competitors.

Julia Zhu, Isabella Joseph, and William Zhang Add More Podium Finishes

HITTA’s depth continued to show throughout the event.

Julia Zhu helped Team USA earn silver in U13 Girls’ Team.

Isabella Joseph earned bronze in U13 Girls’ Doubles.

And William Zhang produced an excellent singles run, reaching the U11 Boys’ Singles semifinals and earning a continental bronze medal. In the semifinal, William pushed William Jin to five games before narrowly falling short of the final.

These results meant that every one of HITTA’s eight athletes left the championship with a medal.

That is something our entire academy can be proud of.

Part of a Historic Team USA Performance

HITTA’s athletes contributed to an exceptional overall championship for the United States.

Team USA won 43 of the 56 medals available, finishing with 14 gold, 11 silver, and 18 bronze medals. The United States swept all seven U13 gold-medal events and all seven U11 gold-medal events.

HITTA players were right in the middle of that success.

For our academy, seeing so many of our juniors contributing meaningfully to Team USA’s continental dominance was incredibly rewarding.

More Than Medals

The medals tell an impressive story, but they are only the visible result of a much longer process.

Behind each podium finish are years of training, countless repetitions, difficult matches, lessons learned from losses, sacrifices from families, and consistent guidance from coaches.

These young players have grown up training beside one another.

They push one another every day.

They learn from one another.

And at the ITTF Americas Championships, they had the opportunity to show just how far that daily training environment has taken them.

Perhaps most importantly, younger players at HITTA were able to watch these athletes compete internationally on the same tables they use every week.

That matters.

When a beginner sees someone from the same academy become a continental champion, an international dream suddenly feels much closer.

A Special Moment for HITTA

Hosting the ITTF Americas U11 & U13 Championships was itself an important milestone for HITTA.

But seeing eight HITTA juniors represent the United States — and seeing all eight earn medals — made the event truly unforgettable.

The championships showed what HITTA has been working toward for years:

A strong junior development pathway.

A competitive daily training environment.

Players capable of succeeding at national and international levels.

And a facility capable of hosting major international competition.

We are extremely proud of Allen, Anya, Allison, Amanda, Mira, Julia, Isabella, and William.

We are equally grateful to their families, coaches, teammates, and everyone who has contributed to their development.

The 2026 ITTF Americas Championships gave us many reasons to celebrate.

But more than anything, they gave us another reason to believe in what comes next.

Eight HITTA players.
Eighteen medal finishes.
Seven gold medals.
And many more dreams still ahead.

HITTA — WHERE DREAMS BEGIN.

‍