Champions Named on First Day of 2014 Butterfly Aurora Cup

Wilson, NC, January 21, 2014 --(PR.com)-- 12 events commenced on the first day of the 2014 Aurora Cup, and 9 champions were named before the lights were turned out at 33,000 square foot tournament venue. Upsets, close encounters, and smiles were all part of 9 events that took place on Saturday, January 18 at the inaugural Butterfly Aurora Cup.

Mingyu Shi took home the Championship crown in both the Open Singles and Open doubles event (with partner Diwei Shi). Nathan Hsu, top seed in the Junior event, took home the Under 18 title but not without a 5-game fight from second seed Tapabrata Dey.

Players from all levels competed in the various rating events which took place on Saturday. Kyle Hess (749) upset many players on his way to the U-1200 crown. The same went for Zhang Xiaoming, the 12th seed, who beat Ken Oh, the 18th seed, to be crowned the U-2000 champion.

The second day of play will feature many more high-level and recreational matches highlighting the variety of players who have come to Aurora for the tournament. These events include the Women’s Singles, Over 40, U-2500, U3800 Doubles and the U-1000 event.

Butterfly is the world leader in table tennis / ping pong equipment and gear. Butterfly will be the official table sponsor for the 2014 & 2016 World Table Tennis Championships as well as the official ball sponsor for the 2013 & 2015 World Championships. Butterfly is also the official equipment sponsor of National Collegiate Table Tennis Association 2013-2014 regular season as well as the 2014 College Table Tennis National Championships. Visit Butterflyonline.com for more information.