Malta’s Boys’ Number One Under 11 player Danny Scicluna is making his mark beyond our shores. In the latest rankings published in January 2024, Danny is ranked number 13 in the European Table Tennis Union U11 ranking list and number 53 in the World Table Tennis ranking list. This is a huge achievement, for the young player, but also for our academy and for Malta.
Danny’s Path to International Table Tennis
Danny joined HiTT Academy at the beginning of 2021. After just 12 months of training, he was already getting good results on a national level. And after 24 months of training, he managed to dominate the U11 national category, winning the National Championship and several local ranking tournaments. This rapid development is the result of Danny’s induction in the ITX Training program, a system developed by our Head Coach Mario Genovese that encourages rapid development, especially in young players.
In 2022, Danny had his first international experience when he traveled with Mario and a group of other HiTT Academy players to Serbia. There he took part in an international training camp, meeting players of high standards from all over Europe. Danny worked hard during the camp, and the experience strengthened his resolve to perform better.
WTT Youth Contender World Series
In 2023, Danny made his debut in two international events. His first International experience was at the end of August, when he played in the Otocec WTT Youth Contender World Series. In this competition, Danny managed to snatch sets from the Tunisian and Croatian top under-13 players and also performed well against Fegerl (world rank 47 in under-13) from Austria, edging a close first set in the under-11 event.
In September 2023, Danny played in the Varazdin WTT Youth Contender in Croatia. Again he performed well here, earning more points that helped him increase his rank.
Transalpine Trophy XXXI and Mediterranean Cup 2023
In December 2023, Danny traveled once again with Coach Mario Genovese, this time also accompanied by 9-year-old Julia Bonnici, another rising star at HiTT Academy and in Malta. The two young players represented Malta in the Transalpine Trophy XXXI and Mediterranean Cup 2023, held in San Marino. Danny and Julia managed to bring home amazing results with group wins against Trentino and Emilia Romagna.
About HiTT Academy
HiTT Academy offers opportunities in local and international table tennis competitions, training camps and workshops. Our dedicated coaches provide professional advice to all levels of players from beginners to advanced. Learn more about us on https://hittmalta.mt/ or find us on Facebook.