Isabella Xiao Xu and Sai Prasanna Kumar are relishing the prospect of taking on the best young prospects in the world on home soil.

The 12-year-olds qualified to compete at World Hopes Week after winning the England Hopes Challenge at the weekend.

They will now mix it with the some of the world’s best athletes of the same age when Sheffield hosts World Hopes Week, starting on 12 October and ending with a two-day challenge tournament.

Let’s find out a bit more about them.

Sai is 12 years old and from Slough in Berkshire. He is part of the Cippenham club.

He was Under-12 Boys’ Doubles title at last season’s Mark Bates Ltd U10-13 National Championships, teaming up with Jayden Xuan Chen to take gold.

The partners also met in the Under-13 Boys’ Singles semi-finals, in what turned out to be a remarkable match as Jayden came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 (19-21, 9-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-9), meaning Sai had to settle for bronze.

In the Under-12 singles, Sai was defeated in the quarter-finals by Luke Winton, who recently played with distinction for England at the Euro Mini Championships.

Although he missed out on a singles title in 2026, Sai did become a national singles champion in 2025 when he won the Under-11 Boys’ category, defeating Thomas Ellis in a five-game final. He was a bronze medallist in the Under-12s that year, too.

Among Sai’s other accolades was winning the Under-13 Boys’ Division 1 title in last season’s National Series.

Sai said of his England Hopes victory – where he had a 100% record, including defeating Jayden: “I feel great. It was really tough against the opponents and my coach really helped me. I played really good.”

Isabella turned 12 earlier this month and is from Chislehurst in Kent. She is a member of Cleeve Park TTC in nearby Sidcup.

Isabella is the reigning Under-12 Girls’ Singles national champion, having defeated Cindy Xiao in the final – Cindy had to retire after losing the first game 14-12. The two finalists combined to win the Under-12 Girls’ Doubles, giving Isabella a double gold in that age group.

Isabella also reached the Under-13 Girls’ Doubles final, this time alongside Bethany Yang. The pair won silver as they lost out to Cindy & Amber Lemmon.

The Under-12 titles were Isabella’s first national crowns – she had reached the Under-11 Girls’ Singles final in 2025, losing out in four games to Cindy.

At last season’s Butterfly Schools Individual Finals, she was Under-13 silver medallist, losing the final to Hannah Saunders. She was also National Series silver medallist, behind Bethany Yang in the Under-13 Girls’ Division 1.

Isabella said of her victory: “I feel good that I’ve got another title. It was tough in most matches and I think I played my best.”

On getting her chance at World Hopes Week, she added that she was looking forward to “playing people I haven’t played before and (seeing) how good they are outside of England, and trying my best in all the challenges.”

About World Hopes Week

The ITTF Hopes Programme has, for more than 15 years, played a central role in identifying and nurturing the next generation of table tennis champions. The programme creates a clear and inspiring pathway for players under 12 – from local discovery to global recognition.

The World Hopes Week & Challenge is the pinnacle of this journey, following National and Continental Hopes events. Players who reach Sheffield have already demonstrated exceptional promise and earned their place through rigorous international qualification.

The programme has proved a launchpad for some global superstars, including Paris 2024 Men’s Singles silver medallist Truls Moregard of Sweden, Egypt’s Hana Goda and Adriana Diaz of Puerto Rico.

The English Institute of Sport (EIS) Sheffield is hosting the week for the second successive year, following a hugely successful event in 2025. It means that once again the GB performance pathway will host the best young players from five continents, as well as a cohort of elite coaches.

Up to 20 boys and 20 girls, born in 2014 or later, will undertake a week of intensive training and international collaboration, ending in the Challenge competition on the final two days.