PHILADELPHIA -- For the first time ever, the Womens Table Tennis World Cup is coming to the U.S., bringing 20 top-ranked players from powerhouses such as Singapore, Japan and Germany to Philadelphia.Its so cool; its absolutely amazing, said Lily Zhang, one of two Americans competing. Im so excited that we can finally host the World Cup. Thats huge, you know.Stakes are high. After the Olympics, the World Cup is one of the most prestigious titles in pingpong, and winners will split a $150,000 prize pool.I really want to win, said Elizabeta Samara, 27, a Romanian player seeded 10th in the tournament. Yes, I also want to enjoy, but enjoying not just for fun, you know?Among the competitors are Olympians, a 15-year-old from Japan, a Korean player coached by her mother since the age of six and eight players fresh to the tournament. They will be smashing pingpong balls at speeds of over 60 miles an hour. The players will be whittled down to one champion over six rounds and three days.China has won every World Cup since the tournament began 20 years ago, but because of injuries, it wont be participating. That means a different country will now have the opportunity to snag the title.I expect everybodys level of all the countries to be very close, said Lily Yip, coach of the American team. Maybe our U.S. team can win. You never know.Table tennis has enjoyed an uptick in popularity over the past few decades, but recently, player numbers have been stagnating, dropping from over 19 million in 2010 to around 16.5 million last year, according to USA Table Tennis.Many Americans dont understand that pingpong is actually a very difficult, very high-level sport, Yip said. They still think of it as a basement sport.Tournament organizers are optimistic the World Cup will breathe new life into the game, proving its worthy of more than just a casual round or two.I think that if we can pack this place, well have no choice but to bring this tournament back here, said Gordon Kaye, CEO of USA Table Tennis, one of the sponsors of the event.Matches will be played over the weekend, with the final showdown scheduled for Sunday night.Colorado Rockies Pro Shop . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Cheap Rockies Jerseys . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. https://www.cheaprockiesjerseys.us/ . -- Josh Sterk scored once and set up two more as the Oshawa Generals edged the visiting Belleville Bulls 3-2 on Friday in Ontario Hockey League action. Stitched Rockies Jerseys . Wilson hit Schenn from behind during Tuesday nights game in Philadelphia, earning a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct. He has a phone hearing with the department of player safety, which limits any potential suspension to five or fewer games. Colorado Rockies Shirts . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006.The Intel Extreme Masters is dropping fan voting for its 11th season, instead opting for full eight-team tournaments where teams will either be invited or qualify via the League of Legends World Championship, IEM Oakland and IEM Gyeonggi.Oakland and Gyeonggi with have at least one team from each of the five major regions (North America, Europe, South Korea, China, and Taiwan), as well as the International Wildcard region (Latin America North and South, Brazil, Japan, Turkey and more). In its announcement, IEM says it will release more information on the qualification and invitation system next week.ddddddddddddLast years IEM San Jose and Cologne showcased six-team formats with teams gaining entrance via a mix of fan voting and invitations. This led into an eight-team World Championship at the end of the season in Katowice, Poland. SK Telecom T1 took home first place.The League of Legends World Championship, which starts Sept. 29 and runs until Oct. 29, will identify the first qualified team or teams. IEM Oakland kicks off Nov. 19. ' ' '