They've left the garage behind and now they're showing the Bay of Plenty the real speed and reflexes of the nation's best.

A unique event which audiences are rarely exposed to at a competitive level, will be on show this weekend at the Table Tennis New Zealand Open Championships.

The championships are running from October 6 to 13 at the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre in Tauranga.

To open the event is the junior players, followed by those in the senior category, says Table Tennis New Zealand executive director, John Lea.

'Players from around the country will face off in Tauranga, marking four decades since the event was last held here and a special marker on the road to building back up the sport in the Bay region.

'With the nation's top players gathering to do battle, this is a unique chance to peer into a lesser seen side of an underestimated professional international sport.

'Commonwealth Games and World Championship athletes all the way to the aspiring top youth - who will shock you with their skill level, even at ages as young as 8 or 9 – will be taking to the tables this weekend.

'The big challenges will be in unseating the reigning national champions Tony Liu and Sunshine Li, the defending champs in the respective Men's and Women's singles.

'Liu last year won the hat trick, claiming the Men's Singles, Mixed Doubles, Men's Doubles and Team Event with Auckland. He is yet to be defeated in competition by any other New Zealand player since arriving here in the beginning of 2011. '

In total 56 Bay of Plenty players are entered, amongst the total of 334 entries from 16 Regional Associations, New Caledonia, Australia, Sri Lanka and Germany, says John.

'Bay of Plenty will host its strongest Men's team in over a decade amongst its total of 13 teams, giving the Bay the largest presence across team events.

'Leading the team is two-time National Men's Champion Shane Laugesen, a former Commonwealth Games athlete among his many other career accolades. He is backed up by 3 former New Zealand representatives in Paul Innes, Calvin Kwong and Matt Hetherington, and supported by the Bay's emerging talent Max Henderson.”

He says the competition promises for a thrilling week and a unique opportunity to observe the very best in the sport of table tennis in the country.

The Table Tennis New Zealand Open Championships are running October 6 to 13 at the Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre in Tauranga.

A livestreamed video of the big finals session at the conclusion of Senior events will also be available on Table Tennis New Zealand's Facebook page.

Matt Hetherington and Max Henderson

Olivia Hoggard and Maea Wikohika