Member Associations | 6 Mar 2017

Darko JORGIĆ and Alex GALIČ clinch their 1st senior titles

Slovenia National Championships

 

At its 26th national table tennis championships in Puconci, Slovenia saw the number 1 seeds in both Men's Singles and Women's Singles Events win their first title.

 

In absence of Bojan TOKIĆ, Darko JORGIĆ was the favourite to the title. In semi-finals stage, he beat Tom ŠFILIGOJ by 4-1 (7, 6, 4, -8, 5), while the home-town favourite and 3-time former champion Mitja HORVAT won against the 2014 champion Uroš SLATINSEK by the narrowest of margin, the score line reading 4-3 (-10, -5, 8, -6, 5, 8, 1) in the end. The defending champion Deni KOŽUL lost in the quarterfinals against the in-form SLATINŠEK, who took out another former champion Jan ŽIBRAT in the last-16 stage of the tournament.

 

In the finals, the 19-year-old JORGIĆ lost the first set against his opponent (at 38, he's twice JORGIĆ'S age) but then found his rhythm and showcased why he is the biggest prodigy of Slovenian table tennis right now. He won by 4-1 (-5, 8, 6, 7, 12) and secured his first national title at the senior level.

 

Alex GALIČ was able to build on her latest success at the international stage, which saw her rise up to number 128 in world rankings and get the better of her long-time rival and friend Manca FAJMUT in the final. FAJMUT, the four-time defending champion, won the first set but then faded and didn't manage to win another. Tamara PAVČNIK and Katarina STRAŽAR finished in the bronze-medal position.

 

Jan ŽIBRAT and Deni KOŽUL failed to win their 3rd straight title in men's doubles after losing the final against SLATINŠEK and Jorgić in a dramatic finish by 12-14 in the deciding set. GALIČ and FAJMUT were unstoppable in the women's doubles category, while Matic SLODEJ and Ivana ZERA won the mixed doubles title.

 

Men's Singles

semifinal

Darko JORGIĆ - Tom ŠFILIGOJ 4-1 (7, 6, 4, -8, 5)

Mitja HORVAT - Uroš SLATINŠEK 4-3 (-10, -5, 8, -6, 5, 8, 1)

final

Darko JORGIĆ - Mitja HORVAT 4-1 (-5, 8, 6, 7, 12)

Women's Singles

semifinal

Alex GALIČ - Katarina STRAŽAR 4-1 (-10, 5, 4, 10, 8)

Manca FAJMUT - Tamara PAVČNIK 4-1 (-9, 3, 15, 6, 9)

final

Alex GALIČ - Manca FAJMUT 4-1 (-8, 7, 8, 8, 7)

Men's Doubles

semifinal

Darko JORGIĆ/Uros SLATINŠEK - Denis PINTAR/Andraž NOVAK 3-0 (10, 4, 6)

Jan ŽIBRAT/Deni KOŽUL - Tom ŠFILIGOJ/Ludvik PERŠOLJA 3-0 (7, 4, 6)

final

JORGIĆ/SLATINŠEK - ŽIBRAT/KOŽUL 3-2 (-7, 9, -9, 8, 11)

Women's Doubles

semifinal

Alex GALIČ/Manca fajmut - Katja GUTNIK/Lea PAULIN 3-1 (7, -7, 7, 8)

Katrina STERCHI/Urška ČOKELJ - Ana TOFANT/Katarina STRAŽAR 3-1 (6, -10, 12, 9)

final

GALIČ/FAJMUT - STERCHI/ČOKELJ 3-1 (-8, 8, 6, 7)

Mixed doubles

semifinal

Matic SLODEJ/Ivana ZERA - Tilen NOVAK/Katrina STERCHI 3-1 (8, -11, 5, 10)

Tom ŠFILIGOJ/Ana TOFANT - Erik PAULIN/Lea PAULIN 3-1 (10, 6, -5, 10)

final

SLODEJ/ZERA - ŠFILIGOJ/TOFANT 3-1 (9, -8, 8, 10)