PT 75 successfully defended their top spot on Saturday in the four-team final tournament of the Finnish Table Tennis Championship League, held at Ruskeasuo in Helsinki. The team from Tampere defeated OPT-86 of Oulu convincingly, 4–0, in the semi-finals and went on to overcome Turun Kaiku 4–2 in the final. The bronze medals were secured by PT Espoo, who edged out OPT-86 in a narrow 4–3 contest. “The deciding match was a real battle. At one point, it felt like it might slip away from us, but I managed to get into the game and focus on my own performance. Retaining the title feels fantastic,” said PT 75’s Riku AUTIO after the long day of matches. The standout player of the season was PT 75’s Otto TENNILÄ, who posted an impressive record of 26 wins and 5 losses. This marks the ninth Championship League title for PT 75. “Our overall performance was excellent. Everyone gave their all and managed to secure key victories,” said TENNILÄ, also known as “Sensei-Otto from Pongfinity.” In terms of league placement, Helsinki-based MBF retained its position in the top division directly. Kosken Kaiku and TIP-70 also held their league spots via the qualification rounds. OPT Ratamo will be relegated to Division 1 next season, with Smash Helsinki earning promotion in their place. Match Results Semi-finals: PT Espoo – Turun Kaiku 1–4 PT 75 – OPT-86 4–0 Bronze Medal Match: PT Espoo – OPT-86 4–3 Final: PT 75 – Turun Kaiku 4–2 2025 Finnish Table Tennis Championship League Medalists PT 75 (Tampere): Otto TENNILÄ, Riku AUTIO, Aki KONTALA, Sami HATTUNEN Turun Kaiku: Mart LUUK, Markkos PUKK, Ari HOLM, Lester LEE, Janne KONTALA PT Espoo: Aleksi RÄSÄNEN, Toni SOINE, Arttu PIHKALA, Lauri HAKASTE, Mika RÄSÄNEN
Europe’s Rising Stars Set to Shine at 2025 Under 21 Championships in Slovakia
The 2025 European Under 21 Championships will take place in Bratislava, with the Slovak Table Tennis Association hosting one of the most prestigious youth events on the ETTU calendar. This year’s edition carries added historical significance as it forms part of the celebrations marking 100 years of organized table tennis in Slovakia and Czechia. Among the returning stars is Ukraine’s Veronika MATIUNINA, the reigning Women’s Singles Champion, who will look to defend her crown. Entering the competition as the second seed, MATIUNINA aims to replicate her impressive run from the 2024 edition in Skopje, where she triumphed over Romania’s Elena ZAHARIA in a gripping final. Bronze medals in that event went to Hana ARAPOVIC (Croatia) and Anna BRZYSKA (Poland). Top seeded ARAPOVIC previously claimed the title in 2023 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, while ZAHARIA captured gold a year earlier in Cluj Napoca, Romania. A multiple-time European youth champion, ZAHARIA remains one of the key contenders in the women’s draw. In the men’s singles competition, Eduard IONESCU (Romania) enters as the top seed. A back-to-back European Youth Champion in 2022 and 2023, and now a regular face on the senior tour, IONESCU is considered a strong favorite for the title. Romania’s player will face tough challenge from last year’s bronze medalists Andre BERTELSMEIER (Germany), Flavien COTON (France) who clinched singles gold at EYC 2022 and silver last year in Malmo, Iulian CHIRITA (Romania) and Under 15 singles champion at 2023 EYC Tiago ABIODUN (Portugal). The event will be held at TIPOS Arena in Slovakia. The official draw for all events will take place on Tuesday, 6 May 2025. Doubles Events Format All doubles events – Men’s, Women’s, and Mixed Doubles – will be played in a direct knockout format, starting from the first round. Singles Events Format The men’s and women’s singles competitions are structured in three stages, leading up to the final phase of direct elimination. Stage 1 – Qualification Groups A total of 48 players will compete in 12 groups (Groups 1–12). The top 2 players (winner and runner-up) from each group will advance to Stage 2 – totaling 24 qualifiers. Stage 2 – Second Group Stage 24 qualifiers from Stage 1 will be joined by the 8 top-seeded players, who are directly placed into Stage 2. These 32 players will be divided into 8 groups (Groups 13–20), with 4 players in each group. The top 2 players (winner and runner-up) from each Stage 2 group will advance to the final stage. Stage 3 – Final Knockout Stage, the 16 qualifiers (8 group winners + 8 runners-up from Stage 2) will enter a direct knockout draw.
Tennistavolo Sassari Crowned Italian Champions in Debut Season
Tennistavolo Sassari wrote history by clinching their first Italian Men’s Team Championship in their rookie season in the top division. In a thrilling playoff series, the Sardinian club overcame seasoned rivals to lift the coveted trophy—marking an extraordinary debut on the national stage. After eliminating Marcozzi Cagliari in the semifinals, Sassari faced Top Spin Messina WatchesTogether in the finals. The latter had ousted the reigning champions Apuania Carrara, setting up an intense final showdown. In the first leg played in Messina, the hosts prevailed 4-2. But Sassari, cheered on by a passionate home crowd, responded with a 4-2 win of their own in the return leg. The decisive tie, also held in Sardinia, saw Sassari edge a dramatic 3-2 victory to seal the title. The trophy was presented by federal councilor Raffaele CURCIO. “This first Italian title in our debut season is an immense satisfaction,” said club president Marcello CILLOCO. “We built a competitive team around young Andrea PUPPO and experienced players like Sadi ISMAILOV, Lubomir PISTEJ, and Alessandro BACIOCCHI. Our goal was to avoid relegation, so this title is beyond our dreams.” CILLOCO emphasized the unity and heart shown by the team throughout the season: “We created a great group. Everyone gave their all for every single point. Even after losing the first leg in Messina, we never gave up. We knew it would be tough, especially with MANHANI returning for Top Spin, but we believed—and we deserved this victory.” Playoff Finals – Match Results First leg: TOP SPIN MESSINA WATCHESTOGETHER – TENNISTAVOLO SASSARI 4-2 Second leg: TENNISTAVOLO SASSARI – TOP SPIN MESSINA WATCHESTOGETHER 4-2 Decisive leg: TENNISTAVOLO SASSARI – TOP SPIN MESSINA WATCHESTOGETHER 3-2
