MLADOST Tia Mobiteli pulled off a major upset to win the Croatian Cup in the women’s category, held at the sports hall in Dedići, while in the men’s category, STARR claimed the title in Varaždin. The MLADOST team—featuring Sara TOKIĆ, Marta VUKELIĆ, Victoria PUSTAJ, and coach Darko ARAPOVIĆ—ended the long-standing dominance of DR. ČASL, who had won the previous seven editions of the Cup. In the semi-final, MLADOST defeated DR. ČASL 3–2, capitalizing on the absence of their opponents’ full roster of international reinforcements. TOKIĆ gave MLADOST the early lead with a 3–1 win over ĐURAK BLAŽIČEVIĆ. LIU Jiaqi leveled the match with a straight-set victory over VUKELIĆ. In a pivotal encounter, PUSTAJ came from behind to defeat BOROVEC 3–2 (-9, 9, -6, 8, 5). LIU Jiaqi once again equalized for DR. ČASL by beating TOKIĆ 3–0. In the deciding match, VUKELIĆ raced to a 2–0 lead over Đurak BLAŽIČEVIĆ, who then fought back to level the match. However, in a tense fifth set, VUKELIĆ edged out an 11–9 win in deuce, sending MLADOST to the final. Interestingly, MLADOST also ended DR. ČASL’s winning streak in the national league during the 2014/15 season, and now they have repeated the feat in the Cup. In the final, MLADOST dropped only two games as they convincingly defeated VARAŽDIN to claim the prestigious trophy. VARAŽDIN had earlier defeated VRSAR 3–0 in the second semi-final. The trophy was presented to the champions by Renato ČENGIĆ, Director of the Croatian Table Tennis Association (HSTS). STARR Win Croatian Cup Titles In the men’s event, STARR emerged victorious after defeating national champions LIBERTAS Marinkolor 3–0 in the semi-final, followed by a 3–1 win over GSTK ZAGREB in the final. This is STARR’s second Croatian Cup title, having previously won in the 2022/23 season. STARR’s title-winning team included Ronald REĐEP, Divyansh SRIVASTAVA, Rino VIDAN, Mudit DANI, and Bono HRNČIĆ. Alongside LIBERTAS, third place was also awarded to STK ZAGREB, who lost their semi-final 3–0 to GSTK ZAGREB. The hosts opened the final with a win, as REĐEP narrowly defeated BENKO 3–2 (11–4, 8–11, 10–12, 11–7, 11–3). SRIVASTAVA then extended the lead to 2–0 with a 3–1 victory over HENCL. GSTK ZAGREB pulled one back through ZOVKO, who overcame VIDAN 3–2 (8–11, 11–6, 11–8, 8–11, 11–7), but SRIVASTAVA sealed the victory by edging BENKO again, 3–2. Though he led 2–0, the match went to a fifth set before the Indian player closed it out (11–9, 11–5, 11–13, 6–11, 11–4). Since 2016, LIBERTAS Marinkolor has won the Cup four times, STARR twice, and GSTK ZAGREB once.
Fierce Battles, but Sportsmanship Prevails
The opening day of the European Under 21 Championships in Bratislava brought tough encounters and fierce competition, but once again, table tennis demonstrated its enduring spirit of fair play. There were numerous examples throughout the day that highlighted this, but two moments stood out. In Round 2 of Group Stage 1, Rafael KONG of Portugal and Samuel PALUSEK of Slovakia played a match that could have gone either way as it entered the fourth game. With PALUSEK leading 2–1 in games and the score tied in the fourth, an edge ball was awarded to KONG. However, the Portuguese player stepped forward and admitted it was a side ball, conceding the point to his Slovakian opponent. Eventually, KONG lost both the game and the match—but his gesture of honesty stood out as a model of integrity. An even closer moment of sportsmanship came during the match between Gabrielius CAMARA of the Netherlands and Nathan LAM of France. CAMARA started strong, winning the opening game, but LAM responded by taking the next two. The Dutch player regained momentum, leveling the match and building a lead in the deciding fifth game. At 7–4, CAMARA lost a point he arguably should have won. In the very next rally, he stepped forward and informed the umpire that the ball had touched his chin during his service—a detail no one else had seen. He lost that point and the next six in a row, ultimately falling 2–3. Still, CAMARA’s self-declaration was a powerful display of sportsmanship over self-interest. See the pictures by T. SEREDA here. Follow the results here.
Home Favourite FLORO Impresses on Opening Day in Bratislava
Only 16 years old, Damian FLORO made a strong start on home soil at the 2025 European Under 21 Championships in Bratislava. Playing at Tipos Arena, the Slovakian, seeded 53rd, defied expectations by defeating croatia’s Ivan HENCL, the 29th seed. “I felt a little pressure before the start because it’s not easy playing at home. It also takes time to adjust to the venue and its conditions. However, once the game started, I felt the ball well, found my rhythm, and that boosted my confidence,” said FLORO. FLORO previously made his mark by finishing second at the Europe Youth Top 10 two years ago in the Under 15 category in Bucharest. Last year, he was part of the Slovakian Under 19 team that secured bronze at the European Youth Championships in Sweden after a semi-final loss to Germany. In the quarterfinals, Slovakia beat Croatia, with FLORO winning his match against HENCL. “That win was very important to me today. Despite the ranking difference, I felt confident,” added FLORO. When asked about his ambitions for the tournament, FLORO was optimistic: “Now I think I have a good chance to get through the group stage, and hopefully the next round too. I know reaching the knockout phase is very ambitious—but why not?” he said with a smile. The opening stage of the tournament features 48 players divided into 12 groups (Groups 1–12). The top two players from each group will advance to Stage 2, producing 24 qualifiers. Tomorrow, the eight top-seeded players will join them in the main draw. Top seeds in the men’s event: Eduard ONESCU (Romania), Andre BERTELSMEIER (Germany), Flavien COTON (France), Iulian CHIRITA (Romania), Tiago ABIODUN (Portugal), Balazs LEI (Hungary), Andrei ISTRATE (Romania), Kas VAN OOST (Netherlands). See the pictures by T. SEREDA here. Follow the results here.
Surprises Mark Opening Day of 2025 European Under 21 Championships
The 2025 European Under 21 Championships opened in Bratislava, Slovakia, with early surprises setting the tone for what promises to be a competitive tournament. Even in the morning hours of Day 1, several unexpected results gave a glimpse of the excitement likely to follow in the coming days. The first notable upset came in Group 3, where Poland’s Anna BRZYSKA, seeded 11th, was defeated by Denmark’s Emma Vendelbo CLEMENT, ranked 34th. CLEMENT secured the victory in four games (5–11, 11–6, 12–10, 11–5). Emma Vendelbo CLEMENT expressed her delight after the match, calling it the best win of her career. “I played against BRZYSKA once before and lost by the same margin. It was a close match, so when I saw the draw, I thought I had a chance. I looked at it as an opportunity to avenge my previous defeat,” said CLEMENT. Tactically, CLEMENT outplayed BRZYSKA, who has won gold and silver in doubles at previous European Youth Championships, by successfully neutralizing her opponent’s speed-based attacks. “She is so dangerous with her forehand, so I focused on attacking immediately after my serve. On the return, I stayed patient and made her wait, forcing her to think about what I might do,” added CLEMENT. Another surprise came from Sweden’s Leah TVEIT MUSKANTOR, seeded 39th, who overcame Portugal’s Ines MATOS, ranked 13th. In Group 1, Germany’s Mia GRIESEL defeated England’s Mari BALDWIN in straight games. In Group 2, Spain’s Maria BERZOSA needed four games to overcome Poland’s Katarzyna RAJKOWSKA. Meanwhile, Romania’s Bianca MEI ROSU justified her status with a win over Spain’s Ainhoa CRISTOBAL. The opening stage features 48 players divided into 12 groups (Groups 1–12). The top two players from each group will advance to Stage 2, making a total of 24 qualifiers. From tomorrow, the eight top-seeded players will join the 24 Stage 1 qualifiers in the main draw. Top seeds in the women’s event: Hana ARAPOVIC (Croatia), Veronika MATIUNINA (Ukraine), Anna HURSEY (Wales), Elena ZAHARIA (Romania), Ioana SINGEORZAN (Romania), Nicole ARLIA (Italy), Matilde PINTO (Portugal), and Zuzanna WIELGOS (Poland). See the pictures by T. SEREDA here. Follow the results here. See the matches at table 1 Matches at table 2
