The second day of the 2026 European Championships in Ljubljana brought a series of surprises in the Men’s Singles group stage, with the arrival of the highest-ranked players in each group producing dramatic five-game battles, unexpected defeats and several outstanding performances from lower-ranked opponents. The biggest headlines came from the Netherlands’ Ivan KAHN, Hungary’s David SZANTOSI and Serbia’s Uroš NINKOVIĆ, who all defeated opponents ranked considerably higher on the ETTU ranking list. KAHN, ranked No. 151, produced one of the most impressive results of the morning by overcoming Luxembourg’s Luka MLADENOVIC, ranked No. 36, in five games (11-9, 11-7, 8-11, 6-11, 11-8). The Dutch player made a flying start and established a two-game lead before MLADENOVIC fought back to force a decider. KAHN, however, recovered his composure at the crucial moment to complete the biggest victory of his career. “It’s unbelievable for me. I think, for sure, it’s my best win in my life. I’m really happy. I played very well,” said KAHN. His success was no accident. The Dutchman had carefully studied his opponent’s unusual playing style and prepared a tactical plan with his coach. “I discussed with my coach last night how to make a plan. I wanted to be very aggressive on his anti-spin because I knew that if I played a lot of spin into his anti, I would play the balls to the tribunes when I tried to control.” Despite leading 2-0 in games and 5-2 in the third, KAHN saw his advantage disappear as MLADENOVIC found his rhythm. “It almost went away after 2-0, 5-2. He found more of his rhythm. I started making some mistakes, but I’m very happy that in the fifth set I could get it back and get the win.” With victories over Belgium’s Laurens DEVOS and MLADENOVIC, KAHN confirmed his place in the main draw, although celebrations will have to wait. “I’m through to the main draw, so I cannot celebrate too much. Now I will watch my teammates, and I will call my parents.” Another major surprise came from Hungary’s David SZANTOSI, ranked No. 152, who defeated Spain’s Juan PEREZ, No. 38, in four games (11-6, 4-11, 11-8, 11-9). SZANTOSI responded strongly after losing the second game and held his nerve in two closely contested games to secure an outstanding victory. Serbia’s Uroš NINKOVIĆ also had reason to celebrate after defeating Austria’s Andreas LEVENKO, ranked No. 51, in a thrilling five-game contest. NINKOVIĆ, No. 208 on the ETTU list, recovered from a 1-2 deficit to prevail 11-7, 9-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-9. For the Serbian player, the result carried special significance, even though his opening defeat to Spain’s Diego LILLO meant that the victory would not be enough to take him into the next stage. “This is my first victory at the European Championships, so it means a lot to me and I am very happy about it. Of course, there is some disappointment because it is not enough for me to progress to the next stage, as I lost my opening match 3-1,” said NINKOVIĆ. “But looking at everything, the player I defeated today is probably the biggest name I have ever beaten in my career.” The Serbian added that his performances over the opening two days had strengthened his confidence. “I am satisfied with my performance, both yesterday and today. I think I am in good form and playing well. It is a wonderful feeling to represent Serbia at such a major championship, to achieve a victory and experience everything that comes with it.” While several leading players suffered unexpected defeats, Portugal’s experienced Tiago APOLONIA survived a difficult examination against Slovenia’s Peter HRIBAR. APOLONIA, ranked No. 40, was pushed all the way by the home player, ranked No. 162, before winning 3-2 (11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-4). HRIBAR’s consistency and awkward service created problems for the Portuguese player, who eventually found the solution by adopting a more aggressive approach in the deciding game. “Honestly, I didn’t know Peter so well, but I saw his game yesterday, and he played very well. He didn’t make any easy mistakes. He has an uncomfortable service, in my opinion,” explained APOLONIA. “After losing the fourth set, I said to myself, I need to be a bit more aggressive; otherwise, he will not make easy mistakes, and the game will be very difficult. I think this was the key: I was a bit more aggressive in the fifth set.” For a player accustomed to competing at the highest level, the challenge of negotiating the group stage represents an unfamiliar experience. “My main goal right now is to pass the group stage. It’s, of course, not a common situation for me. I don’t remember the last time I needed to play qualifications. This is a difficult game, and now I need to focus again on tomorrow’s game.” Several other established names made successful starts to their campaigns. Slovakia’s Yang WANG defeated Greece’s Georgios STAMATOUROS 3-0, while Germany’s Wim VERDONSCHOT overcame Lithuania’s Ervinas UZIALO without dropping a game. Sweden’s Elias RANEFUR beat the Netherlands’ Milo DE BOER 3-1, Norway’s Borgar HAUG defeated Slovakia’s Adam KLAJBER 3-0, and Romania’s Darius MOVILEANU recorded a straight-games victory over Heorhi KUNATS of Belarus. Austria’s Robert GARDOS also opened with a 3-0 success against Estonia’s Madis MOOS, while Croatia’s Ivor BAN defeated Switzerland’s Elias HARDMEIER 3-1. Hungary’s Csaba ANDRAS, England’s Connor GREEN and Greece’s Panagiotis GIONIS were among those recording convincing straight-games victories. GIONIS proved particularly dominant against Israel’s Itay AVIVI, conceding only 13 points across three games. England’s Liam PITCHFORD defeated Finland’s Aleksi RASANEN 3-0, while Portugal’s Joao MONTEIRO and Tiago ABIODUN also began with straight-games victories. Finland’s Benedek OLAH and Italy’s John OYEBODE added further successes, while Croatia’s Filip ZELJKO was pushed to five games by Serbia’s Zsolt PETO. Hungary’s Adam SZUDI also faced a demanding opening match, recovering from a 1-2 deficit to beat Czechia’s Ondrej KVETON 3-2 (11-8, 5-11, 10-12, 12-10, 11-7). Among the players who had already impressed on the opening day, Switzerland’s

For Slovenia’s Darko JORGIC, the 2026 European Championships will carry a significance unlike any previous edition. Competing at Arena Stožice in Ljubljana, the 28-year-old will have the opportunity to chase another major European medal in front of his home supporters. JORGIC already has an impressive record on the continental stage. He came within one victory of the European Men’s Singles crown in Munich in 2022, where he took silver, and has two European Team bronze medals, from Luxembourg in 2017 and Zadar in 2025. His record at the Europe Top 16 is even more remarkable. JORGIC won the title three years in succession, in 2022, 2023 and 2024, while finishing runner-up in 2020, 2025 and 2026. This time, however, the setting will make the challenge different. “Honestly, my goal and my wish is to win a medal in front of the home crowd – a medal I missed out on in Linz. Before that, I finished second in Munich, and I was just one step away from gold.” Despite being among the leading European players, JORGIC knows that rankings offer few guarantees in a field where the margins have become increasingly small. His experience at the 2024 European Championships in Linz, when he found himself in serious difficulty early in the tournament, remains a useful reminder. “If we remember Linz, when I was losing 3-1 and 7-2 to a Hungarian LEI who, if I remember correctly, was not even in the world’s top 50, then you realise that the world ranking doesn’t tell the whole story. I think this European Championship will be one of the strongest ever. I believe anyone can beat anyone.” For JORGIC, arriving in the right condition will therefore matter more than his position on the entry list. “The ranking is no longer the most important thing. What matters most is being in the right form and how you perform on the day. The first rounds are always the most difficult.” There are encouraging signs in that respect. After a period in which he struggled to find the consistency he wanted, JORGIC believes his game is settling again. “I have always said that I want to get back into the world’s top 10 as quickly as possible. I am currently 12th. For some time now, I have been going around in circles, moving one step up and one step down.” The demanding international calendar has made that task more complicated. JORGIC believes the sport has moved increasingly towards a tennis-style schedule, with players travelling continuously between tournaments and continents and having less time for sustained periods of training. “It is difficult mentally and physically. There is not enough time to train, and that is causing problems for all the players. You can also see it in the results, with Asian players losing matches against Europeans, especially the Chinese. I think Europe has closed the gap.” Adapting his own programme has been part of the process. JORGIC moved away from the German Bundesliga in search of greater flexibility and more control over his competition schedule. “I used to have a similar system. I trained a lot, prepared for competitions and then went to tournaments and played my best. At that time, I was ranked sixth in the world, and that approach helped me. Now I have to adapt to a different system. It is difficult, but as the years go by, you get used to it. And yes, I can say that I am back in good form now. I feel like I have really stabilised my game.” There has also been an important development for Slovenian table tennis ahead of the Championships, with the opening of a new national training centre at Dolgi Most on the outskirts of Ljubljana. For JORGIC, who left home for Novo Mesto at the age of 15 in order to pursue his career, having high-level training conditions available at home represents a significant step forward. “I’m really, really happy that we finally opened it and that it has been built, because I think it is a fantastic opportunity for all the young table tennis players. The conditions are phenomenal. Training at home is the best – I’ve always said that.” He hopes the centre will help the next generation of Slovenian players avoid some of the sacrifices he had to make at an early age, while also providing better conditions for the country’s established internationals. “I left home for Novo Mesto when I was 15. It was difficult for my parents, but in the end, if you decide to pursue a professional career, it was the right decision. Now we all hope that the new centre in Ljubljana will help all the young players take the next step and reach a higher level. And not just them – hopefully it will also help me and all the other Slovenian players.” JORGIC also won Men’s Singles and Team gold at the 2018 Mediterranean Games in Tarragona and added another Team title four years later in Oran. But a European Championships on home soil represents a different opportunity altogether. “I am really happy and proud of the entire federation for organising this championship at home. It is something really special for me and for all Slovenian table tennis players.” And there is one ingredient he hopes Arena Stožice will provide in abundance. “I would also like to call on all the fans to come and support us. I think we will really need that support. I sincerely hope I can show my best form and put in some good performances. The result will only come with good play.”