The Table Tennis Association of North Macedonia welcomed a high-level delegation of Chinese table tennis experts from the China Table Tennis College from 7 to 10 September, marking the first visit of its kind to the country. The delegation included legendary multiple World and Olympic champion Zhang Yining. The visit represented an important milestone for the development of table tennis in North Macedonia and the wider region, providing talented young players with an opportunity to learn directly from experts representing one of the world’s leading table tennis systems. During the programme, the Chinese delegation shared its expertise, training methodology and experience with some of North Macedonia’s most promising young players. Particular emphasis was placed on youth development, professional training methods, technical improvement and the long-term development of young athletes. The initiative also had a strong regional dimension. Under the cooperation agreement with the Table Tennis Association of Serbia, several talented young players from Serbia were invited to join their counterparts from North Macedonia. Bringing together young players from North Macedonia and Serbia with experts from China created a valuable international training environment, while also strengthening sporting links between the two neighbouring countries. The programme provided a platform for regional cooperation, exchange of knowledge and the joint development of young talent. The presence of Zhang Yining made the occasion particularly significant. As one of the most successful players in the history of table tennis, her experience and knowledge provided a unique source of inspiration for young athletes aspiring to compete at the highest international level. The initiative reflects a clear commitment to creating more opportunities for young players in North Macedonia and the region to gain access to world-class knowledge, coaching expertise and international experience. Beyond the immediate benefits of the training programme, the visit represented an investment in the future of table tennis in North Macedonia and another step towards strengthening cooperation and knowledge exchange across the region.
Triple Gold for CAMPAGNA as Individual Champions Crowned at Serbia Open
Pietro CAMPAGNA emerged as the outstanding performer on the final day of the 2026 JOOLA Europe Youth Series Serbia Open in Beočin, completing a remarkable triple by winning the U15 Boys’ Singles, U13 Boys’ Singles and U13 Mixed Doubles titles. There was success across several nations as the five-day event reached its conclusion. Croatia’s Sara RIVETTI claimed the U15 Girls’ Singles crown, while Türkiye’s Gizem CIGIL produced one of the biggest surprises of the individual competition to win the U13 Girls’ Singles title. Slovakia’s Filip NAGY and Barbora GUASSARDO celebrated gold in the U15 Mixed Doubles, while CAMPAGNA partnered Serena ROSSATI to complete an all-Italian U13 Mixed Doubles final. Pietro CAMPAGNA of Italy claimed the U15 Boys’ Singles title after overcoming Serbia’s Branko DRAGOLJEVIC 3-1 in the final. Both finalists had been tested in five-game semi-finals. DRAGOLJEVIC secured his place in the title match with a 3-2 victory over Greece’s Theofanis MARKOULAKIS, while CAMPAGNA came through another close contest against Ireland’s Peadar SHERIDAN, also winning 3-2. In the final, CAMPAGNA prevailed 3-1 over DRAGOLJEVIC to secure his singles gold. CAMPAGNA entered the competition as the No. 2 seed, while DRAGOLJEVIC was seeded No. 4 and SHERIDAN No. 5. MARKOULAKIS produced the biggest run among the four semi-finalists after starting as the No. 15 seed. DRAGOLJEVIC took silver, while MARKOULAKIS and SHERIDAN completed the podium with bronze medals. Sara RIVETTI of Croatia claimed the U15 Girls’ Singles title, defeating Serbia’s Emili MIUL 3-1 in the final. RIVETTI secured her place in the title match with a 3-0 semi-final victory over Italy’s Serena ROSSATI. In the other semi-final, MIUL produced one of the notable results of the day by beating top seed Barbora GUASSARDO of Slovakia 3-0. RIVETTI then prevailed 3-1 over MIUL in the final to secure gold. The Croatian entered the competition as the No. 3 seed, while MIUL made an impressive run from the No. 12 position. GUASSARDO was the top seed and ROSSATI No. 6. MIUL took silver, while GUASSARDO and ROSSATI completed the podium with bronze medals. The U15 Mixed Doubles title went to Slovakia after Filip NAGY and Barbora GUASSARDO completed their run in Beočin with a 3-0 victory over Serbia’s Branko DRAGOLJEVIC and Lena TERZIC in the final. NAGY and GUASSARDO had been pushed all the way in the semi-finals by Julius FREDENSBORG of Denmark and Mia HADZOVIC of Bosnia and Herzegovina, eventually prevailing 3-2 to secure their place in the title match. In the other semi-final, DRAGOLJEVIC and TERZIC gave the home crowd plenty to celebrate with a 3-0 victory over Denmark’s Philip JAKOBSEN and Chelinda VOONG. NAGY and GUASSARDO then defeated DRAGOLJEVIC and TERZIC 3-0 in the final to secure the gold medal, leaving the Serbian pair with silver. FREDENSBORG and HADZOVIC, and JAKOBSEN and VOONG, completed the podium with bronze medals. CAMPAGNA added the U13 Boys’ Singles title to his U15 success, defeating Luxembourg’s Noah VALENTE 3-0 in the final. The Italian reached the title match without dropping a game in the semi-final, beating Milan VUCETIC of Montenegro 3-0. VALENTE was equally successful in the other semi-final, overcoming the Czech Republic’s Richard FEBER JR. 3-0. The final brought together the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds, with CAMPAGNA prevailing 3-0 over VALENTE to secure his second singles title of the day. CAMPAGNA entered the U13 competition as the top seed, VALENTE was No. 3, FEBER JR. No. 2 and VUCETIC No. 4. VALENTE took silver, while VUCETIC and FEBER JR. completed the podium with bronze medals. Gizem CIGIL of Türkiye claimed the U13 Girls’ Singles title, completing an excellent run with a 3-1 victory over Slovakia’s Adela VASKOVA in the final. CIGIL produced a major upset in the semi-final, defeating top seed Serena ROSSATI of Italy 3-1. In the other semi-final, VASKOVA overcame Lejla BOTONJIC of Bosnia and Herzegovina by the same score, 3-1. CIGIL maintained her form in the final, beating VASKOVA 3-1 to secure the gold medal. Her title was one of the biggest surprises compared with the original seedings. CIGIL entered the competition at No. 30 on the seeding list, while VASKOVA was No. 7. ROSSATI was the top seed and BOTONJIC No. 9. VASKOVA took silver, while ROSSATI and BOTONJIC completed the podium with bronze medals. CAMPAGNA completed his memorable day by partnering Serena ROSSATI to the U13 Mixed Doubles title. The Italian pair booked their place in the title match with a 3-0 semi-final victory over Milan VUCETIC of Montenegro and Atiye OZER of Türkiye. The other semi-final also ended in straight games, with Luca FRANZONI and Weilan CHEN overcoming fellow Italians Giorgio BORGHESE and Maya PAVEL 3-0 to set up an all-Italian battle for gold. In the final, CAMPAGNA and ROSSATI defeated FRANZONI and CHEN 3-0 to secure the title without dropping a game across the semi-final and final. FRANZONI and CHEN took silver, while VUCETIC and OZER, and BORGHESE and PAVEL, completed the podium with bronze medals.
Ireland, Serbia, Italy and Türkiye Claim Team Titles in Beočin
The team events at the 2026 JOOLA Europe Youth Series Serbia Open in Beočin produced four very different routes to gold, with Ireland, Serbia, Italy and Türkiye celebrating titles across the U15 and U13 categories. Ireland overturned an early deficit to beat top seeds Poland in the U15 Boys’ final, while Serbia 1 delighted the home crowd by taking the U15 Girls’ crown. Italy completed a perfect round-robin campaign in the U13 Boys’ event, while fifth seeds Türkiye produced a superb run to emerge victorious in the U13 Girls’ competition. In the U15 Boys’ Team final, Ireland came from behind to defeat top seeds Poland 11-7 and claim the title. Poland made an impressive start. Maksymilian KSIAZEK edged Peadar SHERIDAN in five games, winning the decider 11-8, before Olaf GLANERT overcame Ryan LI in straight games to put the favourites firmly in control. The momentum changed dramatically in the doubles. SHERIDAN and LI produced a commanding performance to beat KSIAZEK and GLANERT 3-0, and Ireland never looked back. SHERIDAN then overcame GLANERT 3-1, recovering after losing the opening game, before LI completed the turnaround with a straight-games victory over KSIAZEK to seal the 11-7 win and the gold medal. The victory completed an impressive campaign for the No. 2 seeds, who had already survived a thrilling 10-9 semi-final against Denmark. Poland reached the title match after overcoming Serbia 1 10-7 in the other semi-final. Poland were the No. 1 seeds, while Serbia 1 and Denmark were seeded third and sixth respectively. The U15 Girls’ Team competition followed a different format, with the medals determined by the final standings after all nine teams met in a single round-robin group. Serbia 1 delighted the home crowd by taking gold after an impressive campaign. Third seeds Emili MIUL and Lena TERZIC finished at the top of the standings with seven wins from eight encounters and 64 points. Their only defeat came against Denmark, 5-8, but strong performances throughout the competition proved enough to secure first place. Denmark, seeded No. 4 and represented by Chelinda VOONG and Ellen HAUGAARD, completed the competition unbeaten with eight wins and 62 points to take silver. They notably defeated the eventual champions Serbia 1 8-5, but with every game counting as one point under the competition system, Serbia accumulated more points across the complete round robin and finished ahead in the final standings. Top seeds Bosnia and Herzegovina/Croatia completed the podium. Mia HADZOVIC and Sara RIVETTI recorded six wins and two defeats and collected 56 points to secure bronze. In the U13 Boys’ Team event, Italy claimed gold after completing the round robin with a perfect nine victories from nine matches. Top seeds Giorgio BORGHESE, Pietro CAMPAGNA and Luca FRANZONI accumulated 78 points, with their closest contest coming against eventual silver medallists Greece. Italy prevailed 6-5 in what proved to be the decisive meeting between the leading two teams. Greece, the No. 2 seeds, finished with an 8-1 record to secure silver. Nikolaos ALEXIDIS and Theofanis MARKOULAKIS collected 77 points, with their only defeat coming against the champions. One of the biggest moves compared with the seedings came from Bulgaria. Starting as the No. 8 seeds, Adem AHMEDOV and Yoan-David GEORGIEV produced seven victories from nine matches to take bronze, with their only defeats coming against Italy and Greece. The U13 Girls’ Team competition provided one of the standout stories of the team events, as fifth seeds Türkiye completed a superb run by defeating Italy 10-5 in the final. Beren BOZKURT and Gizem CIGIL had already produced a major upset in the semi-finals, eliminating top seeds Serbia 1 after an extraordinary contest finished 10-10 in games. Türkiye progressed on the overall points count, 183-173, to book their place in the title match. Second seeds Italy made the stronger start in the final as Weilan CHEN overcame BOZKURT 3-1 in a high-quality opening contest, with the first game going all the way to 17-15. CIGIL immediately responded, beating Serena ROSSATI 3-1 to bring Türkiye level. The Turkish pair then took control. BOZKURT and CIGIL combined to beat ROSSATI and CHEN 3-1 in the doubles, before CIGIL produced another commanding performance, overcoming CHEN in straight games to complete Türkiye’s 10-5 victory and secure the title. CIGIL proved decisive throughout the closing stages of the competition. She won both of her singles matches in the semi-final against Serbia 1 and then added two more singles victories in the final, as well as partnering BOZKURT to the doubles win. Italy, represented by Weilan CHEN and Serena ROSSATI, took silver, while Serbia 1 and Bulgaria 1 earned bronze after reaching the semi-finals. Türkiye had entered the competition as the No. 5 seeds, behind top seeds Serbia 1, Italy, Slovakia and Bulgaria 1.
Beočin Ready for Five Days of JOOLA Europe Youth Series Action
The 2026 JOOLA Europe Youth Series moves to Serbia this week, with Beočin ready to welcome Europe’s young talents for the Serbia Open from 9 to 13 September. With the opening matches set for Wednesday, the seedings are confirmed for five days of competition featuring the U15 and U13 age categories across team, singles and mixed doubles events. The competition got underway on Wednesday with the team events, where several strong line-ups occupy the leading seeded positions. In the U15 Boys’ Team event, Poland, represented by Olaf GLANERT and Maksymilian KSIAZEK, is the top seed. Ireland, with Ryan LI and Peadar SHERIDAN, is seeded No. 2, while Serbia 1, featuring Branko DRAGOLJEVIC and Noel NIKOLOV, holds the No. 3 position. The U15 Girls’ Team competition is headed by the Bosnia and Herzegovina/Croatia combination of Mia HADZOVIC and Sara RIVETTI. Bulgaria is seeded second with Plamena DIMITROVA and Yoana KIRILOVA, while Serbia 1, represented by Emili MIUL and Lena TERZIC, is No. 3. Italy leads the seeding in the U13 Boys’ Team event with Giorgio BORGHESE, Pietro CAMPAGNA and Luca FRANZONI. Greece, represented by Nikolaos ALEXIDIS and Theofanis MARKOULAKIS, is seeded No. 2, ahead of Serbia 2, represented by Ivan KARAKASEVIC and Maksim PETO. The host nation occupies the top position in the U13 Girls’ Team event. Serbia 1, with Karina AGYANSZKI and Nikolina STANIC, is seeded No. 1, followed by Italy’s Weilan CHEN and Serena ROSSATI and Slovakia’s Sofia TRUSKOVA and Adela VASKOVA. The individual events will bring another strong field later in the week. In the U15 Boys’ Singles, Slovakia’s Filip NAGY is the top seed, followed by Italy’s Pietro CAMPAGNA and Poland’s Olaf GLANERT, while Serbia’s Branko DRAGOLJEVIC is seeded No. 4. The U15 Girls’ Singles list is headed by Slovakia’s Barbora GUASSARDO, ahead of Portugal’s Matilde SOUSA and Croatia’s Sara RIVETTI, with Poland’s Natalia WSZOLEK at No. 4. Pietro CAMPAGNA is the No. 1 seed in the U13 Boys’ Singles, ahead of Czechia’s Richard FEBER JR. and Luxembourg’s Noah VALENTE. In the U13 Girls’ Singles, Italy’s Serena ROSSATI leads the list, followed by Serbia’s Karina AGYANSZKI and Bulgaria’s Martina GOLOSMANOVA, while Serbia’s Nikolina STANIC is seeded fourth. The team competitions continue before the individual programme begins on Friday with the group stages of the U15 and U13 Boys’ and Girls’ Singles, alongside the opening mixed doubles matches. Saturday will feature the main draws across all four singles categories and the U15 and U13 Mixed Doubles events, before the Serbia Open reaches its conclusion on Sunday, 13 September.
EUROSPINS goes to Korea: Asia–Europe exchange continues in Gangneung
The second edition of the ETTU’s Asia–Europe joint training programme is under way in Gangneung, Korea, where 11 European players are training alongside the national teams of Korea, Japan and Chinese Taipei until 12 September. The camp is hosted by the Korea Table Tennis Association at Gangneung Arena. It is the first time the project brings together four associations: after last season’s exchange with Korea, both the Japan Table Tennis Association and the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association have joined this year, taking the total to 42 participants, including players, coaches, officials and support staff. The programme started in December 2025, when European players travelled to Jeju Island for a first camp with the Korean team, and continued in April 2026 in Havířov, Czech Republic, where the Korean delegation trained in Europe. Gangneung is the third camp in the series and opens the second cycle, which will close in spring 2027 when the Asian delegations return to Europe. The hosting association will be confirmed shortly. Players train over ten days, with friendly matches on 5 and 8 September. The upcoming matches on 8 September will be streamed on the official KTTA YouTube channel. The camp will close with a cultural excursion before several players move on to the WTT Youth Contender in Gangneung. “We are very grateful to the Korea Table Tennis Association for the hospitality and for how easy they have made the work here. The welcome our delegation has had, is something everyone will remember,” said ETTU Vice President Jarosław KOŁODZIEJCZYK. “We are also very pleased that Japan and Chinese Taipei have joined the project this year. The value of this exchange is not only the quality of the practice, although training with Asian players at this level is something that is not so easy to achieve at home. It is also ten days of living, eating and travelling together with players from a completely different table tennis culture. That stays with them long after the camp ends.” The ETTU delegation is led by Vice President Jarosław KOŁODZIEJCZYK, with the support of Deputy Secretary General Galia DVORAK and ETTU assigned coaches Lara BROICH from Germany and Romualdo MANNA from Italy.
China-EU Table Tennis Friendship Event brings players together in Brussels
Table tennis once again showed its ability to bring people together as Chinese and European players met in Brussels for the China-EU Table Tennis Friendship Tournament, celebrating friendship, exchange and a shared passion for the sport. The ETTU was represented at the event by Vice President Didier LEROY and Secretary General Pierre KASS. LEROY also addressed the participants during the opening ceremony alongside H.E. Mr Cai Run, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the European Union. “The China-EU Table Tennis Friendship Tournament is a wonderful initiative that brings people together through the universal language of sport. It creates a unique opportunity to strengthen friendship, dialogue and mutual understanding between China and Europe. We are proud to support this spirit of friendship and cooperation through table tennis,” said ETTU Vice President Didier LEROY. Hosted by the Mission of China to the European Union at the Royal Alpa Table Tennis Club, the event brought together 24 players. Twelve represented the Chinese Mission to the EU, the Chinese Embassy in Belgium and other Chinese institutions based in Brussels, while 12 European table tennis enthusiasts from Euroclub represented EU institutions. Friendship rather than results was at the heart of the event. The participants were divided into six mixed teams of four, with Chinese and European players competing side by side in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. The opening ceremony also included a symbolic first serve, officially opening a morning of table tennis, interaction and exchange. Among the distinguished guests were former Olympic and World Champions Yan SEN and Zhang YINING, who are involved with China Table Tennis College and CTTC Europe, adding another strong link between the European and Chinese table tennis communities. At the conclusion of the competition, Didier LEROY and Ambassador Cai Run jointly presented the awards to the winning teams before players and guests gathered for an informal lunch, offering another opportunity to continue conversations and strengthen connections away from the table. For ETTU, the gathering highlighted a role that table tennis has played for generations, bringing people from different countries and cultures closer together. The long tradition of table tennis exchanges between Europe and China has created many sporting and personal connections, and the Brussels event added another chapter to that relationship. More than simply a tournament, the China-EU Table Tennis Friendship Event showed how a shared love of the sport can create an easy and natural meeting point between people, cultures and institutions.
Media Accreditation Open for 2026 European Individual Championships in Ljubljana
The media accreditation process is now open for the 2026 European Individual Championships, which will be staged at Arena Stožice in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 11 to 18 October 2026. Members of the media wishing to cover the Championships are invited to submit their accreditation requests through the ETTU website. The deadline for media accreditation is Monday, 28 September 2026. Media Accreditation – Apply here The 2026 European Individual Championships will take place in Ljubljana. The eight-day programme will feature Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. The competition begins on Sunday, 11 October, with the preliminary stages, while the first main draw matches are scheduled for Tuesday, 13 October. The Mixed Doubles champions will be crowned on Friday, the Men’s and Women’s Doubles finals will follow on Saturday, while the Championships conclude on Sunday, 18 October with the Men’s and Women’s Singles semi-finals and finals. The Championships will also carry additional importance on the road to the 2027 European Games. Results in Ljubljana will count directly towards the European Mixed Team Ranking, which will determine direct qualification for the Mixed Team event at the European Games and the continental Olympic quota connected to it. Media representatives planning to attend the Championships are encouraged to complete their applications in good time ahead of the 28 September deadline.
ETTU Europe Cup Men Group Stage Draw Completed
The draw for the 2026/27 ETTU Europe Cup Men Group Stage was conducted on Tuesday, with 16 clubs divided into four groups of four. Group A features SPG Felbermayr Wels (AUT), KS Olesno (POL), Clube Desportivo 1º de Maio (POR) and CTT Les Borges Vall (ESP). In Group B, SKST Havirov (CZE) will face TJ Geolog Roznava (SVK), Irun Leka Enea (ESP) and STK Starr Croatia (CRO). Group C brings together CTT Olot (ESP), Energa Manekin Torun (POL), AŠK Mária Huta (SVK) and TTC Ostrava 2016 (CZE). Group D consists of STK Vyhne (SVK), Alicante TM (ESP), SKST Chodov (CZE) and CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc (ROU). The top two clubs from each group will progress to the next stage.
ETTU Europe Cup Women Group Stage Draw
The draw for the 2026/27 ETTU Europe Cup Women Group Stage was conducted on Tuesday, with the 16 participating clubs divided into four groups of four. Several clubs that featured in the opening stage of the ETTU Champions League Women last weekend will continue their European season in the Europe Cup, adding further strength to the group stage. Group A brings together ASD Quattro Mori (ITA), CP Lyssois Lille Métropole (FRA), Museo De la Almendra Francisco Morales (ESP) and PGE Fibrain KU AZS Politechnika Rzeszow (POL). In Group B, STK Dr. Časl (CRO) will face MAWA AZS UJD Częstochowa (POL), SU Sparkasse Kufstein (AUT) and Son Cladera TTC – Mallorca (ESP). Budaörsi Sport Club (HUN) heads Group C, alongside CD Indiana Games (ESP), CSM Constanta (ROU) and SK SOG Nitra (SVK). Group D features MIRÓ Ganxets (ESP), TTC Novi Sad (SRB), TTV Tulln (AUT) and Girbau Vic TT (ESP). The top two clubs from each group will progress to the next stage.
HYLO ETTU Champions League Men Stage 2 Draw
Following the conclusion of Stage 1 of the 2026/27 HYLO ETTU Champions League Men in Lille, the draw for Stage 2 was conducted on Tuesday, setting the path for the 16 clubs continuing their pursuit of the title. The eight teams that progressed from Stage 1 – HB Ostrov z.s, ASD TT Santa Tecla Nulvi, SF SKK El Nino Praha, Roskilde Bordtennis BTK 61, TTC Sokah Hoboken, Lille Metropole TT, KS Dojlidy Białystok and AS Pontoise Cergy TT – have now joined the eight directly qualified clubs in the competition.
