The 2022 ETTU Congress was held today in Holiday Inn Westpark Hotel Munich on the occasion of the 2022 European Championships. The meeting was chaired by Acting President Pedro MOURA in the presence of 45 Delegates including four online and ITTF President Petra SORLING and Secretary General Raul CALIN. In his opening speech ETTU Acting President Pedro MOURA addressed the participants: “I do so in my capacity as Acting ETTU President. but I stand here representing the whole ETTU Executive Board. We are one team and we have been working hard together over the last five months to ensure we continued to take our sport forward in difficult circumstances.” He reminded the delegates that the Executive Board decision to not allow Russian and Belarusian players and officials within competitions was in line with the International Olympic Committee and the ITTF and in solidarity with Ukraine and the Olympic Movement. “These were not easy decisions. Any decision that stops an athlete from being able to compete cannot be taken lightly. But we agreed that it was the best course to take in order to protect the athletes and ensure the integrity of our ETTU competitions. It also showed our support for Ukraine athletes something we have maintained to this day and that we have committed to for the rest of this year and next year.” “I wish to give a special warm welcome to Ukraine Table Tennis Federation President Alexander ZATS. Thank you for being here with us. As you know we have set up a Crowdfunding Campaign to raise much needed funds which will allow Ukrainian athletes to continue to compete at events this year and in 2023. I hope you will all be able to make a donation to this worthy cause and doing so help our beloved sport to survive in this important European table tennis country – Ukraine.” ETTU have faced challenges and difficult decisions and we have continued to work hard to operate as close to normal as possible. “Following the significant disruption in 2020 caused by COVID-19 ETTU was able to deliver all the competitions scheduled for that year with the exception of the European Youth Championships. We continued that momentum in 2021 and 2022 and delivered the complete package of our ETTU events in a remarkable and eminently successful fashion.” ETTU was able to deliver all the Development Program activities during 2021 and now 2022. As well as being proud of what we have done we have a huge amount to look forward to.” First of course is the remainder of the fantastic table tennis competition here at the European Championships. “As the first time our sport has been included in this prestigious event it is further evidence of table tennis as one of the most popular sports in Europe. “Looking ahead to 2023 we are already working on our budget and plans for next year as we aim to tackle the challenges head on and turn them into opportunities.We are developing a balanced but ambitious budget which will match our ambitions for our sport.” ETTU is planning to organise new events to fulfill the needs of the members including the Under-13 European Championships and potentially a new Europe Youth series. Mr MOURA concluded his speech by congratulating Mrs. Petra SORLING for her election as ITTF President being the first woman to be elected for the job and showing how the table tennis community is really engaging the gender equality issue. ITTF President Petra SORLING underlined very challenging times: “We have the war in Europe and the Pandemic is still present in the World. These challenging moments reflects on all segments of our sport but one of the ITTF Pillars the Unity is very strong.” President SORLING was following on four pillars of ITTF Manifesto. “Nr. 1 is to Unify the ITTF family. I am extremely proud of our cooperation with ETTU and very importantly with German Table Tennis Association. We made a very good agreement with DTTB to move on and we will have future events in Germany. In addition we agreed with Croatia to have World Para and Parkinson’s Championships.” Munich was highlited once again as a good example for another ITTF pillar – sustainability. “This is the city of no waste. We are trying to make our sport the same. We will encourage players in the future to use recycled equipment for example. And speaking of Governance we are constantly moving forward. This is a job done by Raul CALIN and also by ETTU but we can not do it without the help of the table tennis community and our members.” Speaking of business growth President SORLING said: “It is table tennis growth. It is not only about business and investors coming; we still own 100 percent of table tennis but we are looking for the investors come to bring the external money.” ITTF President also pointed how much European Championships in Munich the Islamic Solidarity Games and Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games are important for table tennis growth by giving the visibility among other sports. “We are organising the World Championships and we are looking forward to Chengdu but we are also aware that there are lots of questions and doubts. An FAQ platform will trbe launched to answer all the questions.” President SORLING congratulated ETTU and Germany to a very well organised Championship at the end. The German Table Tennis Association Claudia HERWEG welcomed all the guests in Munich and praised a very good cooperation between ETTU and LOC Munich. Congress accepted the EB Proposal for Team Events at the European Championships. The Round of 16 will be added so the winners and runners up in 8 Groups will proceed to the round of 16 and the Championships will be played seven days. New European Under 13 Championships will be launched in 2023. Badges of Honour were awarded to Belgium’s Jacques DENYS Serbia’s Aleksandar MATKOVIC Norway’s Sven-Erik NORDBY England’s Alan RANSOME Germany’s Jie SCHÖPP Hungary’s Krisztina TOTH Switzerland’s Nicolas

In the quarterfinal Dang QIU overcame Timo BOLL in straight games (11:7 11:8 11:6 11:2). “Playing against Timo Boll is one of the hardest things in European table tennis. That I’ve finally managed to defeat him is a dream. Every set is important against Timo. He dominated in the beginning but then I got better into the match and won the set. After that I was in the match. You don’t want to play against Germans at the European championships at home but you have to approach it professionally. It is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage for any of us. If you play a German there are no secrets because we know each other so well and the preparations are perhaps not that intensive but of course you have to prepare yourself as for every match.” On upsetting the eight-time champion who won the tournament last year: “Nobody was expecting anything like that but of course I accept it. It feels amazing however I can’t really celebrate it fully because in just a few hours I have to play the semifinal and then of course I want to play my best table tennis another time. Otherwise it would’ve been a pity if I would’ve knocked Timo out of the tournament and then gotten kicked out of the semifinal so that is not my aim.At least I won’t have to play a German anymore so I can get a full support from the fans in the arena.” On what made him win: “In general my passive game was very good however we know each other so well that it is not a secret for Timo. That is why I wanted to start aggressively in the beginning. Because if Timo starts to get the upper hand in the rally it is hard to stop him.” Timo BOLL spoke on his defeat: “I’m still fine. If you lose that easily then you don’t mind it so much. Of course I argue a little bit with myself that I couldn’t find solutions but it was also up to Dang because he played fantastically in all parts of the game; service receive-wise and also in the open rallies. He was safe and powerful. I had to admit that I had no chance and I have to live with that. We practice against each other very often. Often in the practice sessions I could force him a little bit more if I also play at a higher level but this level I couldn’t reach somehow. Because of him because of me why I couldn’t play better I have to think about but overall I was not safe enough I did not have that quality in my strokes to force him a little bit and to make easier mistakes. I have to say it was a deserved victory for him.” On how he will continue his career: “I am a sports warrior and this is also a normal process that you get older and lose more often and you have to adjust to that and still try to keep going and keep your motivation. That’s a task now. “But I don’t have the feeling that it’s the problem for me. I have a clear mind and I know that if the younger guys play at a high level it will be hard for me. I still believe I can beat them on a perfect day but today wasn’t the perfect day for me. Maybe more for him.” On trying to turn the match around having come back from a 3-0 deficit in the round of 64: “I have just one joker per tournament and I played it in the first round. You cannot come back all the time. I tried but he was too good today.” Mattias FALCK accounted for Truls MOREGARDH (11:13 4;11 11:8 11:7 11:9 11:5). FALCK being down 2-1 9-2 in the fourth game but turning the match around to a 4-2 win. “I think that I played better and better in the match and in the third and fourth game I played really well. Then I came out to the fifth game where Truls was extremely aggressive; very tough on the half-long balls and hit some really nice balls. All of a sudden it just ran away but I felt that I just go ball by ball. He had a big lead and then he could miss some easy balls. All of a sudden it was 9-5 and then you have caught up then there is not that much separating you so you take one ball at the time ” explained FALCK. Asked on what goes through his mind when he finds the flow FALCK replied: “Not much is happening at all. That’s what the flow is about; you are here and now. It is all about the next ball and you don’t think about the score or anything else. You’re just focused on what you have to do.” MOREGARDH came as no. one seed and big favorite. “I’m super disappointed obviously. It’s a really tough defeat. I’ve got a grip of the match but after 2-0 3-0 he improves his play a huge amount. He serves better and receives better. When I get a little stressed I don’t have as good of a variation in my serves. It was tough. At he point when I was leading I still think I made good decisions. He gave me very good balls up to 9-7. Perhaps I should’ve taken a time out but I still think I made the completely right decision in most balls. I did it OK but it was good of him to turn it around.” Kristian KARLSSON overcame Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany in the quarter final (11:9 4:11 11:9 8:11 11;5 11:4). “He’s incredibly good at getting the game the way he wants and I think I manage it good enough to get to play my own balls too. That was important. We train so much together that

In the quarterfinal Dang QIU overcame Timo BOLL in straight games (11:7 11:8 11:6 11:2). “Playing against Timo Boll is one of the hardest things in European table tennis. That I’ve finally managed to defeat him is a dream. Every set is important against Timo. He dominated in the beginning but then I got better into the match and won the set. After that I was in the match. You don’t want to play against Germans at the European championships at home but you have to approach it professionally. It is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage for any of us. If you play a German there are no secrets because we know each other so well and the preparations are perhaps not that intensive but of course you have to prepare yourself as for every match.” On upsetting the eight-time champion who won the tournament last year: “Nobody was expecting anything like that but of course I accept it. It feels amazing however I can’t really celebrate it fully because in just a few hours I have to play the semifinal and then of course I want to play my best table tennis another time. Otherwise it would’ve been a pity if I would’ve knocked Timo out of the tournament and then gotten kicked out of the semifinal so that is not my aim.At least I won’t have to play a German anymore so I can get a full support from the fans in the arena.” On what made him win: “In general my passive game was very good however we know each other so well that it is not a secret for Timo. That is why I wanted to start aggressively in the beginning. Because if Timo starts to get the upper hand in the rally it is hard to stop him.” Timo BOLL spoke on his defeat: “I’m still fine. If you lose that easily then you don’t mind it so much. Of course I argue a little bit with myself that I couldn’t find solutions but it was also up to Dang because he played fantastically in all parts of the game; service receive-wise and also in the open rallies. He was safe and powerful. I had to admit that I had no chance and I have to live with that. We practice against each other very often. Often in the practice sessions I could force him a little bit more if I also play at a higher level but this level I couldn’t reach somehow. Because of him because of me why I couldn’t play better I have to think about but overall I was not safe enough I did not have that quality in my strokes to force him a little bit and to make easier mistakes. I have to say it was a deserved victory for him.” On how he will continue his career: “I am a sports warrior and this is also a normal process that you get older and lose more often and you have to adjust to that and still try to keep going and keep your motivation. That’s a task now. “But I don’t have the feeling that it’s the problem for me. I have a clear mind and I know that if the younger guys play at a high level it will be hard for me. I still believe I can beat them on a perfect day but today wasn’t the perfect day for me. Maybe more for him.” On trying to turn the match around having come back from a 3-0 deficit in the round of 64: “I have just one joker per tournament and I played it in the first round. You cannot come back all the time. I tried but he was too good today.” Mattias FALCK accounted for Truls MOREGARDH (11:13 4;11 11:8 11:7 11:9 11:5). FALCK being down 2-1 9-2 in the fourth game but turning the match around to a 4-2 win. “I think that I played better and better in the match and in the third and fourth game I played really well. Then I came out to the fifth game where Truls was extremely aggressive; very tough on the half-long balls and hit some really nice balls. All of a sudden it just ran away but I felt that I just go ball by ball. He had a big lead and then he could miss some easy balls. All of a sudden it was 9-5 and then you have caught up then there is not that much separating you so you take one ball at the time ” explained FALCK. Asked on what goes through his mind when he finds the flow FALCK replied: “Not much is happening at all. That’s what the flow is about; you are here and now. It is all about the next ball and you don’t think about the score or anything else. You’re just focused on what you have to do.” MOREGARDH came as no. one seed and big favorite. “I’m super disappointed obviously. It’s a really tough defeat. I’ve got a grip of the match but after 2-0 3-0 he improves his play a huge amount. He serves better and receives better. When I get a little stressed I don’t have as good of a variation in my serves. It was tough. At he point when I was leading I still think I made good decisions. He gave me very good balls up to 9-7. Perhaps I should’ve taken a time out but I still think I made the completely right decision in most balls. I did it OK but it was good of him to turn it around.” Kristian KARLSSON overcame Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany in the quarter final (11:9 4:11 11:9 8:11 11;5 11:4). “He’s incredibly good at getting the game the way he wants and I think I manage it good enough to get to play my own balls too. That was important. We train so much together that

On tomorrow’s final of the Women’s Singles Event Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria will meet Nina MITTELHAM of Germany to determine the gold medal winner at the European Championships in Munich 2022. In the semi final Sofia POLCANOVA overcame Sabine WINTER of Germany (11:9 11:3 6:11 14:12 9:11 9:11 12:20). “It’s very emotional. I still can’t believe that I’m in the final after such a close game. At 3-1 4-0 I thought that I could be in the final and this was a big mistake because I got passive and thought that she would make mistake but she did not this was a mistake by me. I am just happy that I did not give up and that I continued to play how I can play. In the end there were just two points difference. Both deserved the win today but this is sport and today I was maybe more lucky.” On winning the deciding points in the last set as the sold-out Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle cheered for WINTER: “I was so focused I just talked to myself ‘come on be on the table be on the table be aggressive every time’. When I won the point I told myself ‘come on keep it going keep it going don’t be passive’ and I think this was the key. I did not even scream or do something I was so focused to not losing concentration to keep going and keep playing.” At the end of the match POLCANOVA was crying. “I thought about my father because my father passed away in 2015 and he was my coach. When I play big tournaments I always think about him and today he gave me strength in the game to continue playing.” On her friendship with WINTER: “It’s a very good relationship. It was a very nice match and even if I would’ve lost I would have been sad but we are very good friends she was bridesmaid at my wedding and she was also in Linz where I live a couple of times and I was in Düsseldorf where she lives and we understand each other very well.” Nina MITTELHAM overcame her compatriot SHAN Xiaona (11:3 5:11 11:3 11:6 13:11). “I’m really happy I couldn’t have imagined this before. I was dreaming about this but that it’s true is unbelievable ” said Nina who underlained how hard is to play against the teammate.” It’s always hard. Here then we don’t have any coach and you are really alone in the box. If it’s going well then it’s nice but if you don’t have the best start then a coach can help you a lot. I’m really happy that I managed to win but I would’ve preferred to play against some other players.” On the support from the crowds at the sold-out Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle: “The atmosphere here is amazing. There are so many spectators and they are all for the German. It’s really really nice and it’s a lot of fun to play in the hall.” On what was key for the win: “The first set was the key for me. I started unbelievably good and I had a good feeling a good self confidence. Then at the end I had the feeling I cannot lose. I’m so good I’m mentally good and I think that was the key now. “I had the game in my hand and I was bringing it home.” On playing Sofia POLCANOVA in Sunday’s gold medal match: “We have played before I have lost and won against her so I think it will be an open match. It will not be easy but it’s a final and finals are never easy. We are both in good shape we both won all our matches until now in the singles event and she’s a really great player. She has a high confidence she’s already won two medals here before. I hope that I can play my best and hopefully I can win.” On whether she before the tournament could have imagined that she would make it to the gold medal match: “Not really. Last year I lost in the first round and I was really chocked because before the tournament I was in a good shape. Now it’s the total opposite; before I wasn’t feeling so good the mixed doubles didn’t go as I hoped but now I’ve been fighting and match by match I’ve got better. I hope that tomorrow it will be even better than today. If I play my level and still lose it is OK.” On whether she is happy not to have to play another German opponent in the gold medal match getting the whole crowd on her side: “Yes. Then the atmosphere is much better there are more spectators who are cheering but I would also have liked to play against Sabine she played a great tournament and she also would’ve deserved to be in the final tomorrow.”

On tomorrow’s final of the Women’s Singles Event Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria will meet Nina MITTELHAM of Germany to determine the gold medal winner at the European Championships in Munich 2022. In the semi final Sofia POLCANOVA overcame Sabine WINTER of Germany (11:9 11:3 6:11 14:12 9:11 9:11 12:20). “It’s very emotional. I still can’t believe that I’m in the final after such a close game. At 3-1 4-0 I thought that I could be in the final and this was a big mistake because I got passive and thought that she would make mistake but she did not this was a mistake by me. I am just happy that I did not give up and that I continued to play how I can play. In the end there were just two points difference. Both deserved the win today but this is sport and today I was maybe more lucky.” On winning the deciding points in the last set as the sold-out Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle cheered for WINTER: “I was so focused I just talked to myself ‘come on be on the table be on the table be aggressive every time’. When I won the point I told myself ‘come on keep it going keep it going don’t be passive’ and I think this was the key. I did not even scream or do something I was so focused to not losing concentration to keep going and keep playing.” At the end of the match POLCANOVA was crying. “I thought about my father because my father passed away in 2015 and he was my coach. When I play big tournaments I always think about him and today he gave me strength in the game to continue playing.” On her friendship with WINTER: “It’s a very good relationship. It was a very nice match and even if I would’ve lost I would have been sad but we are very good friends she was bridesmaid at my wedding and she was also in Linz where I live a couple of times and I was in Düsseldorf where she lives and we understand each other very well.” Nina MITTELHAM overcame her compatriot SHAN Xiaona (11:3 5:11 11:3 11:6 13:11). “I’m really happy I couldn’t have imagined this before. I was dreaming about this but that it’s true is unbelievable ” said Nina who underlained how hard is to play against the teammate.” It’s always hard. Here then we don’t have any coach and you are really alone in the box. If it’s going well then it’s nice but if you don’t have the best start then a coach can help you a lot. I’m really happy that I managed to win but I would’ve preferred to play against some other players.” On the support from the crowds at the sold-out Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle: “The atmosphere here is amazing. There are so many spectators and they are all for the German. It’s really really nice and it’s a lot of fun to play in the hall.” On what was key for the win: “The first set was the key for me. I started unbelievably good and I had a good feeling a good self confidence. Then at the end I had the feeling I cannot lose. I’m so good I’m mentally good and I think that was the key now. “I had the game in my hand and I was bringing it home.” On playing Sofia POLCANOVA in Sunday’s gold medal match: “We have played before I have lost and won against her so I think it will be an open match. It will not be easy but it’s a final and finals are never easy. We are both in good shape we both won all our matches until now in the singles event and she’s a really great player. She has a high confidence she’s already won two medals here before. I hope that I can play my best and hopefully I can win.” On whether she before the tournament could have imagined that she would make it to the gold medal match: “Not really. Last year I lost in the first round and I was really chocked because before the tournament I was in a good shape. Now it’s the total opposite; before I wasn’t feeling so good the mixed doubles didn’t go as I hoped but now I’ve been fighting and match by match I’ve got better. I hope that tomorrow it will be even better than today. If I play my level and still lose it is OK.” On whether she is happy not to have to play another German opponent in the gold medal match getting the whole crowd on her side: “Yes. Then the atmosphere is much better there are more spectators who are cheering but I would also have liked to play against Sabine she played a great tournament and she also would’ve deserved to be in the final tomorrow.”

Four players in Women’s Singles Event at the European Championships in Munich already secured medals and three of them are from Germany. Who will go on higher step of the medal rostrum we will know after the tomorrow’s matches in the semi final. In the penultimate stage Sabine WINTER of Germany will meet Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria and in other semi final Nina MITTELHAM will meet SHAN Xiaona. In the quarter final Nina MITTELHAM overcame YUAN Jianan of France in breathtaking seven games thriller (13:11 5:11 5:11 11:7 8:11 11:9 11:6) “I still ca not believe it. Right now I am just really happy that I was able to win. We’d played once before it was also a really close match but I knew that if I try to play ball by ball I will get my chance. YUAN played really well and was not making any easy mistakes so I really had to go for every ball. At the end the spectators gave me the last energy to survive and now I am just really happy to get a medal. It’s my first singles medal and after the doubles and mixed doubles which was not going so well it’s really a nice feeling ” said Nina. Three Germans making it to the semifinals: “It is crazy. I think before nobody was thinking that three Germans would be in the semifinals even though we were seeded first second and fourth. To play the matches and go to the semifinals is so difficult there are so many good players in the draw and if you lose one match you’re out. I think that to win a medal at the Europeans is the most difficult medal you can get.” It has its disadvantages too. Nina will face SHAN in next round. “Before the tournament if somebody would say that we would play a semifinal I would directly sign it but in general I would like to play with someone else.I think we both deserve to be in the semifinal we know each other quite well and we play in the same club team in Berlin. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow but I think we both will go for it.” SHAN Xiaona also kept the spectators at the edge of their seats in full distance match against SHAO Jieni of Portugal (9:11 14:12 11:6 10:12 11:8 9:11 11:8). Day earlier Bernadette SZOCS of Romania and POLCANOVA clinched gold in the Doubles together today they faced each other to determine who will win the medal in the Singles After 6 games it was POLCANOVA who booked her place in the semi final (11:4 4:11 11:8 11:6 6:11 11:5). “Right now I’m just so tired. Yesterday we won gold together today we must play against each other the schedule is also crazy. If you play in all three events today we played at 14:15 and then at 18:20 there’s no time even for lunch. This is a very difficult tournament but I made it. I don’t think that I’ve yet realized that I’ve got a medal because tomorrow is a new day. I still can’t believe it so much because I’m really tired right now.” On playing Bernadette SZOCS less than 24 hours after they won the women’s doubles gold medal together: “It was a very difficult match for both of us. I don’t think that we played at our highest level today either of us we can play a lot better. It was just about concentration and mental preparation. I think that in some little things – small points to keep the concentration – I was a little bit better today and I had luck on my side.” On her semifinal opponent Sabine WINTER: “She is a very good friend of mine. She was made of honor at my wedding and we understand each other very well and look forward to a good match tomorrow.” Sabina WINTER overcame Giorgia PICCOLIN on her way to the medal rostrum (11:9 11:8 11:7 11:6). “After a bit of a disappointment at the start of this tournament in mixed doubles and doubles where it did not work out with a medal it’s great that I somehow still got a medal here in Munich in singles. This was like a dream for me it came true and I’m happy about it. I thought that my biggest chance was in the doubles.Then that didn’t work so of course the pressure got a bit bigger because I thought that these European championships in Munich where I grew up should be something special and I didn’t want to mess it up. I wanted to have it as a nice memory and now I will have Munich 2022 as a nice memory.” The match against PICCOLIN lasted only four games. “I prepared well we’ve already played a few times in the German Bundesliga I knew that I could win and if I played my game that I would win that it’s important that my head stays clear that I believe in myself and play my game. I managed this I coped well with the pressure and it’s great that I won it 4-0 and not as close as yesterday beating Irina Ciobanu 4-3 .” On playing her friend Sofia POLCANOVA in the semifinal: “She is a very very good player she has already had a lot of success playing a great tournament so far with a gold in doubles and a bronze in mixed doubles so she’s in good shape. But I believe that if I play very well I will maybe get my chance. I just do my best and then I see what comes out of it.” Due the back injury top seed in the Women’s Singles Event HAN Ying of Germany was forced to withdrew in the Round of 16. She already felt the pain yesterday. Sabine WINTER moved to the quarterfinal. German team MD Dr Thomas Garn stated: “Ying sustained a muscular injury on her back

Four players in Women’s Singles Event at the European Championships in Munich already secured medals and three of them are from Germany. Who will go on higher step of the medal rostrum we will know after the tomorrow’s matches in the semi final. In the penultimate stage Sabine WINTER of Germany will meet Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria and in other semi final Nina MITTELHAM will meet SHAN Xiaona. In the quarter final Nina MITTELHAM overcame YUAN Jianan of France in breathtaking seven games thriller (13:11 5:11 5:11 11:7 8:11 11:9 11:6) “I still ca not believe it. Right now I am just really happy that I was able to win. We’d played once before it was also a really close match but I knew that if I try to play ball by ball I will get my chance. YUAN played really well and was not making any easy mistakes so I really had to go for every ball. At the end the spectators gave me the last energy to survive and now I am just really happy to get a medal. It’s my first singles medal and after the doubles and mixed doubles which was not going so well it’s really a nice feeling ” said Nina. Three Germans making it to the semifinals: “It is crazy. I think before nobody was thinking that three Germans would be in the semifinals even though we were seeded first second and fourth. To play the matches and go to the semifinals is so difficult there are so many good players in the draw and if you lose one match you’re out. I think that to win a medal at the Europeans is the most difficult medal you can get.” It has its disadvantages too. Nina will face SHAN in next round. “Before the tournament if somebody would say that we would play a semifinal I would directly sign it but in general I would like to play with someone else.I think we both deserve to be in the semifinal we know each other quite well and we play in the same club team in Berlin. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow but I think we both will go for it.” SHAN Xiaona also kept the spectators at the edge of their seats in full distance match against SHAO Jieni of Portugal (9:11 14:12 11:6 10:12 11:8 9:11 11:8). Day earlier Bernadette SZOCS of Romania and POLCANOVA clinched gold in the Doubles together today they faced each other to determine who will win the medal in the Singles After 6 games it was POLCANOVA who booked her place in the semi final (11:4 4:11 11:8 11:6 6:11 11:5). “Right now I’m just so tired. Yesterday we won gold together today we must play against each other the schedule is also crazy. If you play in all three events today we played at 14:15 and then at 18:20 there’s no time even for lunch. This is a very difficult tournament but I made it. I don’t think that I’ve yet realized that I’ve got a medal because tomorrow is a new day. I still can’t believe it so much because I’m really tired right now.” On playing Bernadette SZOCS less than 24 hours after they won the women’s doubles gold medal together: “It was a very difficult match for both of us. I don’t think that we played at our highest level today either of us we can play a lot better. It was just about concentration and mental preparation. I think that in some little things – small points to keep the concentration – I was a little bit better today and I had luck on my side.” On her semifinal opponent Sabine WINTER: “She is a very good friend of mine. She was made of honor at my wedding and we understand each other very well and look forward to a good match tomorrow.” Sabina WINTER overcame Giorgia PICCOLIN on her way to the medal rostrum (11:9 11:8 11:7 11:6). “After a bit of a disappointment at the start of this tournament in mixed doubles and doubles where it did not work out with a medal it’s great that I somehow still got a medal here in Munich in singles. This was like a dream for me it came true and I’m happy about it. I thought that my biggest chance was in the doubles.Then that didn’t work so of course the pressure got a bit bigger because I thought that these European championships in Munich where I grew up should be something special and I didn’t want to mess it up. I wanted to have it as a nice memory and now I will have Munich 2022 as a nice memory.” The match against PICCOLIN lasted only four games. “I prepared well we’ve already played a few times in the German Bundesliga I knew that I could win and if I played my game that I would win that it’s important that my head stays clear that I believe in myself and play my game. I managed this I coped well with the pressure and it’s great that I won it 4-0 and not as close as yesterday beating Irina Ciobanu 4-3 .” On playing her friend Sofia POLCANOVA in the semifinal: “She is a very very good player she has already had a lot of success playing a great tournament so far with a gold in doubles and a bronze in mixed doubles so she’s in good shape. But I believe that if I play very well I will maybe get my chance. I just do my best and then I see what comes out of it.” Due the back injury top seed in the Women’s Singles Event HAN Ying of Germany was forced to withdrew in the Round of 16. She already felt the pain yesterday. Sabine WINTER moved to the quarterfinal. German team MD Dr Thomas Garn stated: “Ying sustained a muscular injury on her back

In the quarterfinal of the Men’s Singles Event at the European Championships in Munich tomorrow will play: Truls MOREGARDH vs. his teammate from Sweden Mattias FALCK Timo BOLL vs. another German player QIO Dang Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden vs. Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany and Tiago APOLONIA of Portugal vs. Darko JORGIC of Slovenia. In the match for the quarterfinal Tiago APOLONIA of Portugal beat Patrick FRANZISKA of Germany earlier than his seedings predicted (11:8 9:11 5:11 11:5 11:8 11:8). FRANZISKA got the opportunity to rejoin his newly extended family but nevertheless Tiago inflicted the pain in the hart of supporters. The crowd supporting FRANZISKA in the Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle did not affect Portugal’s player achievement. “I like it so much. I like so much to play with spectators in an almost full hall. It doesn’t matter if they are cheering for me or for my opponents. I started to play table tennis I practice and I give my life for this to play with so many spectators in such a nice hall. For me it is very nice to play that way. It doesn’t matter who they are supporting it is still very good. Much better than to play in an empty hall.” Speaking on beating Patrick FRANZISKA APOLONIA added: “He is probably in the best shape in his life. He has played very good in the last couple of years. He beat double Olympic champion) Ma Long in one of the last tournaments so he is obviously very confident right now. We know each other very well. We played together in Saarbrücken for two seasons..I am sad that he is out of the tournament because in my opinion he was one of the biggest favorites to win but of course I’m happy that I managed to win. He was a father two days ago and I already told him my congratulations for his kid I wish him the best of luck for his family.” On what made him win: “I don’t know. It’s really small details in table tennis. It’s very small details deciding each set. I changed my tactics a little bit because I lost against him the past five-six times. Every time I’ve tried to do something new and it didn’t work but today it worked and I’m happy.” No. two seed Darko JORGIC of Slovenia overcame Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia (11:5 13:11 8:11 11:9 11:7). “It was difficult to play against PUCAR; we know each other very well. It helped that I beat him in three previous occasions; he was very passive at the begining but from the second game the momentum changed. I had to fight really hard to block his attacks to fought and stop his service and first ball. The fourth game was crucial. We played at the edge since the 2:2 will be very dangerous for me ” said JORGIC. Early departure of FRANZISKA made his way little bit easier. “FRANZISKA was playing superbly this year but after the birth of his son the lack of training was visible in his game. Nevertheless APOLONIA is not the player I can underestimate. He is very experience and knows how to play big matches; on the other side this is my first quarterfinal at the European Championships. We played before against each other but in last two matches I won. It gives me little advantage ” said JORGIC. The all-Swedish duel between Mattias FALCK and Anton KALLBERG ended in favor of FALCK (9:11 11:7 11:8 14:12 11:6). Kristian KARLSSON beat Alexis LEBRUN OF France (15:13 16:14 7:11 11:13 11:7 11:6) On the risk of not being invited to any gatherings with the LEBRUN family after eliminating Félix in the round of 32 and Alexis LEBRUN in the round of 16 on Friday KARLSSON said: “I’m pretty well in touch with their coach so I’ll have to see if I can get in that way instead.” On what it is like to play the LEBRUN brothers: “They’ve got such a varied play that hardly exists. It’s probably only Truls Möregårdh in Europe who also has this kind of play. It’s incredibly varied they can come up with exactly anything. They can do a new serve at 9-9 in a deciding set. They’ve got that fearlessness and just go for it it’s pretty cool to see.” On what he did to win: “You figure out a way. They’re so young that perhaps a bit of experience plays a part today. I’ve been in European championship quarterfinals and rounds of 16 before and played in more tournaments. You could see that on them a little in the sense that it felt like I won most even sets.” On what he gains from having more experience: “You know how to keep your thoughts under control. I don’t know how they think obviously but I know how it was for me the first and second time. It’s not that easy. If you lead 10-6 as he did in one set you perhaps see the goal a little bit too soon. Small things like that I think play in.” On celebrating in front of the audience after the win getting loud cheers: “I have to thank everyone. It was a great response which was a lot of fun. Then there are a lot of Swedes here that’s for sure and they probably cheered the loudest. But it is a lot of fun that that many Germans appreciated the game.” Top seed Truls MOREGARDH of Sweden was satisfied with two wins over Joao GERALDO of Portugal and Jon PERSSON of Sweden. “I move myself well. I feel like I approach some balls poorly but it feels very good I manage to make up for it with nice forehands and good backhands because I move myself very well in the end. Normally when I’m a little nervous and a little tired in the legs and not ready then I move worse and everything else gets much worse.” He will meet Mattias FALCK in

In the quarterfinal of the Men’s Singles Event at the European Championships in Munich tomorrow will play: Truls MOREGARDH vs. his teammate from Sweden Mattias FALCK Timo BOLL vs. another German player QIO Dang Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden vs. Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany and Tiago APOLONIA of Portugal vs. Darko JORGIC of Slovenia. In the match for the quarterfinal Tiago APOLONIA of Portugal beat Patrick FRANZISKA of Germany earlier than his seedings predicted (11:8 9:11 5:11 11:5 11:8 11:8). FRANZISKA got the opportunity to rejoin his newly extended family but nevertheless Tiago inflicted the pain in the hart of supporters. The crowd supporting FRANZISKA in the Rudi-Sedlmayer-Halle did not affect Portugal’s player achievement. “I like it so much. I like so much to play with spectators in an almost full hall. It doesn’t matter if they are cheering for me or for my opponents. I started to play table tennis I practice and I give my life for this to play with so many spectators in such a nice hall. For me it is very nice to play that way. It doesn’t matter who they are supporting it is still very good. Much better than to play in an empty hall.” Speaking on beating Patrick FRANZISKA APOLONIA added: “He is probably in the best shape in his life. He has played very good in the last couple of years. He beat double Olympic champion) Ma Long in one of the last tournaments so he is obviously very confident right now. We know each other very well. We played together in Saarbrücken for two seasons..I am sad that he is out of the tournament because in my opinion he was one of the biggest favorites to win but of course I’m happy that I managed to win. He was a father two days ago and I already told him my congratulations for his kid I wish him the best of luck for his family.” On what made him win: “I don’t know. It’s really small details in table tennis. It’s very small details deciding each set. I changed my tactics a little bit because I lost against him the past five-six times. Every time I’ve tried to do something new and it didn’t work but today it worked and I’m happy.” No. two seed Darko JORGIC of Slovenia overcame Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia (11:5 13:11 8:11 11:9 11:7). “It was difficult to play against PUCAR; we know each other very well. It helped that I beat him in three previous occasions; he was very passive at the begining but from the second game the momentum changed. I had to fight really hard to block his attacks to fought and stop his service and first ball. The fourth game was crucial. We played at the edge since the 2:2 will be very dangerous for me ” said JORGIC. Early departure of FRANZISKA made his way little bit easier. “FRANZISKA was playing superbly this year but after the birth of his son the lack of training was visible in his game. Nevertheless APOLONIA is not the player I can underestimate. He is very experience and knows how to play big matches; on the other side this is my first quarterfinal at the European Championships. We played before against each other but in last two matches I won. It gives me little advantage ” said JORGIC. The all-Swedish duel between Mattias FALCK and Anton KALLBERG ended in favor of FALCK (9:11 11:7 11:8 14:12 11:6). Kristian KARLSSON beat Alexis LEBRUN OF France (15:13 16:14 7:11 11:13 11:7 11:6) On the risk of not being invited to any gatherings with the LEBRUN family after eliminating Félix in the round of 32 and Alexis LEBRUN in the round of 16 on Friday KARLSSON said: “I’m pretty well in touch with their coach so I’ll have to see if I can get in that way instead.” On what it is like to play the LEBRUN brothers: “They’ve got such a varied play that hardly exists. It’s probably only Truls Möregårdh in Europe who also has this kind of play. It’s incredibly varied they can come up with exactly anything. They can do a new serve at 9-9 in a deciding set. They’ve got that fearlessness and just go for it it’s pretty cool to see.” On what he did to win: “You figure out a way. They’re so young that perhaps a bit of experience plays a part today. I’ve been in European championship quarterfinals and rounds of 16 before and played in more tournaments. You could see that on them a little in the sense that it felt like I won most even sets.” On what he gains from having more experience: “You know how to keep your thoughts under control. I don’t know how they think obviously but I know how it was for me the first and second time. It’s not that easy. If you lead 10-6 as he did in one set you perhaps see the goal a little bit too soon. Small things like that I think play in.” On celebrating in front of the audience after the win getting loud cheers: “I have to thank everyone. It was a great response which was a lot of fun. Then there are a lot of Swedes here that’s for sure and they probably cheered the loudest. But it is a lot of fun that that many Germans appreciated the game.” Top seed Truls MOREGARDH of Sweden was satisfied with two wins over Joao GERALDO of Portugal and Jon PERSSON of Sweden. “I move myself well. I feel like I approach some balls poorly but it feels very good I manage to make up for it with nice forehands and good backhands because I move myself very well in the end. Normally when I’m a little nervous and a little tired in the legs and not ready then I move worse and everything else gets much worse.” He will meet Mattias FALCK in

Elizabeta SAMARA and Andreea DRAGOMAN beat top seeded pairings Sarah DE NUTTE and NI Xia Lian 4:1 (6:11 11:6 11:9 11:6). They did it on Andreea’s birthday so after the match spectators not only that had the opportunity to see very good game but also to hear Samara singing …and she did it very well. “I have no words to describe what I am feeling now. I never thought that I could make it to the final in doubles but thanks to ‘Eliza’ we made it and I hope we can do it in the final too ” said DRAGOMAN who added that she was surprised by the song after the match. Romania’s pairing had a slow start they lost the opening game. “Somehow we had a chance even if we lost the first set. Against NI Xia it is always difficult to find a solution but in the next game we could find a rhythm and the most difficult set was at 1-1 when they were leading 9-6 and then we changed something with the risk ” said SAMARA. Sofia POLCANOVA and Bernadette SZOCS reached thye final withourt losing the game. They overcame Maria XIAO of Spain and Adina DIACONU of Romania (11:2 11:7 11:6) “We are unstoppable. And we are very happy that we won as easy because we prepared very well for this match tactically but also mentally. And we didn’t give up one second. Also at 2-0 I told Sofia that ‘we have to concentrate and we will win like before’ because we also have a singles match and we will have the finals tonight and we don’t want to be so tired ” said SZOCS.   Without losing the game throughout the whole Women’s Doubles Event at the European Championships in Munich Bernadette SZOCS of Romania and Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria reached the highest step of the medal rostrum. In the final they overcame Romania’s pairings Elizabeta SAMARA and Andreea DRAGOMAN (18:16 11:6 11:9). Bronze medalists are: Sarah DE NUTTE and NI Xia Lian of Luxembourg and Maria XIAO of Spain and Adina DIACONU of Romania. Romania won gold silver and one bronze medal in the women’s doubles. This is the first time an Association is winning three doubles medals in one event in European Championships. SAMARA played in her fifth final and she has two titles already.POLCANOVA played in two whilst for Bernadette and Andreea is first. “I cannot believe that we are first but at the same time I can believe it because we are a really strong double. We have worked very hard we dreamed about this and we are very happy that our dream come true. We hope that from now on we will always be in the same place. Until today I was very sad about my mixed final because we lost it but today I said to Sofia that we have to win a gold one because I don’t want to think any more about this. The silver in mixed doubles means a lot but gold is gold and I’m very happy that my dreams come true because we worked very hard or these European championships and generally my life is 99 per cent table tennis I am a sports girl so I am very happy that hard work pays off. In the mixed doubles it’s also very good because until now we were in third place two times and now we were in second place so it is better. I’m hoping that next year it will be even better ” said SZOCS. They reached the gold in superb style and dominated the field. “We worked hard for this goal. Each match we went in with the goal to win here. Even though we didn’t tell this to each other we knew that we wanted gold and we prepared a lot. I also came to Bucharest to practise doubles with her. We are also very good friends outside of the table and understand each other very much. That is also a key to our success. My dream to win a gold medal finally has come true and this medal means a lot to me because I was injured for a long time and to have a comeback like that I’m very proud of myself and of ‘Berni’ of both of us ” added POLCANOVA.