The table tennis players of STC SKST Bratislava defended the title of the Slovak Women’s Extraleague Champions again. The final tournament of the 2021/2022 season of the top Slovak league was played in the SKST Arena on Stara Vajnorska street in Bratislava. The team managed by coach Lucia COLOVICKOVA first eliminated KST Drive Trencianske Jatrabie with a solid victory 5:0 in the Semifinals thus a tie in the final round would have been sufficient for them to win the entire Championship. This was exactly what happened in the encounter with SKST Topolcany which ended up in a tie 5:5 and then celebrations of their third consecutive title could have started. The players of STC SKST took advantage of the home soil and the rule related to the Extraleague’s final rounds according to which in case of a tie a better-placed team after the regular part of the season wins the match. Since the players from Bratislava won the regular season by 2 points ahead of players from Topolcany a tie in the gold medal match was enough to secure the triumph. A tie has been secured under dramatic circumstances indeed when at the overall score 4:5 Jana TEREZKOVA turned the last match against Renata LACENOVA to her favor (she was down 0:2 in games and 3:8 in the third game). TEREZKOVA won 3:2 in a very tight match and she gained the decisive fifth point for her team. The other three points were scored by Dominika WILTSCHKOVA one point was added by Eliska STULLEROVA. The winning team consisted by Monika URIKOVA Nina DAROVCOVA and Noemi NEMETHOVA. The 2021/2022 Extraleague Champion STC SKST Bratislava won fourteen out of sixteen matches throughout the whole season. The only tie and defeat they experienced was just with the silver medalist SKST Topolcany. The bronze medal goes to MSK Malacky first they lost to Topolcany (0:5) in the Semifinals but then they won against KST Drive Trencianske Jastrabie 5:0 in the 3rd place match and confirmed their position after the regular season. The results of Saturday’s final rounds for 1st-4th places in the 2021/2022 Women’s Extraleague in SKST Arena in Bratislava (one match per round system): SEMIFINALS STC ŠKST Bratislava – KST Drive Trenčianske Jastrabie 5:0 ŠKST Topoľčany – MSK Malacky 5:0 THIRD PLACE MATCH MSK Malacky – KST Drive Trenčianske 5:0 Pavlína Rajtoková Natália Kosová – Daniela Gurínová Terézia Mikulová 3:0 (4 7 7) Henrieta Horníková – Martina Igazová 3:1 (4 3 -11 6) Natália Kosová – Lucia Zajačková 3:0 (2 8 9) Pavlína Rajtoková – Daniela Gurínová 3:0 (4 6 3) Natália Kosová – Martina Igazová 3:0 (2 5 4) FINALS STC ŠKST Bratislava – ŠKST Topoľčany 5:5 Dominika Wiltschková Eliška Štullerová – Renáta Lacenová Adriána Illášová 2:3 (-7 11 10 -4 -7) Monika Uríková – Ema Činčurová 2:3 (5 -8 9 -4 -4) Dominika Wiltschková – Renáta Lacenová 3:0 (9 8 1) Eliška Štullerová – Adriána Illášová 1:3 (-9 -8 8 -5) Dominika Wiltschková – Ema Činčurová 3:1 (7 -8 8 9) Monika Uríková – Adriána Illášová 1:3 (-5 -8 7 -8) Eliška Štullerová – Renáta Lacenová 3:1 (6 -7 9 10) Dominika Wiltschková – Adriána Illášová 3:2 (-6 7 8 -7 8) Eliška Štullerová – Ema Činčurová 1:3 (-7 9 -7 -8) Jana Terezková – Renáta Lacenová 3:2 (-9 -11 9 10 6)
Borussia Düsseldorf and 1. FC Saarbrücken TT in the play-off final of the Bundesliga
Borussia Düsseldorf and 1. FC Saarbrücken TT won their second play-off duel in the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) and thus the best-of-3 semi-final series. The two teams now will be fighting for the German championship in the Liebherr TTBL finals in the Ballsporthalle in Frankfurt on June 11th. Düsseldorf prevailed 3-0 against TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell while Saarbrücken at the same time scored 3-0 at Post SV Mühlhausen. In the previous week both teams had already won the first leg. For FCS it is the fourth entry in the Liebherr TTBL final in a row Borussia is in the final for the second time in a row. Last year Düsseldorf had asserted itself with 3:1. “We are happy to be in the final again. I’m very proud of the whole team. Now we’re stepping on the gas and will try to make the little sensation perfect against Düsseldorf ” said Saarbrücken’s Patrick FRANZISKA after they had made it into the final. “It’s always very difficult to play in Mühlhausen. But I think we deserved to win in the end.” Düsseldorf’s Dang QIU explained: “Both games against Fulda were hard-fought. The fact that we still won last week was a huge thing and important for our starting position today. But today we started from scratch again so we wanted to step on the gas right from the start and not fall behind again. Luckily we managed to do that. We’re going to take a few days off now and then put our full focus on the finale.” In the previous week Düsseldorf had struggled against Fulda and fought a 3-2 lead after being 2-0 down. The second duel on the other hand was relatively unambiguous thanks in particular to Anton KÄLLBERG’S success in the opening round who once again prevailed against Alexandre CASSIN. With the French in second place the guests had hoped for a break but KÄLLBERG won 3-1 (11-6 6-11 12-10 11-6). The sticking point was the third set: CASSIN initially led and secured a set ball 10:9 but KÄLLBERG defended it took the 12:10 and then had everything under control in the fourth set. Then Timo BOLL extended the lead to 2:0. The 41-year-old who lost 2-3 to Fan Bo MENG last week was in much better shape against Quadri ARUNA and won 3-1 (11-6 7-11 11-6 11-1). 9). Dang QIU finally got the third point winning three hard-fought sets against Meng and using his first match point to make it 3-0 (11-9 12-10 11-9). Saarbrücken also won 3-0 in Mühlhausen repeating the success of the previous week. Here too the first duel was the key: to loud cheers from the crowd in the sold-out Postsporthalle Ovidiu IONESCU took a 2-0 lead against Darko JORGIC and made his team dream of taking the lead. JORGIC however kept his nerve initially lost five set balls in the third set but then used the sixth to make it 1: 2 – and had everything under control in the following sets. In the end the Saarbrücken player won 3: 2 (9:11 8:11 13:11 11:4 11:6) and thus got the break for the guests. Patrick FRANZISKA then increased it with his 3:0 (11:8 11:6 11:8) against Irvin BERTRAND so that only one win separated FCS from entering the Liebherr TTBL final. And Tomas POLANSKY got it after the break: The 23-year-old Czech stopped Daniel HABESOHN’S comeback attempt in the fifth set with a time-out and a few rallies later secured two match points which he scored 3: 2 (9:11 11:9 11:8 3:11 11:9) and thus led to Saarbrücken’s 3-0 success. FC Saarbrücken TT – Post SV Mühlhausen 3:0 Patrick Franziska – Daniel Habesohn 3: 0 (11: 6 11: 5 11: 6) Darko Jorgic – Ovidiu Ionescu 3:1 (11:6 6:11 12:10 17:15) Tomas Polansky-Irvin Bertrand 3-1 (7-11 11-7 11-9 11-9) Borussia Düsseldorf – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 3:0 Anton Källberg – Alexandre Cassin 3:1 (11:6 6:11 12:10 11:6) Timo Boll – Quadri Aruna 3:1 (11:6 7:11 11:6 11:9) Dang Qiu – Fan Bo Meng 3:0 (11:9 12:10 11:9) Post SV Mühlhausen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 0:3 Ovidiu Ionescu – Darko Jorgic 2:3 (11:9 11:8 11:13 4:11 6:11) Irvin Bertrand – Patrick Franziska 0:3 (8:11 6:11 8:11) Daniel Habesohn – Tomas Polansky 2:3 (11:9 9:11 8:11 11:3 9:11) Borussia Düsseldorf – TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell 3:0 Anton Källberg – Alexandre Cassin 3:1 (11:6 6:11 12:10 11:6) Timo Boll – Quadri Aruna 3:1 (11:6 7:11 11:6 11:9) Dang Qiu – Fan Bo Meng 3:0 (11:9 12:10 11:9) Post SV Mühlhausen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 0:3 Ovidiu Ionescu – Darko Jorgic 2:3 (11:9 11:8 11:13 4:11 6:11) Irvin Bertrand – Patrick Franziska 0:3 (8:11 6:11 8:11) Daniel Habesohn – Tomas Polansky 2:3 (11:9 9:11 8:11 11:3 9:11) News on www.ttbl.de www.facebook.com/ttbuli www.instagram.com/ttbuli www.youtube.com/user/TischtennisBL
ETTU statement on Board of Appeal decision
The ETTU Executive Board has submitted new information to the Board of Appeal (BoA) and requested a revision of the BoA’s judgement on the appeal of the Table Tennis Federation of Russia Fakel Gazprom Orenburg and TTSC UMMC regarding the Table Tennis Champions League season 2021-2022. The BoA is currently reviewing the ETTU’s request and no further comment will be provided until the BoA has come to its decision. The ETTU reiterates its commitment to protecting the safety of its athletes and all stakeholders and ensuring the integrity of its competitions.
Hana ARAPOVIC and Tomislav PUCAR clinched titles in Croatia
Still junior Hana ARAPOVIC clinched all three titles at the senior National Championships in Croatia. Top prize in Men’s Singles went to Tomislav PUCAR. At Sveti Martin at Mura 17-years old Hana won gold in singles doubles and mixed doubles. In quarterfinal ARAPOVIC overcame last year’s champion Mateja JEGER in the final. “I did not think I could win all three titles especially not the singles. The competition was very strong ” said Hana. The breaking point was when Hana managed to recover from 0:1 in reverse and won the point after 9:9. Her father and coach Darko called for time out in right moment. First time after 2010 there are no Andrej GACINA nor Frane KOJIC at the top of the medal rostrum. Andrej won 10 titles in last 12 years but this time it was PUCAR who succeeded to the highest step of the medal rostrum. It was PUCAR’s six final in career and first title.
Who will show his lion’s claws for the first time in the town on the banks of river Rába
This year between 21-26 June Győr will host the fifth Youth Table Tennis World Festival. The tournament is a Hungarian initiative the first four editions were also held in Hungary. The deadline for the final entry is 20 May 2022. The first youth world festival for table tennis took place in 1989 in the Budapest Sportcsarnok as well as the second edition in 1990. After a ten-year break the third world festival was held in Tiszaújváros and in 2002 the latest edition the fourth tournament was launched there also. After two decades the event comes to life again which from the very beginning was characterized by a friendly almost familiar atmosphere which could have been best experienced in Hungary at the János MOLNÁR Memorial Competition which was also linked to Iván HERENDI. One of the main goals of the Youth World Festival has always been to bring young people from all over the world closer together to get to know each other and each other’s cultures better. The various leisure programmes help children to have a getaway from the rather monotonous everyday life as a top athlete – even at this age – and finally yet importantly they can have an insight into other table tennis cultures. “Every country has a unique table tennis playing style. In today’s globalized world it cannot be seen so clearly anymore but it is basic for example that Russian players have good backhands or we know about the Japanese players that they do not work with such big spins but they hit the ball a thousand times over the net and are very agile. The Germans on the other hand work with distinctly large spins. We got a little taste of what the Indian style is like or what the Chinese soft rubber is like on these occasions” recalled János JAKAB the competiton of 2000 where he won a gold medal in the team competition together with Dániel ZWICKL and Krisztián MOLNÁR defeating the Chinese team. The world festival also provides an opportunity for those young Hungarians to compete in a large international tournament. And from abroad later world classics such as Vladimir SAMSONOV the Belarusian legend and the Chinese Olympic and world champion ZHANG Jike have also participated in this tournament. Every day on different parts of the city there will be some kind of leisure programme or diverse entertainment opportunities where the participants can release a bit of steam between their matches. One of the hits in the fan zone will certainly be the so-called FastPong Training System. It is a development tool invented in South Korea that encourages players to play faster and more precisely. FastPong will also be available for the public. In terms of its facilities Győr will be a perfect venue for the Fifth World Festival especially that the entire sports life of the city and the Hungarian Olympic Committee are also supporting the initiative. “It is our job it is our duty moreover it is an Olympic sport in which we have been very successful in the past. The entire Olympic movement relies on the associations and federations so our partners are very important in this process” said Zsolt GYULAY President of the Hungarian Olympic Committee. The city on the banks of river Rába also has significant experience in organizing competitions of this scale. “Győr is an experienced competition organizer as it also hosted the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2017 with the participation of thousands of athletes and sports managers” said Ákos RADNÓTI Deputy Mayor of Győr. The Table Tennis World Festival will be held at the Olympic Sports Park one of the most modern multifunctional sports complexes in Central Europe. At the 2022 World Festival the very young can also participate the clashes will go down in five age groups from U11 to U19. In all five age groups in addition to the national team players representatives of regional teams or clubs may also take part in the competition. Based on the sum of the overall points in the competition the table tennis federations of the three most successful countries will receive a total cash prize of $ 10 000. In addition to the glory and the cash prize the youngsters will also fight for world ranking points in their respective age category which can give them a special motivation and further enhance the prestige and significance of the festival. Those who are among the most important stakeholders in the youth category of this sport in the world will all be present in Győr at the competition. So the old slogan remains: be there or be square! The deadline for the final entry is 20 May 2022. You can register your team via this link or via the following email: worldfestival2022@gmail.com As part of the Youth World Festival players will have the opportunity to attend an optional preparatory training camp on 21 June while an international coaching seminar for professionals will also take place. The competition itself will start on Wednesday 22 June with the group matches in the singles competitions and the first round of doubles and team competitions. On the closing day – 26 June – after the medal ceremonies the festival will end with a raffle and a farewell party. For more information please visit the event website. You can also download the Prospectus from ITTF events section.
Vydrany Champions Again in Slovakia
The Championships title in Slovakia goes to SK Vydrany. On Friday night the favorites defended their title and benefited from the home venue. They confirmed its dominance by winning 5:0 over TJ STO Nizna in the second match of the final playoff round played by best of three matches system. The championships match ball was secured already on Tuesday by beating the team coming from Orava the northernmost region of Slovakia in the opening match. Vydrany defeated Nizna by 5:2. With the support of the local crowd they have left nothing to chance and took the first opportunity to seal the victory. In both team matches Peter SEREDA and Samuel NOVOTA have won both of their individual matches and Zoltan LELKES has added one point in both. For the team from Nizna Adam BRAT and Dalibor DIKO have won one match each time. For SK Vydrany it has been the eighth consecutive Extraleague Finals only in 2018 the team managed by Dr. Jozef KMET has been left with the silver medal and had to accept the position of vice-champions. However in the other seven participations in the Finals the team from a village near Dunajska Streda has successfully clinched gold. Despite the defeat in the finals it has been the greatest success in the history for the club TJ STO Nizna after the last year’s bronze. The match for the third place in the Extraleague has been played only in two encounters overall as well which ended up with the victory of TJ Geolog Roznava. They won against TJ Gasto Galanta away match 5:1 and at home 5:0. Roznava has succeeded to get a medal position for the third time in a row. Last year they have played in the Finals too but ended up as Vice-Champions and in 2020 they have won the bronze medal. 2021/2022 Men’s Extraleague (best of three matches system) Finals: First match: TJ STO Nižná – SK Vydrany 2:5 Tibor Bednár – Zoltán Lelkeš 1:3 (-4 -8 5 -6) Dalibor Diko – Peter Šereda 1:3 (8 -9 -7 -5) Adam Brat – Samuel Novota 3:1 (-9 8 3 8) Diko – Lelkeš 3:2 (-6 7 10 -7 8) Bednár – Novota 0:3 (-9 -7 -11) Brat – Šereda 2:3 (8 -5 -7 10 -6) Diko – Novota 0:3 (-8 -7 -10) Second match: SK Vydrany – TJ STO Nižná 5:0 konečný výsledok série 2:0 Vydrany sa stali majstrom SR Šereda – Diko 3:0 (2 9 9) Novota – Peter Turček 3:0 (8 10 10) Lelkeš – Brat 3:1 (3 9 -11 3) Novota – Diko 3:0 (3 8 5) Šereda – Brat 3:2 (-2 7 -8 10 5) 3rd place match: First match: TJ Gasto Galanta – TJ Geológ Rožňava 1:5 Bálint Biró – Igor Zavadskij 0:3 (-6 -4 -6) Dávid Wiltschka – Jakub Takáč 3:1 (-5 7 9 6) Branislav Kalužný – Ingemar Péter 0:3 (-9 -10 -4) Wiltschka – Zavadskij 2:3 (12 -8 5 -1 -7) Biró – Péter 0:3 (-2 -10 -3) Kalužný – Takáč 1:3 (8 -8 -9 -4) Second match: TJ Geológ Rožňava – TJ Gasto Galanta 5:0 konečný výsledok série 2:0 Rožňava získala bronz Takáč – Kalužný 3:0 (5 2 7) Péter – Biró 3:0 (9 3 7) Zavadskij – Wiltschka 3:1 (-9 5 9 6) Péter – Kalužný 3:1 (5 6 -10 8) Takáč – Samuel Martinka 3:0 (2 7 5)
Novi Sad and Radnicki Beocin clinched the titles in Serbia
Serbian Super league came to the conclusion. Without any upsets Novi Sad and Radnicki Beocin clinched the titles in their respective Women’s and Men’s Leagues. For Novi Sad the club which will play in the Europe Champions League this year again it is fifth title in the row seventh overall in last nine seasons. Tijana JOKIC Aneta MAKSUTI Reka BEZEG Radmila TOMINJAK Andjelija RATIC Anamarija ERDELJI and Sara RADAK were on duty this year. The club is unbeaten for more than 900 days in National championships in 53 matches. They also played twice in the semi final of the European Cup. For Radnicki BEOCIN led by Aleksandar KARAKASEVIC and with Zolt PETE Lubomir PISTEJ Bojan CREPULJA and Petjo KRASTEV it is also moment of history. Not only that they clinched the title but they stayed unbeaten in all 21 rounds in 2021/2022 season.
Ormesby celebrated the 50th anniversary of winning the European Club Cup with the title in the British League
Ormesby dropped just two sets on their way to a 7-0 victory against Ormeau and the Senior British League Premier Division title. The victory also came on the day they celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of Ormesby’s men’s team winning the European Club Cup Championship. The trio of Ryan JENKINS Sam MABEY and Joshua WETHERBY were too good for the Northern Irish side as they continued their unbeaten run this season. MABEY and JENKINS have been monumental in their efforts throughout the year and it was no different on Saturday. JENKINS opened the tie with a comfortable 3-0 win over debutant Zak EARLEY. Mabey was taken to four by Matt WARE but came through 12-10 8-11 11-9 11-4. In the pairs JENKINS and MABEY teamed up to face WARE and EARLEY with Ormeau looking to get a foothold in the tie. They simply weren’t given the opportunity as the Middlesborough duo won in three. Josh WETHERBY followed suit as he won his first game of the day against Thomas EARLEY. JENKINS then returned and although pushed beat WARE 3-0. With victory and the championship decided WETHERBY beat Earley MABEY rounded off the tie with a win against Thomas EARLEY. It was a tough tie for Ormeau but the young players did not lack fight as they showed great promise for the future. For Ormesby who have been title contenders from the very first round this was a fitting way to win the league they have dominated. 200 miles south of the title decider BATTS beat Fusion in the lower tier of the Premier Division to move two points clear of Urban at the bottom of the table. Josh BENNET was named player of the match as the home side dropped just one game on their way to victory. Ralph PATTISON was also unbeaten with Jack BENNET picking up a singles victory. Whilst 6-1 may seem convincing Fusion had opportunities throughout the tie. Five of the seven games were won by BATTS players 3-1 showing that the Fusion three of Joshua DYE Joshua BRUCE and Jama DENNISON were not far off a much closer score line. BATTS are back in action on 21st May as they travel to Urban TTC for a crunch match at the bottom of the league. League champions Ormesby will also be in action as they face North Ayrshire in Scotland. Link to the presentation https://fb.watch/cUubqP1lbH/ Results: Ormesby bt Ormeau 7-0 Ryan Jenkins bt Zak Earley 3-0 (11-7 11-9 11-7) Sam Mabey bt Matthew Ware 3-1 (12-10 8-11 11-9 11-4) Ryan Jenkins/Sam Mabey bt Matthew Ware/Zak Earley 3-0 (11-6 11-1 11-8) Joshua Wetherby bt Thomas Earley 3-0 (11-8 11-9 11-4) Ryan Jenkins bt Matthew Ware 3-0 (11-4 13-11 11-7) Joshua Wetherby bt Zak Earley 3-1 (9-11 11-7 11-8 11-6) Sam Mabey bt Thomas Earley 3-0 (11-7 13-11 11-8) BATTS bt Fusion 6-1 Joshua Bennett bt Joshua Dye 3-0 (11-8 11-8 11-7) Joshua Bruce bt Jack Bennett 3-1 (5-11 11-9 11-9 11-6) Joshua Bennett/Jack Bennett bt Joshua Bruce/Joshua Dye 3-0 (11-5 11-8 11-7) Ralph Pattison bt Jamal Dennison 3-1 (7-11 13-11 11-9 11-5) Joshua Bennett bt Joshua Bruce 3-1 (10-12 11-9 11-6 11-9) Ralph Pattison bt Joshua Dye 3-1 (11-3 9-11 11-2 11-5) Jack Bennett bt Jamal Dennison 3-1 (9-11 11-1 11-5 11-9)
The Gender Equality Committee meeting
The Gender Equality Committee met yesterday to progress their planning and prepare some recommendations and propositions for the ETTU Congress in August. Gender equality is a key topic on the agenda of many sporting organisations and despite women and girls representing half of the world’s population gender inequality still persists. It creates barriers to social and economic progress and leaves women underrepresented in key leadership and decision-making roles. The GE Committee was established in September 2020 and has picked up some momentum in its recent meetings to scope the priorities for work and provide leadership in this important area. The Gender Equality Committee aim to: Provide a voice for all- Athletes Officials Umpires Coaches Directors Create more opportunities for women to become leaders in sport Encourage more women and girls to play table tennis Champion female role models to inspire the next generation on and off the field of play Ensure equal investment and prize money Ensure our sport is addressing and eliminating bias and discrimination at every level Its members have been actively researching best practice from across the world from the International Olympic Committee Gender Equality themes to how other international sport federations drive cultural change and improve representation. The Gender Equality Committee has also been looking at data and feedback from other ETTU committees and National Associations to create a plan of action for the sport. The recent ETTU request to National Associations to submit their numbers of registered players coaches employees board members and umpires will provide important information to help identify any gender bias and where improvements are needed the most. Moving towards the ETTU Congress in August the Chair of the Gender Equality Committee Innes LOURO will present an overview of the committee and some propositions that would help further this work. She would also welcome meeting other ETTU committee chairs to ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed through all of the ETTU’s delivery and that everyone is working together to drive a positive change.
PT-Helsinki crowned Finnish League champion
PT-Helsinki is the Finnish League champion in the season 2021-22. They beat PT Espoo 4-3 in the final. The title was decided in the seventh match – doubles which went clearly 3-0 to PT-Helsinki. “PT-Helsinki won the regular season and afther withdrawal of Kosken Kaiku club went straight to the final. In the semi-final PT Espoo won PT 75 from Tampere 4-1. So the “Pongfinity-duo” Miikka O´CONNOR – Otto TENNILÄ alongside Patrik RISSANEN earned bronze medals.The best player of the final tournament was PT-Helsinki’s Lithuanian Valdas MARTINKUS who won all his three matches ” stated in his report Finnish Table Tennis Association Communications Coordinator Heikki KIISKINEN. The last team of the regular season PT Tapiola relegated to Division 1 for next season replaced by Wega from Helsinki. Through the qualifiers TIP-70 from Vantaa and OPT-86 from Oulu retained their place on the Finnish top level. Finnish League 2021-22 medallists PT-Helsinki (at the picture from the left: Valdas MARTINKUS Stanislav STROGOV Aleksander STETSENKO and Alexandr LUSHIN Arturs REINHOLDS) PT Espoo (Arttu PIHKALA Aleksi RÄSÄNEN Mika RÄSÄNEN) PT 75 (Miikka O´CONNOR Otto TENNILÄ Patrik RISSANEN)
