On the third day of play at the WTT Champions European Summer Series 2022 (ESS 2022) Germany’s Patrick FRANZISKA take a giant step in his career. He beat table tennis G.O.A.T. double Olympic champion MA Long of China (11-7 7-11 11-6 4-11 12-10). In earth-shattering upset Patrick knock top seed to reach the quarterfinal of the Men’s Singles Event. Never before FRANZISKA managed to take a game from MA but today he beat him completely. The German adds Ma Long to his impressive list of scalps against Chinese opposition with FAN Zhendong XU Xin and LIN Gaoyuan “It’s definitely the biggest win of my career. Ma Long is probably the best player to ever play the sport and my whole body is shaking after beating him today. I can’t believe it!” said FRANZISKA.”I commenced the match by believing in myself. After I won the first game I felt that he was struggling a bit he didn’t seem to happy with his game. Against these amazing player you have to take every small chance you get. I just played with a lot of confidence risking a lot and playing with variation and in the end it worked.” In the Round of 16 Kazakhstan’s Kirill GERASSIMENKO’s outstanding run was halted by the hands of 7th seed Darko JORGIC in the closing match of the morning session (11-5 9-11 11-9 11-2). Darko will meet FRANZISKA in next round. “Darko JORGIC is my teammate and I was joking with him asking if he would rather play me or MA Long! We know each other very well it will be a very awkward game so I will try to prepare as much as possible.” For the other Europeans it was less successful day; China’s WANG Chuqin recorded a 3-0 win over Swede Kristian KARLSSON (12-10 11-6 11-6). Taipe’s CHUANG Chih-Yuan beat Alexis LEBRUN of France 3-2 (6-11 11-7 10-12 11-9 11-9) to reach the quarterfinals. Japan’s Tomokazu HARIMOTO beat Germany’s DANG Qiu 3-0 (11-8 11-4 11-4). Another Japan’s representative Yukiya UDA defeats Marcos FREITAS 3-1 (7-11 11-6 13-11 12-10) and moves on to the Men’s Singles quarterfinals. In the afternoon program LIN Gaoyuan brought the power and overcame Timo BOLL to claim his spot in the Quarterfinals (11-8 11-6 11-3). China’s CHEN Meng moves through to the quarterfinals of the Women’s Singles by defeating Margaryta PESOTSKA 3-1 (16-14 11-9 7-11 11-3). PESOTSKA put some pressure on the World No.2 and had multiple chances to take the advantage but the match ended in Chinese stars favor. Japan’s Mima ITO was dominated against Germany’s SHAN Xiaona and secured her place in the next round 3-0 (11-8 11-7 11-2). World champion Chinese fans as WANG beat Austria’s Sofia POLCANOVA (11-6 11-4 9-11 11-7). POLCANOVA refuses to go down without a fight saving three match points in game four but it’s ultimately not enough. Japan’s Miyuu KIHARA overcame Romania’s Bernadette SZOCS in a tight match in the Women’s Singles round of 16 (11-6 4-11 11-8 11-9).
Kristian KARLSSON beat WANG Chuqin in Budapest
The first round of WTT Champions European Summer Series 2022 (ESS 2022) gave table tennis fans much to cheer for with upsets class action and the next generation challenging the old guard. Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden claimed the upset of the WTT Champions ESS 2022 so far with a massive 3-2 win over WANG Chuqin of China who had just won the WTT Star Contender ESS 2022 title last week. KARLSSON said “It feels very good to defeat the WTT Star Contender champion. I’ve had a few close encounters with him and he has always won. It felt like if there was a match to beat him it was this one. He came from a tough tournament played many matches and eventually won it. It’s difficult to recharge and prepare and I took advantage of that.” Another Swede Truls MOREGARDH the other finalist of WTT Star Contender ESS 2022 was also defeated 3-2 in the first round despite having three match points against Marcos FREITAS of Portugal. Top seeds Sun Yingsha (CHN) Wang Manyu (CHN) Wang Yidi (CHN) Mima Ito (JPN) and Hina Hayata (JPN) all qualified for the round of 16. However World No.7 Ying Han (GER) lost to Miyuu Kihara (JPN) who recorded her career-best win. The youngsters are also making their presence felt in Budapest. France’s 18-year-old Alexis LEBRUN continues his incredible rise as he knocked out former World No.1 Dimitrij OVTCHAROV (GER) 3-2. The teenager didn’t back down as he pulled out an astonishing variety of serves that at times wholly bewildered the German. “It is like a dream; Dima is one of my idols ” LEBRUN said after the match.
Secure the best seats for European Championships Munich 2022
European Championships Munich 2022 are the biggest multi-sport event in Germany since the 1972 Olympic Games and it will bring life back into the stadiums and arenas. World-class competition nail-biting suspense and a unique atmosphere are awaiting you. Go ahead and secure the best seats. We cannot wait to welcome you in August 2022 – also to our free events and our festival “The Roofs”. Site for tickets
First-Ever WTT Champions Commenced Today in Budapest
World Table Tennis is launching its newest marquee event today as part of its WTT European Summer Series in Budapest. Taking place from 18 to 23 July at the BOK Hall and with USD$500 000 prize money on offer and 1000 ranking points for winners the WTT Champions event will see WTT deliver its premium tier of events for the first time within the WTT Series the official professional Table Tennis series of events. WTT Champions provide world-class competition for the Top 30 men and women stars from the ITTF World Table Tennis rankings and two wildcards with a maximum of four players per member association. They compete directly in a Main Draw knockout on just one table. Undoubtedly the headline name in the Men’s Singles draw China’s Ma Long tops the seeding list and is a man on a mission as he bids to lift a WTT trophy for the first time after being defeated in the semifinal of the WTT Star Contender ESS 2022 last week. He will again face an incredibly strong field of opponents with Wang Chuqin Hugo Calderano Truls Moregard Lin Yun-Ju Tomokazu Arimoto and Quadri Aruna all in the running for a shot at the inaugural WTT Champions title. In Women’s Singles it is hard to pick a favourite between Chen Meng Sun Yingsha Wang Manyu and Wang Yidi as the quatuor has been sensational over the past year. Along with them the entries in the Women’s Singles include an impressive list of stars including Mima Ito Ying Han Doo Hoi Kem Adriana Diaz Jeon Jihee and Bruna Takahashi who all impressed in recent WTT Series events. The complete player list and the draw are available here. The men’s and women’s competitions are held as combined WTT events during the European Summer Series offering fans double the excitement. Ma Long and Chen Meng the current world number one’s open the action. After first being introduced at Singapore Smash the Infinity Arena is making its return for the WTT Champions ESS 2022. An aerial view of the Arena shows the octagonal shape of the court abstractly recalling that of an infinity symbol (∞) with the intersection of the lines in the centre marking the location of the playing table. The revolutionary Arena signifies the limitless possibilities that await the sport of table tennis captivating the audience and elevating the game.
Annett KAUFMANN won the title in the Under 19 Girl’s Singles
After dominance last year in Under 15 Annett KAUFMANN this year continued to shine in Under 19 event. Germany’s player clinched the title at the Under 19 Girl’s Singles Event at the 2022 European Youth Championships in Belgrade. In the final she overcame Charlotte LUTZ of France (8:11 11:7 11:9 11:8 5:11 11:7). “I am so overwhelm with everything. It was so close. I could not lost a focus in any second. We fought hard for each point ” said Annett. Elena ZAHARIA of Romania and Wiktoria WROBEL of Poland reached the bronze medal. Top seed Elena ZAHARIA failed to progress to the final. In the semis Charlotte LUTZ halted her progress in five games (8:11 15:13 12:10 11:7 12:10). “I am for a first time in the final. Last year I lost in semis and I am happy I managed to go further this time. It did not start well for me. In two opening games I was constantly down but I managed to stay calm. It was similar to the quarterfinal match when I beat WIELGOS 11:9 in the seventh game. I proved I can stand the pressure ” said LUTZ. Wiktoria WROBEL suffered by the hands of Annett KAUFMANN (8:11 11:7 11:9 11:8 5:11 11:7). “I am so exhausted and excited. It has been a long week with lot of ups and downs. It was good that I managed to win the game after 1:1 because that set the course of my victory. It gave self confidence. This was my hardest match in the single since I am not very comfortable with her style of the play ” said KAUFMANN.
Eduard IONESCU at the top of the Europe
Romania’s Eduard IONESCU won the title in the Under 19 Boy’s Singles Event at the 2022 Dunav Osiguranje European Youth Championships in Belgrade. In the final he overcame Maciej KUBIK of Poland (6:11 9:11 11:6 10:12 5:11). Romania’s Darius MOVILEANU and Andrea PUPPO of Italy are third. “I am exercised. We played so many matches before and I know what kind of duel I can expect but mental I was strong ” said IONESCU. In all -Romanian clash in the semi final Eduard IONESCU overcame the favorite and his teammate Darius MOVILEANU (11:8 8:11 11:5 11:5 11:8). “It was never a secret that this match is going to be very hard for both of us. We train together we practice in the same club so there were no tactical details in other’s play that we are not aware of. It was all about the mental strength and it was good for me that I was in good shape mentally. Darius is so unpredictable and I had to be fully into the each and every point ” said IONESCU.”Most difficult moment for me in Belgrade was the match against RASSENFOSSE in the quarterfinals. Then I was very nervous but from that victory my game took off.” In the longest match of the semi final Maciej KUBIK overcame Andrea PUPPO (6:11 8:11 11:7 11:6 11:4 9:11 11:9). PUPPO had fantastic run by winning two epic matches as this one yesterday against DESCHAMPS and ISTRATE but this time could not pull out the victory. “I am terribly tired now but so happy to win. As you can see from the result I am a fierce fighter I never gave up. Now I hope I can recover for the final. In the match I was forced to adjust my game to slow it down. Physically this was the toughest match for me ” said KUBIK.
ETTU Acting President Pedro MOURA Meets with Serbian Sport Minister
During the European Youth Championships Minister of Youth and Sport in Serbian government Vanja UDOVICIC invited Acting ETTU President Pedro MOURA and ITTF President Petra SORLING to be his guests in Government house. “We are delighted to have been received by Serbian Sports Minister Mr. UDOVICIC. This gave us the chance to discuss the success of this European Youth Championships organization to encourage Serbia TTA to bid to host other future ETTU events and also to share the concerns about the challenges Serbian TTA is actually facing. ETTU feels honored ITTF president Mrs. Petra Sorling also joined this visit showing Serbian TTA a well deserved recognition for their work ” stated ETTU Acting President MOURA. Notably Serbia is no stranger to hosting international tournaments Novi Sad being a favorite home. Located on the banks of the Danube the city staged the European Championships in 1974 the European Youth Championships in both 1988 and 2003. Meanwhile Belgrade was the home for the European Championships in 2007 in addition holding ITTF World Tour tournaments in 1996 1998 1997 2006. “I hope the guests will leave Belgrade happy and satisfied. Moreover I hope this is just a begining of our longterm cooperation ” added KARAKASEVIC.
Lilou MASSART took the title by the storm
Belgium’s Lilou MASSART is the surprise winer of the title at the Under 15 Girl’s Singles Event at the 2022 Dunav Osiguranje European Youth Championships. On her way to the top place at the medal rostrum she overcame top seed Bianca MEI ROSU Nina GUO ZHENG Josephina NEUMANN and in the final she beat no. two seed Natalia BOGDANOWICZ of Poland (11:6 11:7 12:14 7:11 11:4 4:11 11:7). Josephina NEUMANN of Germany and Veronika POLAKOVA of Czech Republic are third. Lilou is first ever winner in girls singles for Belgium at the EYC. Belgium had the winner in boy’s singles in 1984 and it was Jean Michele SAIVE. “I did not expect I could win the title here. I am so surprised. It was tough journey in the Belgrade but the final itself was most difficult ” stated Lilou. At the beginning of the ultimate day in the semis Lilou MASSART continued to dominate. She needed only four games to overcame Josephina NEUMANN (11:8 11:8 11:6 11:4). “It was important to commence the match good to put it under control from the early stage. After I did it it was easier ” said MASSART. Natalia BOGDANOWICZ had surprise free semi final. She overcame Veronika POLAKOVA in straight games (11:7 11:6 13:11 11:2). “It as not that easy as the results predicts. We already met in the Team’s event and the outcome was the same so for sure I was ready for this one ” said BOGDANOWICZ.
Another title for Flavien COTON in Singles
French player Flavien COTON added another gold to his record. In the final of the Under 15 Boy’s Singles Event 2022 Dunav Osiguranje European Youth Championships he overcame Samuel ARPAS of Slovakia (10:12 6:11 16:14 6:11 11:2 11:5 11:5). Lei BALASZ of Hungary and Julian RZIHAUSCHEK of Austria finished third. “It was 3:1 for Samuel but I stopped to play in the backhand and I started to play more aggressive. This mach was so close and very stressful ” said COTON. In the penultimate stage Flavien COTON overcame Lei BALASZ in five games (12:10 11:9 10:12 11:8 11:7). “In the team’s event we had much closer encounter. I beat him 3:2 but I remembered how difficult it was. How worthy adversary he is Lei proved gain. I was 2:0 up and 10:5 but he recovered. Then again at 2:1 and 10:4 he came back. I had to stay 100 percent in the game throughout whole match ” said COTON. Samuel ARPAS beat Julian RZIHAUSCHEK in other match of the semis (8:11 12:10 11:7 9:11 11:8 l 11:9). “I was thinking the match will be a little bit easier but it proved as very close one. I had to play at my best. In the opening game I was to passive and Julian took full advantage of that. After that I played more aggressive ” said ARPAS.
Romania’s IONESCU and MOVILEANU secured gold in Under 19 Boy’s Doubles
In the ultimate stage in the Under 19 Boy’s Doubles event Eduard IONESCU and Darius MOVILEANU of Romania beat Hugo DESCHAMPS and Thibault PORET to secure gold medal (12:0 13:11 12:10). Belgium’s Louis LAFFINEUR and Adrien RASSENFOSSE and French pairings Adrien COTON and Alexis KOURAICHI won bronze. “IONESCU and I proved how strong we are. We prepared a lot for this. We had very tough players on the other side of the net. DESCHAMPS and PORET eliminated very good doubles on their way to the final. It was very close match because we were in reverse in each game today but we managed to win eventually ” said Darius. In the semis Hugo DESCHAMPS and Thibault PORET overcame Louis LAFFINEUR and Adrien RASSENFOSSE (7:11 11:6 9:11 13:11 11:9). “It was 2:2 and 9:9 and from that moment we rose our game and took the control of the match. We tried to be in control and to play aggressive. So far all the matches at the Event we won 3:0 this was first occasion that we lost two games so I can tell this was the hardest match for us ” said Thibault PORET. Top seeds Eduard IONESCU and Darius MOVILEANU overcame Adrien COTON and Alexis KOURAICHI (11:8 11:5 11:9). It was their sixth match in the row that ended in straight games. “French pairings are very powerful but we very focused today. We managed to keep our focus and to be very precise ” said MOVILEANU.
