At the end of the opening day of the play at the Under 19 Girl’s event at the the GAZPROM 2021 European Youth Championship Poland emerged successfully at the top of their Group. Seeded only at the position no. 4 in Group D they prevailed against top seeds Germany and beat Hungary to reach the top. Poland lost only the opening match against Italy but then Ilona SZTWIERTNIA Zuzanna WIELGOS and Anna BRZYSKA beat Hungary and Poland. “We had a very difficult matches in which we won and I think it is well deserved win. As a team we all made a great contribution and that is most important ” said Ilona SZTWIERTNIA. In Group A Russia showed no mercy. Top favorites overcame all their adversaries. After Sweden both Czech Republic and Netherlands suffered by the hands of Natalia MALININA Elizabet ABRAAMIAN and Liubov TENTSER. In the same group Sweden’s Matilda HANSSON Hannah HOLGERSSON and Rebecca MUSKANTOR lost only to Czech Republic but it was insufficient for their adversaries to reach the second position. Czech Republic finished third and Sweden clinched second position. “We had a very difficult match against Sweden and we are very happy that we won because we lost the previous match in the group against Russia. I must say that we were more lucky than before and we are very happy for this victory ” explained Linda ZADERIOVA. Romania’s Elena ZAHARIA Ioana SINGEORZAN Luciana MITROFAN and Oana STRUNA concluded the day with all three wins and 9:1 ratio which put them at the top of Group B. Ukraine beat Belarus in the direct clash for the second position. “It was very hard but we were prepared for that. The match was also psychologically difficult for me because I requested a medical time out during the match. We are very happy to have won ” said Ukraine’s Alina VYDRUCHENKO.
France beat Germany in Under 19 Boys Event
Unlike at Junior Girls Under 19 event for the Boys at the GAZPROM European Youth Championship it was much stronger opening. Three out of eight matches in top four Groups concluded as five matches affairs and only two matches ended with 3:0 margin. One of the duels that ended 3:0 is a match between Poland and Sweden. Seeing top seeds in Group D Poland to win is not a surprise but Maciej KUBIK’s win in straight games against Martin FRIIS in the opening match rose few eyebrows. After such opening Poland continued in same style. Samuel KULCZYCKI beat Charlie WIDING and Milosz REDZIMSKI overcame Hugo TORGREN. It was the last match that went full distance and gave some sense of uncertainty. Croatia beat Denmark in the opening match. In Group A Belgium went full distance against Hungary. Oliver BOTH and Csaba ANDRAS both beat Adrien RASSENFOSSE but Nicolas DEGROSS showed how good he could perform under pressure. He won both his matches; decisive one was resolved in five games. “ I think it was a very difficult match as are all the first matches in the tournament are. We arrived at this tournament with a changed composition of the team. One of our first players couldn’t arrive because he was injured and we didn’t want to take any chances. Obviously there are more quality players among us so we succeeded with the B team which is good for me because I get a chance to play ” said Nicolas DEGROSS. Spain won the marathon against Italy after being 0:2 in reverse. Juan PEREZ and Miguel NUNEZ both lost their encounters but after Marc GUTIERREZ overcame Maco CAPUCCIO the table turns. NUNEZ beat John OYEBODE whilst PEREZ beat PUPPO in decisive match after he faced match ball in favor of Italian player. Without third player Russia could not stop Portugal in Group B. Czech Republic overcame Turkey. In Group C top seeded Germany lost to France after great battle in five matches. All three players won one match: Alexis LEBRUN and Thibault PORET against Daniel RINDERER and Alexis KOURAICHI against Hannes HOERMANN. “ It was a very good match between two very good teams. I am proud that all the players contributed to this victory ” said Alexis LEBRUN. In the same Group Slovakia beat Serbia.
Good start for the favorites at the Under 19 Junior Girls Event at the GAZPROM European Youth Championships
Most of the favorites had the successful morning round at the Under 19 Girls Event at the GAZPROM European Youth Championships but it was far from easy ride. Two years break changed the map of power in table tennis. In Group A top seeded team of Russia prevailed against Sweden in straight matches. Natalia MALININA Elizabet ABRAAMIAN and Liubov TENTSER proved too strong for Nomin BAASAN Rebecca MUSKANTOR and Matilda HANSSON. It was only BASSAN who created extra pressure to stretch MALININA to full distance match. “It was a tough match since it was the first one at the Championships and we had to give our best. We played point by point thinking only of next one. And since it was the first match our opinion is that we did very well and that we deserved the victory ” said Elizabet ABRAAMIAN. In the same Group Czech Republic faced defeat by the hands of very good Netherlands’ team. Emine ERNST gave her team dream start with the 3:2 win over Klara HRABICOVA but Linda ZEDEROVA managed to level the score and brought back Czech Republic on good course in the match against Karlijn VAN LIEROP. The very close duel between Chana VAN DER VENNE and Anna KLEMPEREROVA gave her team new advantage and ERNST sealed it with win over ZADEROVA. “In my first match I was very anxious but despite that I think I did a good job. By the time when the second match started I was not nervous anymore and I could play my game. I played against a high quality and a very skilled player. The third match was very important KLEMPEREROVA played great and in the end I think we deserved the victory. We prepared a long time for this and I’m very happy we won in the first match ” explained ERNST. Leader in Group B team Romania overcame Ukraine in straight matches. Ioana SINGEORZAN was forced to go full distance against Anastasiya DYMYTRENKO but Elena ZAHARIA and Luciana MITROFAN were more effective. “We trained hard and we will certainly try to get the best possible result. I had a tough match our second player and our third player did great and it really helped out with the victory ” said Elena ZAHARIA. Belarus overcame Slovenia in the opening round. In Group D Germany recorded 3:1 win over Hungary. “My opening match against Irisz LASKAI went well but after that Anastasia BONDAREVA lost first game against Helga DARI and the rest of the match was very close. Eventually she won and it made me very happy since she put up a good fight. Naomi PRNJAKOVIC was maybe a little nervous it was tough to play against Anna FEJOS. But we still managed to win and we are very happy because of that ” stated Sophia KLEE. Italy was severely tested. They were 2:0 up and then the pendulum swung and Poland leveled to 2:2. In fifth match Anna BRZYSKA was 1:0 up against Nicole ARLIA when Italy withstood their spirited comeback. The creator of biggest upset was Ilona SZTWIERTNIA who overcame Jamila LAURENTI in straight games. France and Turkey underlined their status in Group C. Both teams concluded opening round in straight matches. France beat Serbia and Turkey overcame Norway. “We were aware how the opening match could be tricky and that is why we commenced very carefully. Serbia is a fierce adversary with a good players and we are very happy that we made a good job of it ” said Isa COK.
Mattias Falck and Sofia Polcanova head Europe’s Tokyo challenge
Sweden’s Mattias FALCK and Austria’s Sofia POLCANOVA are the highest seeded European players in the respective men’s singles and women’s singles events at the forthcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. On the lists announced on Friday 26th July Mattias FALCK is named at no.6 Sofia POLCANOVA at no.10. Mattias FALCK is followed immediately by the German duo of Dimitrij OVTCHAROV and Timo BOLL; also amongst the top 16 players who gain direct entry to the third round appear the names of Great Britain’s Liam PITCHFORD Frenchman Simon GAUZY and Portugal’s Marcos FREITAS. Liam PITCHFORD is the no.11 seed Simon GAUZY no.14 Marcos FREITAS no.15. Likewise for the women the top 16 seeds all commence their quests for honours in round three. Next in line to Sofia Polcanova is the German duo of Petrissa SOLJA and HAN Ying. Romania’s Bernadette SZOCS is the no.14 seed colleague Elizabeta SAMARA the no.15 seed. Britt EERLAND of the Netherlands completes the top 16 names. Meanwhile in the mixed doubles 16 pairs all on duty in round one Slovakia’s Lubomir PISTEJ and Barbora BALAZOVA head the European quest. They are the no.5 seeds. Germany’s Patrick FRANZISKA and Petrissa SOLJA gold medallists at the Minsk 2019 European Games occupy the no.7 spot. No less than five European pairs immediately follow. Next in the order is the French combination of Emmanuel LEBESSON and Yuan Ji Nan pursued immediately by Romania’s Ovidiu IONESCU and Bernadette SZOCS. Austria’s Stefan FeFEGERLgerl and Sofia POLCANOVA reserve the no.10 position one place ahead of Hungary’s Adam SZUDI and Szandra PERGEL. Notably in the team events Germany heads the hopes of the old continent. They occupy the no.2 spot in the men’s competition one place lower for the women. In the men’s event Sweden occupies the no.5 spot France is at no.8 followed by Portugal and Croatia. Slovenia is at no.11 Serbia at no.15. Meanwhile for the women Romania reserves the no.8 seeded position Hungary is at no.10 with Poland Austria and France being the next in line. China reserves top spot in both the men’s team and women’s team events Japan being at no.3 in the former no.2 in the latter. Similarly in the individual events China is to the fore. FAN Zhendong and MA Long reserve the respective top seeded men’s singles places CHEN Meng and SUN Yingsha the same in the women’s singles. XU Xin and LIU Shiwen head the mixed doubles order of merit. Play in the individual events commences on Saturday 24th July in the team competitions on Sunday 1st August.
ETTU Executive Board is planing to award the 2021 edition of the Europe Top 16 Cup to Greece
ETTU Executive Board is planing to award the 2021 edition of the Europe Top 16 Cup to be held in the city of Thessaloniki to Greek Table Tennis Association. ETTU President Igor LEVITIN’s recent visit to Greece and meetings with HTTA representatives revealed the Greek’s ambitions to host one of the most prestigious European events in second largest city in Greece. Europe Top 16 Cup is planned to be held in Thessaloniki Greece on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 September 2021. The venue is well known YMCA. Following a request from the Montreux LOC concerning the COVID-19 situation in Switzerland and due to request from Greek Table Tennis Association the ETTU Executive Board has agreed to organise the event on another location and to return Europe Top 16 Cup in Switzerland next year.
Petrissa SOLJA: My faith in myself is stronger than before
Winner of the Singles and Doubles titles at the European Championships in Warsaw and winner of the China Construction Bank 2020 ITTF-Europe Top 16 in Montreux Petrissa SOLJA at her best is one of the deadliest players the sport has to offer. In Japan at the 20202 Olympic Games in Tokyo SOLJA will lead her team once again. Five years earlier SOLJA helped Germany to the women’s team silver at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero the best finish by a European team in the history of the event. Before the titles in Warsaw and in Montreux last year she reached the Round of 16 at the German Open and played at the Hungarian Open Qatar Open Grand Final World Cup in China Bubble and WTT Macao… HHow do you feel nnow? “I think I´m on a good way to perform well at the Olympic Games. I try to practice as well as possible and I hope my shape will be right in time.I worked a lot with my team mates in the German national team in Düsseldorf. Everybody is doing their best and even those players who aren’t nominated for Tokyo are working very hard and are trying to support us as much as possible.” You have already prepared for one Olympics and I wonder how the preparations during the pandemic circumstances are different compared to your previous experience? “At the beginning of 2020 COVID numbers in Germany were increasing. I remember I was playing the Qatar Open in March and when I came back home I arrived to a completely different world. I went to the supermarket because my fridge was empty but most of the shelves were empty and I was shocked. I could feel the panic of the people. Some days were passing when lockdown started. All training venues were closed and I didn’t know if the Olympic Games would be cancelled or not. This situation was making me crazy and still I´m not feeling comfortable with it not to know what’s the plan for the future/the upcoming months.” But despite this she kept on working. “Meanwhile I was practicing at my parents’ house in the basement with my father like I used to do when I started to play table tennis. Back to the roots was the best I could do in my situation. Suddenly the announcement came that the Olympic Games would be postponed but no one was still not sure if they would take place. After that announcement I took some time off and was trying to calm down and relax a bit. After 2 weeks I was slowly starting to practice again at my childhood home and when venues opened again I went to Düsseldorf to practice with my team mates. It was a great feeling to meet them again and we all enjoyed the practice.” What is the goal for the German team and your personal goal in the singles and mixed doubles? “In teams we at least want to reach the quarterfinal. In all three categories it would be great to play for the medals.”
ETTU President LEVITIN meets HTTF Head PAPAGEORGIOU
ETTU President Igor LEVITIN visited Greece today and met with the head of the Greece Table Tennis Association (HTTF) Konstantinos PAPAGEORGIOU in Thessaloniki. The two leaders went through a number of topics but the main one was the opportunity for Greece to organise future European events. Also present at the meeting were the General Secretary of the HTTF Board Socratis PAPASAVOGLOU the former president of the Federation and current representative in the Greek Olympic Committee Manolis KOLIMBADIS as well as the associates of the federation for the organization of events Nikos KERASOVITIS and Spyros KARAVOULIS from the Sports Camp in Loutraki. The delegation was welcomed by the sports director of the YMCA Venue Dimitris KARAISKOS while Nikos LOGOTHETIS from the board of directors of the YMCA also attended the meeting. “We had very interesting discussion and the main subject were the events. With President LEVITIN we visited the venues YMCA and the hotels in Thessaloniki. Mr. LEVITIN had an opportunity to see that the City has very good sports infrastructure. YMCA Arena is the very good venue for the table tennis events ” explain HTTA President PAPAGEORGIOU. Thessaloniki had some advantages comparing Athens. “We hope to see table tennis events in Athens in near future as well but in time when we plan the competitions like in month of August or September Thessaloniki is much more suitable city regarding the accommodation facilities ” said PAPAGEORGIOU.
FREITAS: Winning an Olympic medal makes you immortal
Marcos FREITAS has been the backbone of Portugal’s success in recent years. He played at his first Olympic Games in Beijing 2008 and he reached the quarterfinal in the Team’s Event four years later in London. The men’s team with FREITAS João GERALDO and Tiago APOLONIA clinched gold in June 2015 when he competed in the inaugural European Games. In 2016 once again he reached the quarterfinal at the Olympics but in Rio it was in the Singles Event. Once again he will be on duty this summer at the Olympic Games in Japan. “We did not have a lot of chances to play in the past few months. I was only in Qatar for two tournaments. Unfortunately I was not playing very well; I was struggling to find my rhythm. The main reason for that was the absence of the tournaments and competitions. I had a lot of practice but it is not the same. I was not able to put my game on the table instantly in Qatar. Of course every tournament is good experience and I took the opportunity to learn from my weak points there and to prepare better for the next challenges ” explained FREITAS. “We all yearn for more competitions and tournaments but we must take what we have. “ You have already prepared for one Olympics and I wonder how the preparations under the new pandemic circumstances changed the previous strategies? What is different compared to your previous experience? “Everything is going normal. By that I did not mean we have our usual routine as we used to for previous editions of the Olympics but the most important part is that the team was together and that we worked together in our national center in Porto. Only a few foreign players were allowed to be in Porto but still they made the atmosphere more competitive and I am satisfied the way we managed the preparations. The biggest challenge was to find the way to create the pressure that we feel only at the tournaments. The primary task was and still is to stay healthy and without injures before the Olympics ” added FREITAS. Five years after Rio 2016 is a long period how different are you now privately and concerning your career? “I feel very similar comparing the period before the Rio: the motive and the desire are there. I am always the same. I want to practice as much as possible to improve myself and my game. I have not changed that much. My aim is to play at the top level and I want to stay in this game for few more years because it is still fun for me to play. I reached the quarterfinals in Rio eventually finished at the position no. five. I will be very happy if I could repeat that result in Tokyo. I am also aware it will be extremely difficult to achieve that goal because I do not think I will be seeded among the top 16 players.” It will be your fourth appearance at the Games; what are your memories from the first Games? “I remember very well when I qualified at the World Qualifications in Budapest for my first Games in Beijing. It was big surprise for me. I knew I was good I knew I had already reached the high level of quality in my game but I was still very young only 20 years old then. It was great achievement not for me but also for Portugal because no one ever did it before in table tennis. A lot of people did not believe it was possible and in 2008 we put a great milestone in our sport. “ In Beijing 2008 it was the right place to be if you are the table tennis player. “Everything was new and impressive for me in China 2008. The Olympic Village is very big and the atmosphere is something special in addition playing the table tennis tournament at the Olympics on China’s soil was also a unique experience. There were a lot of spectators and the interest for the competition was big.” Between two Games the aims went higher. FREITAS won the bronze medal in the men’s doubles at the European Championship with Tiago APOLÓNIA in 2008 and in 2011 European Championships he went on to win the gold medal with Andrej GAĆINA. “Things were different for London. I was already established as a player and I set the goals much higher. As a team we were very strong and we had very good chances. We were very close to beating South Korea. Despite the 2:3 defeat in the quarters we realize that we could play for medals in near future. That gave us a strong motive to keep on working hard.” The team and FREITAS’ ranking improved further and before Rio he was seeded as no. 8. “I beat Oividiu IONESCU of Romania and KOU Lei of Slovakia before I reached the quarterfinals in Rio. Unfortunately Jun MIZUTANI halted my progress with a 4:2 win. However I was very happy with my performance and I am sorry I could not go further but it left me hungry for more. It strengthened my motive and desire to work harder.” A true fan of the sport FREITAS always used the opportunity to watch other athletes after he finished his participation at the Olympics. “I always tried to watch some games; to see up close the best athletes in the world and to learn something new but primarily I went to other venues to cheer and support Portugal’s athletes. It is sad that I will not be able to do it in Japan because we will all leave after the end of our competition but that is the way to stay safe and protected. I respect all the efforts the organizers are putting in order to successfully organise such big event. Our safety is most important.” Who comes first to your mind when
After one year break GAZPROM European Youth Championships is playing again
The 2021 GAZPROM European Youth Championships will commence with the Under 19 events on 19 July. The champions in the individual events will be crowned on 24 July. The Under 15 Event will take place from 27 July to 2 August.In the Under 19 competition at the top of the Groups in the Team’s Events are Belgium Russia Germany and Poland. In Group A last year’s semifinalists Belgium will play against Italy Hungary and Spain. Reigning champions Russia are in Group B with Czech Republic Portugal and Turkey. Bronze medal winners from Ostrava 2019 Germany are in Group C with Slovakia France and Serbia. Poland who played in the quarterfinal last year are with Croatia Denmark and Sweden.There are 38 teams in the competition divided into 11 groups across two levels In the Under 19 Girls Teams Event silver medalists from Ostrava Russia are at the top of the Group A with Czech Republic Sweden and Netherlands. Romania’s team is at the top of Group B with Belarus Ukraine and Slovenia. In Group C France with be challenged by Turkey Serbia and Norway. Last time’s winners Germany are in Group D with Italy Hungary and Poland.There are 35 teams in 10 groups across two levels. In the Singles Event there are 159 players in the Under 19 Boys Singles Event and 144 in the Under 19 Girls Singles Event. From the main draw of 128 players 32 players will progress directly whilst the others will have to go through the qualification stage.The break of two years is a very long period for any athlete especially young ones. Some of the winners from Ostrava already justified their status as a seniors. The European champions in Junior Boys Doubles Event Lev KATSMAN and Maksim GREBNEV reached the highest step of the medal rostrum at the recently finished European Individual Championships in Warsaw. European champions from Ostrava 2019 are also Sweden’s Truls MOREGARD and Poland’s Anna WERGZYN. In Junior Girls Doubles champions were Kristina Kazantseva and Mariia Tailakova of Russia and in Mixed Doubles Samuel KULCZYCKI and Katarzyna WEGRZYN.
Anton KALLBERG: Sweden are in the hunt for an Olympic medal
Anton KALLBERG will play alongside the best ranked European player Mattias FALCK and Kristian KARLSSON in the Team’s Event this summer at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. The Games will come on the back of what has been a very good season for the young player who has shone on the club scene. “I think the biggest moment was when we [Borussia Düsseldorf] won the Champions League title after two years without any success ” explained KALLBERG. “It showed us that it is possible and that we could dream of winning the triple again.” Soon after all the excitement in the Bundesliga Anton moved to be with his teammates from Sweden. “The preparation were very good. The Swedish team were preparing together for the Europeans Championships as well as for the Olympics ” he said. The focus is now completely on national plans. “I feel very excited to have gotten the chance to play and represent Sweden. I will do everything in my power to be in the best shape possible in Tokyo. It sure comes with some pressure and expectations but that is nothing you can escape. I just have to do my best to make sure I can live up to it. I have great teammates who are supporting me a lot and we get a lot of experience through having Jörgen PERSSON in the team.” Sweden is always aiming high. “Our goal is simply to win a medal. We have a strong team with a lot of potential and we know if we all perform at our best we’ve got a good chance.” KALLBERG revealed he is true sport fan. “Since I was small I have watched pretty much everything they show on TV and I still like to watch when there’s a lot of pressure and a lot on the line it doesn’t matter the sport.” His love of all sport is confirmed by his choice for the biggest sporting achievement he’s seen at an Olympic Games: “I don’t know if it counts as the biggest achievement but the first thing that pops up in my mind is Steven BRADBURY’S gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. It shows that everything is possible in sports and I love that.”
