Nina Mittelham and Han Ying top seeded Showtime for the women at the Duesseldorf Masters: A high-class tournament with world-class players HAN Ying and Nina MITTELHAM at the top continues the series of events at the ARAG CenterCourt on Saturday and Sunday before the fifth Men’s Masters is held on the second weekend in July. All matches of the women’s tournament can be seen on both days from 10 a.m. on Sportdeutschland.TV Borussia-TV and tischtennis.de in live streaming. A total of 14 players compete for victory in the Women’s Masters. In the field of sixteen absolute world class players mix with talents on their way to the top. The seeding positions one to three will be occupied by German national team players HAN Ying German Champion Nina MITTELHAM (WR 39) and SHAN Xiaona (WR 43). Double European Champion Nina MITTELHAM is really looking forward to the tournament: “I think it’s great that we ladies finally get the chance to play a Duesseldorf Masters. It won’t be easy to play matches again after such a long break from competition. But I think everyone will give their best and enjoy it a bit. It’s just nice to play against each other again.” Germany’s number one defensive ace HAN Ying is expecting exciting and high class matches: “I am really looking forward to the tournament. This is a good promotion for table tennis especially for women’s table tennis. I hope that many young girls will get enthusiastic about our sport when they watch the matches live on the internet”. On the places directly behind two international top players follow with the Slovakian Barbora BALAZOVA (WR 54) and the Luxembourgian Sarah de Nutte (WR 77) who challenges the favourite trio. It also will be interesting to see how the young national team players who are highly ranked in the youth world rankings battle it out with their established rivals in the duels in the round of sixteen. With Sophie KLEE and Anastasia BONDAREVA numbers 18 and 33 of the U18 girls’ world rankings will be at the start while Annett KAUFMANN and Jele STORTZ currently occupy 10th and 27th place in the U15 girls’ world rankings. With Leonie BERGER the 2018 German Cadets’ Champion a native of Duesseldorf Borussia also has a home game on the ARAG CenterCourt. SHAN Xiaona from Berlin who lives in Duesseldorf runner-up in singles at the 2013 European Championships pragmatically sees the Duesseldorf Masters as an important step towards the new season: “It’s great to get the opportunity to compete during the Corona time. It’s a good opportunity to check your form after so much training.” Women’s national team coach Jie SCHOEPP who already watched the first four men’s tournaments at the Duesseldorf Masters with great interest is also already looking ahead to September: “Many tournaments have been cancelled due to Corona in the last few months. Now that we have learned that the European Championships in Poland in September will take place as planned we are especially happy to finally have the opportunity to compete again. My team trained well during the competition-free period but something was missing.” The Duesseldorf Masters organized by Borussia Duesseldorf with the support of the German Table Tennis Federation is held almost weekly from June to August at the ARAG CenterCourt in a knockout system with up to 16 world-class players and is intended to shorten the competition break caused by the Covid 19 pandemic. The fifth men’s tournament will follow next week from Friday to Sunday (10-12 July). In the first four editions Timo BOLL twice Dimitrij OVCHAROV and Bastian STEGER could enter the winners list. All tournaments will be broadcasted live on Sportdeutschland.TV Borussia-TV and tischtennis.de. Duesseldorf Masters Ladies’ Tournament (July 4-5) Round of 16 July 4th HAN Ying GER (seeding position 1) bye Nina MITTELHAM GER (2) bye Sarah de NUTTE LUX (5) – Leonie BERGER GER 10.00 YUAN Wan GER (6) – Naomi PANJKOVIC GER immediately following but not before 10.30 Barbora BALAZOVA SVK (4) – Annett KAUFMANN GER immediately following but not before 11.00 Chantal MANTZ GER (7) – Anastasia BONDAREVA GER immediately following but not before 11.30 a.m. Yuki TSUTSUI GER (8) – Sophia KLEE GER immediately following but not before 12.00 SHAN Xiaona GER (3) – Jele STORTZ GER immediately following but not before 12.30 Quarterfinal 4 July HAN Ying – Chantal MANTZ or Anastasia BONDAREVA directly after but not before 13.00 Nina MITTELHAM – Yuki TSUTSUI or Sophia KLEE direct connection but not before 13.35 Quarterfinal July 5 Shan XIAONA or Jele STORTZ – Sarah de NUTTE or Leonie BERGER 10 am Barbora BALAZOVA or Annett KAUFMANN – YUAN Wan or Naomi PRANJKOVIC directly after but not before 10.35 am Semifinals July 5 Winner 1st quarter final – Winner 3rd quarter final immediately following but not before 11.35 Winner 2nd quarter final – Winner 4th quarter final immediately following but not before 12.10 Final July 5 1:45 p.m. List of participants / Seeding List 1 Han Ying GER (WR 25) 2 Nina Mittleham GER (WR 39) 3 Shan Xiaona GER (WR 43) 4 Barbora Balazova SVK (WR 54) 5 Sarah de Nutte LUX (WR 77) 6 Yuan Wan GER (WR 163) 7 Chantal Mantz GER (WR 197) 8 Yuki Tsutsui GER (WR 369) 9 Sophia Klee GER (U18-WR 18) 10 Anastasia Bondareva GER (U18-WR 33) 11 Naomi Pranjkovic GER (U18-WR 119) 12 Leonie Berger GER (U18-WR 191) 13 Annett Kaufmann GER (U15 world ranking 10) 14 Jele Stortz GER (U15 world ranking 27)
ETTU and PZTS are optimistic that the Liebherr 2020 European Table Tennis Championships will be staged this September in Warsaw
European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) and Polish Table Tennis Federation (PZTS) are working closely together to deliver the Liebherr 2020 European Table Tennis Championships in Warsaw from 15th to 20th September. Having closely monitored the changing situation across Europe in recent weeks ETTU and PZTS are optimistic that the European table tennis family can meet in Warsaw to compete for the five singles and doubles titles. With the support of partners and key stakeholders including ITTF Sponsors Polish Ministry of Sport and City of Warsaw everything is being done to implement a Covid-19 health and safety protocol to ensure a safe and successful Championships. ETTU President Ronald KRAMER said: “Only some weeks ago we were hesitant about the chance of the Liebherr 2020 European Championships being staged as originally scheduled. Now I feel excited to be able to state that we are more than confident that thanks to the relentless efforts of our Polish friends the Championships will be staged as planned. Of course the practical circumstances will be different from usual taking care of all COVID-19 health and safety advices. And we surely hope that all players qualified to participate will be able to properly prepare and come to play in Warsaw after a very long period of unsolicited ‘rest’.” PZTS President Dariusz SCHUMACHER said: “The Polish Table Tennis Association is honoured to organise the Liebherr 2020 European Table Tennis Championships. The current world situation has been demanding for all of us over recent months. We are aware of country regulations because of COVID-19. As the organiser of this historic and prestigious event we can guarantee the highest safety standards. The Polish Table Tennis Association is in constant contact with the Ministry of Sport of the Republic of Poland which supports our efforts to organise the event as it was planned from 15th to 20th September this year. We have been monitoring the situation very carefully over the last 3 months and are now delighted to invite you all to Warsaw. We are working with ETTU colleagues to finalise the prospectus over the next two weeks. We are also finalising the event website – www.ettc2020.com. We look forward to welcoming the European table tennis family to Warsaw.” The prospectus will be finalised later this month.
Portuguese champion will be decided this week
The Final Stage of the 2019/2020 Portuguese Men’s National League will be held from the 2nd to the 5th July by the three best classified teams in the in the Initial Stage: Sporting CP GD Toledos and GDCS Juncal (the fourth team chose not to participate). The Final Stage will be held at the Table Tennis National Training Centre in Vila Nova de Gaia. GD Toledos and GDCS Juncal will play a semi-final and the winner will play against Sporting CP on the final games scheduled for Saturday and sunday. Semi-Finals and Final will be played in a single knock-out competition after two matches. The winner will be the team with the better aggregate score the two legs being considered together first in individual matches then in games and finally the best position at Initial Stage. All the four games will be broadcasted live on national TV and you can watch the Streaming on the Federations’ Facebook page. SCHEDULE Semi-Final July 2 04:00 PM GMT July 3 04:00 PM GMT Final July 4 04:00 PM GMT July 5 04:00 PM GMT
SCHÖPP hands over the team to BOROS after Olympics in 2021
After the Olympic Games in Tokyo which have been postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic Tamara BOROS will take over the office of Jie SCHÖPP as national women’s coach. Already from 2020 the current coach of the Boarding School at the German Table Tennis Centre in Düsseldorf the DTTZ as well as of the female U23 squad of the German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) BOROS is to take over tasks at the women’s squad together with SCHÖPP and support her during major events thus ensuring the best possible handover. Jie SCHÖPP remains the responsible national coach and head coach of the women’s team until the Olympic Games in Tokyo. After the Olympics SCHÖPP’S task will be to lead the female junior team into the future together with national junior coach Lara BROICH. SCHÖPP will take over the U15 division Broich will be responsible for the U18 players. “At the end of an Olympic cycle all Germany sports associations are always called upon to implement changes to set a new impuls by our National Olympic Committee” explains DTTB Sports Director Richard PRAUSE. “We as DTTB are in the enviable position to be able to employ two former world class players and equally experienced and highly qualified as well as successful coaches in the female sector. Our goal is to continue to be successful with the women in the future”. With Jie SCHÖPP the German women sensationally won silver at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016 and secured their qualification for the Olympic Games in Tokyo by winning gold in the team competition of the European Games in their first attempt. Schöpp’s European Champion team achieved the hat-trick with titles in 2013 2014 and 2015. She was voted Coach of the Year by the German Table Tennis Coaches Association in the season 2015/16 . As an active player the 107-time national player won two European Championship titles with the team and one bronze for Germany at the 1997 World Championships. In the individual competitions the ace of defence won the prestigious Europe Top 12 twice and three times European bronze in the individual competitions. Tamara Boros has been working with the DTTB as a boarding school head coach since 2017 and has been responsible for the U23 squad since this year. As a player she was not only the best European for a long time but also the toughest competitor of the Chinese women. The four-time Olympic participant won bronze in the singles at the 2003 World Championships and like Schöpp the Europe Top 12 twice. In 2015 Tamara Boros was inducted into the “Hall of Fame” of the European Table Tennis Union. Parallel to her coaching career she successfully completed her studies of sports in her home country Croatia and obtained a master’s degree at the Faculty of Kinesiology in the field of sports coaching. In her master thesis she examined the development of playing systems in modern women’s table tennis. With her university degree the 42-year-old former world number two also formally fulfils the criteria of the German National Olympic Committee which strongly recommends scientific qualification for professional coaches at the national level.
Pécs is the champion after a final full of twists in Hungary
PTE-PEAC the winner of the long-memorable final became the champion of the men’s Extraliga defeating the big rival Celldömölk by 4:3 in the final duel of the Final Four in Budapest. The bronze medal was won by Szécsény. “It is going to be for sure a fierce battle with great excitement and it is going to release big emotions as well. I am convinced that this final will be fantastic” said Roland NÁTRÁN before the men’s final and the prophet spoke from the President of the Hungarian Table Tennis Association. Sometimes it was Pécs the other time it was Celldömölk that was closer to the victory and a small number of enthusiastic spectators due the restrictions could witness four matches that were decided in the decisive game. Márton SZITA turned the game by answering effectively to several match balls in the match against Demeter LEHEL and Péter FAZEKAS who was excellent during the entire Final Four also defeated Zsolt PETŐ; the team from Vas county led by 3:2 so it seemed like PEACE will have consolation in silver for the fifth time in six years. Morelikly because the upcoming GEROLD vs. SZITA match based on their former clashes were more likely to be won by SZITA. This time however the experience triumphed and GEROLD fought the seventh match with a relaxed game. “I have already beaten him but he usually wins our matches against each other” explained GÁBOR Gerold who kept the hopes of Pécs alive after his victory against Szita. “I felt like he was not so focused and he maybe also got anxious because of the opportunity of finshing the final battle.” The all-deciding clash was fought by Demeter and Dániel Kriston and although the player from Celldömölk took the first game with a great start Demeter was able to turn the game relatively easily making PTE-PEAC the champion for the second time after 2017. “I was under severe pressure it was not easy for me to stand there at the table. As I can remember I only got defeated by Dani KRISTON maybe twice in my career which was an extra burden when the standing was 3:3” shared Lehel DEMETER after the final deciding match. “I did not really find my place in the first set but I slowly started to see his mistakes and the fourth set was very important because I could not let him to get stronger again.” In addition to the current success the players of Pécs can also be happy about that their best player Zsolt PETŐ who will make it to the Tokyo Olympics with the Serbian national team will strengthen their team in the next season as well. “First of all I would like to congratulate the team of Celldömölk because I think the audience could see a real ping-pong show” expressed Zsolt PETŐ. “Today we may have had a little bit more luck and maybe we were even slightly better. This was my first year at PEAC I promised that the cup would go to Pécs and we kept our word. We want to defend our title next year I will definitely stay at the team od Pécs. Besides focusing on my club I will focus on Tokyo as this will be my first Olympics.” The battle for the third place looked quite similar to the scenario mentioned before. The team of Mezőberény led by Péter Sebestyén was very close to the podium but in the end Szécsény won by 4:3 so they collected another bronze medal next to the 2016 bronze and the 2017 silver medal in the Extraliga. Mezőberény finished fourth for the second time in a row. EXTRALIGA FINAL FOUR MEN FINAL PTE PEAC Kalo-Méh I.–CVSE Swietelsky Jufa Hotels I. 4:3 Lehel Demeter Zsolt Pető–Péter Fazekas Márton Szita 3:1 (5 5 –8 8) Gábor Gerold–Fazekas 2:3 (–6 11 –4 5 –6) Pető–Dániel Kriston 3:2 (–11 2 – 9 9 6) Demeter–Szita 2:3 (7 10 –7 –11 –9) Pető–Fazekas 2:3 (–10 7 –6 13 –10) Gerold–Szita 3:0 (6 6 12) Demeter–Kriston 3:1 (–7 4 6 9) MATCH FOR THIRD PLACE Szerva ASE Szécsény I.–HED-LAND Sportcsarnok SE Mezőberény 4:3 János Jakab Péter Ingemar–Krisztián Szabó Viktor Vajda 3:2 (–4 8 5 –4 9) Jakab–Dániel Kiss 3:0 (6 10 6) János Németh–Péter Sebestyén 2:3 (9 –4 9 –5 –9) Zoltán Bátorfi–Vajda 1:3 (–6 –10 7 –5) Jakab–Sebestyén 1:3 (2 –9 –10 –10) Bátorfi–Kiss 3:1 (8 5 –9 5) Németh–Vajda 3:0 (11 8 9)
Budaörs is Hungarian champion after a thrilling final
As in the semi-finals there were no upsets in the women’s final of the Extraliga Final Four. Budaörs won by 4:1 in the final against Erdért while Kecskemét triumphed by 4:2 against Statistics in the match for the bronze medal. The duo of Mária FAZEKAS and Szandra PERGEL confidently won the final doubles match whilst Szabina SURJÁN also won by 3:0 against Leila IMRE bringing a 2:0 lead for Budaörs. “We have played once in Kecskemét and I really felt her game so I am glad I could start against her now. In the second set I was at a disadvantage of 7:2 but then I started to hit drives and hit the ball harder and I kept saying to myself that I have to win” confessed Szabina SURJÁN. Krisztina AMBRUS brought hopes back to Erdért with her 3:1 success against Szandra Pergel. “The start was hard for me as I did not play doubles and I was not at ‘operating temperature’ yet” Krisztina AMBRUS told M4 Sport. “From the second set however I could execute all those things that I could not in the first set I finally managed to play according to the tactics planned before.” Petra LOVAS won smoothly against Tímea VARGA so the opportunity to finish the gold battle was in the hands of PERGEL who will start the next season in his new French club team. She did that against Imre. “It was in the cards that we might have a lost game as it is difficult to win by 4:0 plus Krisztina AMBRUS feels my game very well. I was hoping that my defeat would not matter because the others were in very good shape and they did everything they could to win. It was a real ‘Hollywood’ ending me playing the last match once again after eleven years since the last time” expressed Szandra PERGEL who will leave Budaörs after more than a decade. After 2011 2013 and 2015 Budaörs won the fights of the first league of the Hungarian championship for the fourth time and Erdért after last year’s and the previous year’s bronze medal achieved the best result in its history with this silver. The bronze medal landed on the chest of the players of Kecskemét who proved to be better by 4:2 than of the host team of Statisztika consisting of young players. In Szpari Kata FÜLE did not lose a game in the two single matches nor in her doubles in the bronze match and Helga DARI’S performance can also be highlighted from the team of Statisztika who won three of her four singles matches at the Final Four. EXTRALIGA FINAL FOUR WOMEN FINAL SH-ITB Budaörs 2i SC–Budapesti Erdért SE 4:1 Mária Fazekas Szandra Pergel–Leila Imre Tímea Varga 3:0 (6 6 6) Szabina Surján–Imre 3:0 (10 9 7) Pergel–Krisztina Ambrus 1:3 (6 –5 –7 –5) Petra Lovas–Varga 3:0 (4 5 8) Pergel–Imre 3:0 (5 10 9) MATCH FOR THIRD PLACE Kecskeméti Spartacus Sportkör és Közösségi Tér–Statisztika PSC I. 4:2 Kata Füle Alekszandra Radonjics–Helga Dari Anna Fejős 3:0 (8 12 10) Radonjics–Fejős 3:2 (–4 3 5 –20 7) Drabant–Dari 0:3 (–8 –8 –7) Füle–Kendra Molnár 3:0 (6 4 6) Radonjics–Dari 1:3 (–9 9 –6 –6) Füle–Szilvia Czeglédi 3:0 (7 11 7)
Liu Guoliang accepts position as Chair of WTT Council
World Table Tennis (WTT) announced that LIU Guoliang President of the Chinese Table Tennis Association will become Chair of the newly formed WTT Council taking overall leadership and responsibility for pioneering the future of table tennis. Putting players and fans at the very heart of its mission WTT was set up by the ITTF in August 2019 a milestone in the professionalisation reforms of the sport to modernise its commercial business activities and realise the full potential of table tennis in order to compete and excel among the highest-profile sports in the world. The WTT Council will ensure the healthy development of WTT and be at the helm of the future development of the sport. Therefore a true leader in the industry is needed to take on the position and direct the journey towards a brighter future. LIU Guoliang is an extremely well-respected leader within the global table tennis community demonstrating the perfect calibre and richest of career achievements. Following a stellar playing career in which he won gold medals at the Olympics and World Table Tennis Championships Liu Guoliang has since overseen serial success as the head coach of the Chinese National Team and as the President of the Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) the world’s most successful table tennis association. WTT is highly honoured to welcome Liu Guoliang as Chair of the WTT Council. We believe that by following his direction the global table tennis community will strive for a common goal driving the WTT Council as well as our sport to the next level. “Table tennis has enriched my life in so many ways and I have dedicated my life to this sport over many years. Therefore I am immensely proud and honoured to have the opportunity to direct the WTT Council and help to make table tennis one of the leading sports in the world ” said LIU Guoliang WTT Council Chair & CTTA President. “Liu Guoliang is an undisputed table tennis legend for what he has achieved both as a player a coach and as President of the world’s leading national association China. We are delighted to be welcoming him on board as Chair of the WTT Council. His CV speaks for itself and we firmly believe that he is the perfect man to help deliver success to WTT and to table tennis for many years to come ” added Khalil Al-MOHANNADI WTT Board Member & ITTF Deputy Presiden. “For the success of WTT and table tennis as a whole it is imperative that we have people of the highest order actively involved in shaping the future of our sport. The fact that Liu Guoliang is the most influential figure in table tennis not only in China but around the globe position him perfectly as Chair of the WTT Council. We certainly hope to take advantage of his reputation and influence for the global promotion of table tennis making it especially appealing for the younger generations. The whole sports industry is in the shadow of the pandemic and we place our hope in Liu Guoliang to spark the future of our sport. This appointment is fantastic news for the entire table tennis family ” said Steve DAINTON WTT Board Member & ITTF CEO The WTT Council led by LIU Guoliang as its Chair will consist of key stakeholders in the global game including but not limited to: players both past and present crucial contributors to international table tennis event hosts and ITTF personnel. The WTT Council will be the governing body of WTT towards the public and the market. It serves to represent the views of all key table tennis stakeholders worldwide ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard and that everyone is on the journey together. The remaining members of the WTT Council will be announced shortly.
Favorites justifed their status on the first day of the Extraliga Final Four
The semi-finals of the Extraliga Final Four have ended without a surprise on Sunday. Today in men’s category will play Celldömölk and Pécs while Budaörs and Erdért will be the finalists in women’s final. In the László Ormai Table Tennis Hall in the opening semi final as it was expected the victory of Budaörs and Erdért could not be threatened either. The former met with Kecskemét which mostly trusted Aleksandra RADONJIC but the Serbian player did not win a set in doubles nor in singles. The game of honor was won by Anita DRABANT from Kecskemét who after a good start eventually lost the game to 3:1 against Petra LOVAS. “Most of all I had to deal with myself I missed quite a bit because of the quarantine” Petra LOVAS assessed. “This could be seen on my game at the beginning but then I became more confident from set to set. I can be more satisfied with the game of my teammates they played more confidently.” Szandra PERGEL contributed with two victories to Budaörs getting into the final but she also knows that Erdért promises to be a tougher task: “It will be a very difficult match all three of them know us well and can play efficiently against us. However I am hope that we will win because I think we are a more united team and we will show that we really want this championship title.” In the other semi-final Helga DARI beat Leila IMRE but still Erdért won the match confidently. Among the young players of Statisztika the newcomer Kendra MOLNÁR also got a role true to the promise who like her peers did well. “This was not an easy match each of the girls from Statisztika played very well” praised Tímea VARGA their opponents. “We tried to observe what their weak points could be and overcome them and thank God we could do it. We hope the final will be tight but they are more experienced there are no high expectations. I think if there will be nice and exciting rallies and points and spectators will see nice matches that is a success already.” As it could have been expected the first day of the Final Four brought more excitement in the men’s semi-finals. The players of Celldömölk saw it clearly that they will have to focus on János JAKAB of Szerva ASE from Szécsény despite this the former player and current coach of BVSC still managed to win two singles against them. In vain as his teammates could not achieve a bravura. However they would have had something to earn as Zoltán Bátorfi defeated from match ball from Péter FAZEKAS and János NÉMETH also lost the first game from 10:4 against Fazekas. So Szécsény really needed the doubles. “We have been working hard the whole week even yesterday and today. So we really tried to prepare for this match but both of our opponents had an difficult game to which we could not answer effectively enough. I am referring to the backhand drive to this modern element of the game which they used very well and thanks to this we lost the doubles quite easily which was a great devastation” told János JAKAB whose second win against Dániel KRISTON is not part of the official result as it was listed as the sixth game as the Fazekas vs. Bátorfi clash was listed fifth while it ended later. “Thanks to this we only got even more focused on tomorrow” pointed Péter FAZEKAS that he speaking about himself does not mind the tight fights. “After such a long time without tournaments these three good matches got me only started it was a great pre-game before the final.” …Which will be against Pécs who also won by 4:1. This result also suggests a more easily won game than it was as Mezőberény lost three times in the final game. “I have to congratulate Mezőberény – started the evaluation Zsolt PETŐ the Serbian player of team PEAC who is competing in his first Final Four in Hungary. “We knew that the semi-final will be though as our opponent had nothing to lose we have been preparing for that. I think that it is even good that it turned out this way it could have a more positive impact on our team than if we had won smoothly.” Today from 11 am the women’s and from 15 pm the men’s placemant matches will take place. The spectators still cannot attend the event as the matches are played behind closed doors – a team can be represented by 20 people as a maximum un the hall – but M4 Sport will broadcast live the finals. EXTRALIGA FINAL FOUR WOMEN SEMI-FINALS SH-ITB Budaörs 2i SC–Kecskeméti Spartacus Sportkör és Közösségi Tér 4:0 Mária Fazekas Szandra Pergel–Kata Füle Alekszandra Radonjics 3:0 (8 3 7) Pergel–Füle 3:0 (2 9 10) Szabina Surján–Radonjics 3:0 (10 6 9) Petra Lovas–Anita Drabant 3:1 (–4 7 7 2) Budapesti Erdért SE–Statisztika PSC I. 4:1 Leila Imre Tímea Varga–Helga Dari Anna Fejős 3:0 (4 7 11) Varga–Kendra Molnár 3:0 (8 9 7) Imre–Dari 2:3 (–6 8 5 –7 –9) Krisztina Ambrus–Fejős 3:0 (7 5 9) Varga–Dari 3:0 (9 10 8) MEN SEMI-FINALS PTE PEAC Kalo-Méh I.–HED-LAND Sportcsarnok SE Mezőberény 4:1 Lehel Demeter Zsolt Pető–Krisztián Szabó Viktor Vajda 3:2 (9 10 –4 –7 10) Demeter–Péter Sebestyén 0:3 (–9 –9 –3) Pető–Szabó 3:0 (8 5 10) Gábor Gerold–Vajda 3:2 (6 15 –9 –9 5) Pető–Sebestyén 3:2 (8 –9 –11 5 9) CVSE Swietelsky Jufa Hotels I.–Szerva ASE Szécsény I. 4:1 Péter Fazekas Márton Szita–Péter Ingemar János Jakab 3:0 (9 6 8) Szita–Bátorfi Zoltán 3:0 (10 8 8) Fazekas–János Németh 3:1 (10 –10 11 10) Dániel Kriston–Jakab 0:3 (–10 –6 –6) Fazekas–Bátorfi 3:2 (–11 8 –10 10 11)
Martin Allegro wins first Tournament in Belgium after the lockdown
Martin ALLEGRO clinched the title at the first tournament in Belgium after COVID 19 break. ALLEGRO won the trophy at the Table Tennis Masters by beating Florian CNUDDE in the Final 4/0. In the semi final he has beaten the young Adrien RASSENFOSSE also in 4 games. Florian CNUDDE was the player to create the surprise in the semi final when he upsets the first Seeded player Florent LAMBIET in 5 games. RESULTS Quarterfinal Florent LAMBIET vs David COMELIAU 4/1 Florian CNUDDE vs Olav KOSOLOSKY 4/0 Adrien RASSENFOSSE vs Louis LAFFINEUR 4/1 Martin ALLEGRO vs Alessi MASSART 4/0 Semi final Florent LAMBIET vs Florian CNUDDE 1/4 Adrien RASSENFOSSE vs Martin ALLEGRO 0/4 Final Florian CNUDDE vs Martin ALLEGRO 0/4
The odds are on Budaörs in Women’s Extraliga Final Four
SH-ITB BUDAÖRSI 2I SC –Farewell To The Sponsor With A Gold In Women’s Extra liga Final Four in Hungary Budaörs seems to be the club the most likely to win the competition. Moreover the players of the national team could start to train earlier. Among them is Szandra PERGEL who will move to France in the summer leaving Budaörs after 11 years. “It is rare that someone spends so much time in the team ” praised Gergely SOMLYÓ the president of Budaörsi SC the left-handed excellence. “Our former main sponsor 2i Kft. And Pál Németh will leave after more than thirty years we would like to say goodbye to him with a championship title. We would be moving forward from this difficult financial situation we have been in a recent months and we definitely want to win our fourth championship title.” Gergely SOMLYÓ admitted that because of the reasons mentioned before there is a great pressure on them and because of the shorter game system so a lot can depend on the entry list and on which team can start the match better. “My appreciation to MOATSZ for allowing us to decide the season again at the tables and my appreciation as well as to everyone who contributed to the live television broadcast of the Final Four” added the President of Budaörs. ERDÉRT – The Experience Is On The Adversary’s Side The biggest “enemy” for Szandra PERGEL’S team will be Erdért which only lost one point against Budaörs in the shortened regular season on a match that seemed to be already won. „Since the Hungarian championship four months ago we did not have a competition ” stated Zoltán GÁRDONYI the president of the club. “This is a disadvantage on everyone’s side of course but these situations are better for the more experienced and older players and Budaörs is better when we talk about experience.” The leader of the club who also works as a coach thinks that it would be better and more realistic if all single matches would be played in the Final Four but they won against Statisztika to 6:0 and then to 6:1 in the regular season so in the semi-final they cannot really have a problem. He is 99% sure about the Erdért-Budaörs final but not so much about what could happen there… “We closed the Hungarian championship as the most successful team. Until March everyone was in such good shape that if there was not that four-month break I would say sixty to forty percent in our favour. But now I would rather give Budaörs a sixty percent chance of winning because of the reasons already mentioned.” KECSKEMÉTI SPARTACUS SPORTKÖR ÉS KÖZÖSSÉGI TÉR – The 3rd Place Is A Must It is the first time that Kecskemét can participate in the competition of the Final Four but they are not fully satisfied only with that. “Last September seeing the power of the teams we were hoping that we can get into the best four teams especially with the Serbian Aleksandra RADONJIC joining our team ” declared Tibor ÚJHIDY the president of the club. “For some time now we have been preparing in our own hall the girls are very dedicated and I was surprised how quickly they could get back in shape after such a long break. As we finished third in the regular season and we could beat Statisztika twice the third place is a must for us. Pro forma we will play against them for the third place but the rules are supporting the weaker teams and if we win in the semi-final the doubles against Budaörs and RADONJIC or the others can win a match then on the other side the players could get anxious and out of focus therefore commit a mistake.” STATISZTIKA PSC I. – With both rookies and aged players in the team The club with great history is competing with underage players in the adult championship since years now therefore they can play freely without pressure. There can be no complaint about the preparation before the Final Four at the team of Stat. “Helga DARI and Anna FEJŐS have been training with the national team since one and a half week now Zoli BÁTORFI was really nice as he took them there which is a great help ” explicated it István FÜLÖP the head coach of Statisztika. “The rookie-aged Kendra MOLNÁR is training with the youth national team so everything is totally alright. We have a chance to surprise Kecskemét. We are talking about a more experienced team consisting of stronger players with the Serbian RADONJIC and Kata FÜLES who is dangerous against anyone but the system of playing until the fourth won match can give us hope.” The leaders of Statisztika are counting with Kendra MOLNÁR the talented niece of Georgina Póta at the Final Four on a management point of view as well. Her game can also be an interesting element of the event held at the end of June. SCHEDULE OF THE EXTRALIGA FINAL FOUR 28th June Sunday 11.00 Women semi-finals: SH-ITB Budaörs 2i SC–Kecskeméti Spartacus Sportkör és Közösségi Tér Budapesti Erdért SE–Statisztika PSC I. 15.00 Men semi-finals: PTE PEAC Kalo-Méh I.–HED-LAND Sportcsarnok SE Mezőberény CVSE Swietelsky Jufa Hotels I.–Szerva ASE Szécsény I. 29th June Monday 11.00 Women final and match for the third place 15.00 Men final and match for the third place Each match of the Final Four ends with the fourth won set of one team so the end result can be either 4:0 4:1 4:2 and 4:3. The last round of the single matches will not be held so after the doubles each player will play a maximum of two matches. In addition to the glory and medals the participating teams can also compete for a prestigious prize money.
