Tomorrow in the final of the ROMSTAL European Under 13 Championships in Bucharest Germany and Spain will compete for the title in the Mixed Teams Event. In the penultimate stage Germany featuring Tien Nghia PHONG Anna WALTER Amelie Guzi JIA and Lukas WANG overcame the French team of Noah TESSIER Lisa ZHAO Eva LAM and Nolan JOHNSTON with a score of 3-2. In the other semi-final Spain’s Ladimir MAYOROV Eloisa BARREDA Esther HASEK MENDEZ and Roger QUESADA beat Romania’s David TORO Maya MADAR Kariss SERBAN and Alexandru POP by the same margin. The final is scheduled for tomorrow at 19:20. The main draw of the individual events will also continue tomorrow. You can follow the results here See pictures here
Novi Sad to Host the 2025 European Veterans Championships
The ETTU Executive Board is pleased to announce that the 2025 European Veterans Championships awarded to the Table Tennis Association of Serbia will be held at the Novi Sad Fair from June 15th to June 22nd. Initially the Championship should have been held in Belgrade however Novi Sad provided with the best conditions. The European Veterans Championships 2025 will take place at the Novi Sad Fair the largest fairground in Serbia spanning over 200 000 m². The indoor area under the roof is about 60 000 m² and the space that will be used for table tennis competitions includes the two largest halls of 6 000 and 4 000 square meters as well as three halls for warming up. The atrium which connects the two halls will feature stands with information on tourist potentials a cultural info desk stands representing veterans’ associations from Europe the ETTU stand and stands for sports equipment. There will also be a large restaurant area with 600 seats and in the courtyard of the fairground which is a closed area (for championship participants only) there will be a food court fun corner music stages and a large parking area in the back of the fairground where the warming up halls are located. In total there will be 150 tables of which 115 are competition tables. The organizer will offer competitors accommodation in hotels in Novi Sad and the surrounding area with organized shuttle buses. Additionally various tourist tours will be offered along the Danube Fruška Gora visits to the monasteries of Fruška Gora wine cellars Vojvodina farmhouses and the possibility of organizing a visit to the capital Belgrade as fast train “Soko” wagons will be rented. Novi Sad was the Youth Capital in 2019 and the Culture Capital in 2022. It is a candidate for the Green Capital of Europe. It has a population of around 400 000 people. It boasts a beautiful sandy beach considered by many to be the most beautiful on the Danube in all of Europe stretching over 5 kilometers on both sides Novi Sad and Petrovaradin. Petrovaradin Fortress was built in the period from 1692 to 1780. It covers the area of 112 ha. In the foothill of the Fortress there is the Roman Catholic church of St. George with a convent which was built in the baroque style in the period from 1701 to 1714. One of the largest and best-preserved fortresses with the largest informal colony of artists and with one of only five tapestry ateliers in Europe. With a lot of restaurants it can be a good choice for a night out during the weekend. Registrations for the tournament will be possible a few days before the ITTF World Masters Championships Rome 2024 in July. There will be several price ranges with the lowest prices for early registrations. The number of participants is limited to about 3 500 competitors and the interest is huge especially from Balkan countries but also traditionally from Germany where the largest number of veterans are. Novi Sad has a rich history of hosting significant table tennis events including the European Championships in 1974 the European Youth Championships in 1988 and 2003 and the World Championships in 1981. Novi Sad also hosted the 2021 Europe Cup women complete season during COVID.
Romania Germany France and Spain secured medals in Bucharest.
On the second day of play at the ROMSTAL European Under 13 Championships in Bucharest four teams secured medals in the Mixed Teams Event. Emerging successfully at the top of their respective groups the teams will continue the competition in the semi-finals. Germany featuring Tien Nghia PHONG Anna WALTER Amelie Guzi JIA and Lukas WANG overcame Bulgaria Azerbaijan and Hungary to reach the top of their group. In Group 2 the host nation Romania represented by David TORO Maya MADAR Kariss SERBAN and Alexandru POP overcame Poland Israel and Switzerland. Spain’s Ladimir MAYOROV Eloisa BARREDA Esther HASEK MENDEZ and Roger QUESADA beat Portugal Austria and Ukraine. The French team which includes Noah TESSIER Lisa ZHAO Eva LAM and Nolan JOHNSTON succeeded against Türkiye Czechia and Sweden. You can follow the results here See pictures here
ROMSTAL European Under-13 Championships: Favorites Dominate Mixed Teams Event
The ROMSTAL European Under-13 Championships commenced today with strong performances from the favorites in the Mixed Teams Event. Group A: Germany featuring Tien Nghia HONG Anna WALTER Amelie Guzi JIA and Lukas WALTER triumphed over both Serbia and Sweden. Group B: The host nation represented by David TORO Maya MADAR Kariss SERBAN and Alexandru POP dominated the competition defeating both Ukraine and Montenegro. Group C: Croatia caused an upset with Mateo TERIHAJ Sara RIVETTI Karla IVCIC and Nikola JURIC overcoming the third seed Hungary. However Hungary managed to secure a victory against Portugal. Group D: Last year’s winners Türkiye showed their strength by overcoming Switzerland and Belgium. The Turkish team includes Gorkem OCAL Ela Su YÖNTER Ayten Ceren KAHRAMAN and Kuzey GUNDOGDU. Group E: The top seed in this group Czechia beat Greece but fell to Poland. Poland’s team consisting of Adam STACHOWIAK Lena PUZIO Lucja KOBOSZ and Hubert KWIECINSKI also prevailed against Moldova. Group F: France leads the group with two wins over Spain and Italy. The French team includes Noah TESSIER Lisa ZHAO Eva LAM and Nolan JOHNSTON. Group G: Austria’s team composed of Louis FEGERL Sophia PICHLER Jasmin CHEN and Seung Jin CHEN upset the rankings by defeating the top seed in their group Azerbaijan. Austria also beat Estonia while Azerbaijan overcame England. Group H: Slovakia the leader of the group lost both matches against Bulgaria and Israel. Bulgaria’s team featuring Miroslav SCHMIDT Polina ENCHEVA Beloslava BALKANSKA and Viktor DIMITROV also triumphed over Lithuania. Israel’s team including Nir ENGLER Gali BEZALEL Ofek NAHUSHI and Maor NICHANEVICH secured wins against Slovakia and Lithuania. The competition continues with teams battling for top positions in their respective groups. You can follow the results here See pictures here
Second Edition of the ROMASTAL European Under 13 Championships Commences Tomorrow
The second edition of the ROMSTAL European Under 13 Championships will kick off tomorrow with the Mixed Teams event. This exciting tournament will take place at the Polivalentă Hall (10 Piscului Road) in Bucharest from May 22-26. The competition will feature a strong lineup with 78 girls and 85 boys listed as participants. The title holders in the Mixed Teams event Türkiye have secured the top spot in Group D for the first stage. Germany last year’s bronze medalists leads Group A while Romania and Hungary are at the forefront of Groups B and C respectively. The tournament will see 29 teams divided into eight groups ensuring a competitive atmosphere. Among these Czechia France Azerbaijan and Slovakia have topped their respective groups. Notably Spain the silver medalists and bronze medalists Italy are in the same group as France and Kosovo promising some thrilling matches. Reflecting on the inaugural event in Croatia the first-ever winner in the boys’ singles was Italian Danilo FASO. In the girls’ event France’s Alexia NODIN clinched the gold medal. Additionally Titouan Morel-GONZALEZ and Eva LAM of France excelled in Mixed Doubles further showing the high level of competition at this event. As the ROMSTAL European Under 13 Championships unfold spectators can look forward to an exhilarating display of young talent and fierce competition. Follow the live stream at ETTU TV and results here
Margaryta PESOTSKA reached the last spot for the Olympics
The last ticket to Paris 2024 in the women’s event at the European Olympic Singles Qualification in Sarajevo was secured by Margaryta PESOTSKA of Ukraine. Previously spots in the women’s category were secured by Anna HURSEY of Great Britain Britt EERLAND of the Netherlands and Fu YU and Jieni SHAO of Portugal. In the final match PESOTSKA overcame Georgina POTA of Hungary. It was POTA’S third Olympic ticket match which she lost (10:12 8:11 9:11 11:7 11:5 11:5 5:11). “Everything was fine with my game in the first three games and then I lost one by being unlucky with too many nets and easy mistakes. Then POTA raised her game. She played much more cleverly. Also the tiredness took its toll. We were both very tired. I did not have enough patience; my hand did not listen to me. It was difficult to control the game. In the last game I just let it be ” said PESOTSKA. This will be her fourth Olympics. “This was the hardest one to qualify for. I played so many matches a lot of them went to seven games.” Margaryta PESOTSKA lost to Fu YU of Portugal in an Olympic ticket match earlier today. “I was upset and disappointed but I knew I had to rise. I had to be strong. I managed to calm down by talking to the people I love. For the first hour I was just upset and thinking of my mistakes but then I listened to music and talked ” said PESOTSKA. Previously she beat Hana ARAPOVIC of Croatia Tin-Tin HO of Great Britain and Dora MADARASZ of Hungary. In Stage 2 she beat Sabina SURJAN before losing to Jieni SHAO. In the group stage she beat Sabina MUSAJEVA of Latvia Sibel ALTINKAYA of Türkiye and Sara TOKIC of Slovenia. Georgina POTA lost to Jieni SHAO of Portugal in an Olympic ticket match after overcoming Sarah De NUTTE of Luxembourg and Izabela LUPULESKU of Serbia in Stage 3. In Stage 2 POTA beat Debora VIVARELLI of Italy Fu YU of Portugal and Hana ARAPOVIC of Croatia before she lost the Olympic ticket match to Anna HURSEY of Great Britain. In the group stage Georgina prevailed against Rachel MORET of Switzerland and Aikaterini TOLIOU of Greece.
Third time lucky: Yang WANG booked the last ticket to Paris
The last ticket to Paris 2024 in the men’s event at the European Olympic Singles Qualification in Sarajevo was won by Slovakia’s Yang WANG. Previously Panagiotis GIONIS of Greece Milosz REDZIMSKI of Poland Yaroslav ZHMUDENKO of Ukraine and Vladislav URSU of Moldova had claimed their spots at the Olympics. It was the third Olympic ticket to Paris match for Yang WANG. He beat Adam SZUDI of Hungary to secure his third appearance at the Olympic Games. “I played ten matches here in five days. I can barely stand on my feet. I never lost my faith and I kept fighting. There is a big chance that I have already secured my place at the Olympics by the rankings but I did not come here to lose. I came to fight and to win my place. After I lost I went to my room to cool down and put my thoughts together. Then I came back and played point by point ” said WANG. Today he lost to Yaroslav ZHMUDENKO of Ukraine after previously beating Dimitrije LEVAJAC of Serbia and Juan PEREZ of Spain. In Stage 2 he lost the last match against Panagiotis GIONIS of Greece after victories over Benedek OLAH of Finland and Vladislav URSU of Moldova. In the group stage he beat Nikola MIHAILOVIC of Bosnia and Herzegovina Adam SZUDI of Hungary and Anton LIMONOV of Ukraine. “I thought before the match against SZUDI there is no chance I will lose this one. Three times would be just too much ” added WANG. “Against Adam we were both too tired but as a player with a defensive style I had more chances.” In Stage 3 Adam SZUDI beat Lubomir JANCARIK of Czechia Benedek OLAH of Finland and Martin ALLEGRO of Belgium before he lost to Vladislav URSU in the match for the Olympic ticket. In Stage 2 SZUDI beat Paul DRINKHALL of Great Britain and lost to Mihai BOBOCICA of Italy. In the group stage Adam SZUDI lost to Yang WANG and beat Nikola MIHAILOVIC of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Anton LIMONOV of Ukraine.
Jieni SHAO and Fu FU Secure Olympic Spots for Portugal at the 2024 European Olympic Singles Qualification in Sarajevo
The winners of the tickets to Paris on the final day of the 2024 European Olympic Singles Qualification in Sarajevo are Jieni SHAO and Fu YU of Portugal. They joined Britt EERLAND of the Netherlands and Anna HURSEY of Great Britain. “I am so relieved and happy now. Last time I qualified through the rankings and it is so difficult to play this tournament. I am also delighted that FU joined me so we are both qualified ” said SHAO. In her final match at the tournament Jieni SHAO overcame Georgina POTA of Hungary (13:11 5:11 7:11 11:4 11:5) to secure her third appearance at the Olympics. “Each match in Sarajevo was very hard but the most difficult moment was the defeat against BALAZOVA. I was leading 3-0 and lost that match. However I never gave up. I always believed it was possible to win ” said SHAO. On her way to the Olympics in Sarajevo SHAO overcame Zdena BLASKOVA of Czechia and Ozge YILMAZ of Türkiye in the group stage; she also accounted for Margaryta PESOTSKA of Ukraine before she lost to Barbora BALAZOVA in Stage 2. In Stage 3 she overcame Tatiana KUKULKOVA of Slovakia before the final match. Unlike SHAO who needed only five games to book her ticket in the last match Fu YU was stretched to the full distance against Margaryta PESOTSKA of Ukraine (13:15 11:7 11:8 13:11 9:11 9:11 12:10). “I was in the lead 3-1 then I was trailing before I came back… It was an unbelievable game and it is too early even for me to understand what happened there. Two or three times I thought I was already out but now it is only important that I have this ticket to Paris ” said YU. YU lost to POTA in Stage 2 in the second round. “For me it was important to stay focused and to take each match as it came. I never lost faith that I could win it from Stage 3 ” said Yu. In Stage 3 YU beat Debora VIVARELLI of Italy and Hana MATELOVA of Czechia. In the group stage Portugal’s player prevailed against Sarah DE NUTTE of Luxembourg and Martine TOFTAKER of Norway.
URSU secured first olympic ticket for Moldova ZHMUDENKO booked his second
For the first time in history Moldova will have a table tennis player at the Olympic Games. On the last day of the 2024 European Olympic Singles Qualification in Sarajevo Vladislav URSU secured his ticket to Paris. In the second-to-last match of Stage 3 of the tournament Yaroslav ZHMUDENKO of Ukraine also secured an Olympic spot. They joined Panagiotis GIONIS of Greece and Milosz REDZIMSKI of Poland who secured their tickets after the second stage. In his last match URSU overcame Adam SZUDI of Hungary in straight games (11:9 11:7 11:4 11:4). “It is unbelievable. I could not believe I would make it. In Moldova we have never had a table tennis player represent us at the Olympics and I am so happy I am the first ” said URSU. The qualifications started five days ago with a demanding schedule both physically and mentally. “I had a very hard group with the top seed Alvaro ROBLES. Later in stage two I lost to Yang WANG who had already played here twice for the Olympic ticket. After I lost in Stage 2 I learned some lessons and studied my games against ROBLES to beat him this time. I made some adjustments with my service and it helped me ” said URSU. On his way to the Olympics URSU overcame top seed Alvaro ROBLES of Spain to avenge his defeat from the group stage and Lubomir PISTEJ of Slovakia. In the first tournament he was stopped by Yang WANG of Slovakia before overcoming Lubomir JANCARIK of Czechia. In the group stage he overcame Ioannis SGOUROPOULOS of Greece and lost to ROBLES. Somehow URSU always managed to upset the favorites. “Our federation does not have much money and I am not able to travel much to collect points. When I come to the European Championships or rarely to the WTT tournaments I always play well and create upsets ” explained URSU. In another match ZHMUDENKO overcame Yang WANG of Slovakia (11:6 11:5 11:5 11:5). He ended the match by praising Ukraine. “Last night during the big boxing match Oleksandr USYK beat Tyson FURY and WORLD champion Denys BERINCHYK also won. All my family and friends told me that I could not lose. They all support me and I support Ukraine. I dedicate this win to my people of Ukraine. It is unbelievable ” said ZHMUDENKO. On two previous occasions Yaroslav lost to WANG. “Today I was focused and had great help from my coach who joined my team thanks to OVTCHAROV. I am also thankful to my Federation and the German Federation for allowing me to practice with the national team ” said ZHMUDENKO. Ukraine’s player admitted that he had great doubts after his defeat against BOBOCICA. “It was a hard blow but I stayed persistent and round after round I got better and better ” said ZHMUDENKO. Yaroslav ZHMUDENKO overcame Cedric NUYTINCK of Belgium and Paul DRINKHALL of Great Britain. In the first tournament played two days earlier he was halted in the third round in the match against Panagiotis GIONIS of Greece. Previously he overcame Ovidiu IONESCU of Romania and Juan PEREZ of Spain. In the group stage Yaroslav beat Aleksa GACEV of Serbia Mattias MONGIUSTI from San Marino but lost to Italy’s Mihai BOBOCICA.
Anna HURSEY and Britt EERLAND booked their tickets for Paris 2024
The first part of the 2024 European Olympic Singles Qualification in Sarajevo concluded with the triumph of Anna HURSEY of Great Britain and Britt EERLAND of the Netherlands in the Women’s Event. HURSEY will play in her first Olympics while EERLAND secured her third appearance. Seventeen-year-old Anna HURSEY a bronze medalist at the European Singles Championships in the Under-19 category beat Georgina POTA of Hungary in her final match to qualify for Paris. The four-time Olympian lost after five games (9:11 11:9 8:11 7:11 4:11). “It feels great to win this match. Last night I woke up a few times. I was very excited. However I did not feel so much pressure because I am still very young ” said HURSEY. “Against POTA it was important to take away the pressure from my game. I played very well.” Speaking of the challenges in Sarajevo Anna replied: “The tiredness was the hardest part. We had so many matches. I am used to playing one or two a day in other tournaments but it was difficult here. I have played seven.” On her way to the final day Anna beat Harisa MESETOVIC of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ivana MALOBABIC of Croatia Marina DONNER of Finland Dora MADARASZ of Hungary Sara TOKIC of Slovenia and Tatiana KUKULKOVA of Slovakia. Unlike HURSEY who will represent Britain at the Olympics for the first time EERLAND will play in her third. Coming back from maternity leave the Dutch star performed at a top level in Sarajevo. In the Olympic ticket match Britt beat Barbara BALAZOVA of Slovakia (9:11 11:4 9:11 11:6 15:13 11:6). “I still cannot believe it especially considering how it all went. I had to fight for each ball. Of course I have some experience playing these kinds of tournaments but it takes some effort to get my nerves together and focus on the fight ” said EERLAND. Britt had a break after becoming a mother. “Our big goal was to achieve this success. There were a lot of doubts about whether I could do it again after pregnancy. It feels like a bigger achievement now. Not so many players come back strong after pregnancy and I am so happy. Of course the Olympics are ahead of us and we will see how will be there” said Britt. EERLAND overcame Elisavet TERPOU of Greece Sofia Xuan ZHANG of Spain Aleksandra JERSOVA of Latvia Hana MATELOVA of Czechia and Tin Tin HO of Great Britain before defeating BALAZOVA. “The match against Tin Tin was the most challenging. The pressure was so high and at the point when I was 3:1 down I was almost panicking but I found a way to calm myself and play the right tactics to win.” The competition continues with Stage 3. Three more tickets in each event will be distributed tomorrow. You can watch all the matches live on ettu.org and follow the results live here. Pictures you can see here
