Romania’s Robert Alexandru ISTRATE Mihai NAGY Andreea BAIASU and Alexandra-Maria DICU clinched the gold medal in the Under 15 Mixed teams event at the Europe Youth Series Bosnia and Herzegovina Open in Sarajevo. In the final Romania overcame Croatia’s Deni VALE Ante KOLAK Elena VUKOVAC and Leeloo HAN VUKELJA 5-0. In the match for the third position Czechia with Jakub KABELKA Filip RACAK Simona HOLUBOVA and Eliska VOZICKA overcame Croatia’s Oliver POLJAK Leo BERNAZ Lana BENKO and Franka MISKIC. In the Under 13 Mixed doubles event final Romania’s David TORO Alexandru POP Kariss Yasmin SERBAN and Maya Roberta MADAR overcame the combined team of Czechia/Slovakia/Croatia with Ondrej MORAVEK Bono HRNCIC Laura MARSICKOVA and Bianka BACSOVÁ. In the match for the third position Croatia’s Nikola JURIC Mateo TERIHAJ Karla IVCIC and Sara RIVETTI beat Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Niksa MARIC Beriz BAJROVIC Mia HADZOVIC and Katarina KUCUK 5-0. More pictures here
Brunetti Castel Goffredo secured their 21st title
Brunetti Castel Goffredo in front of their fans secured their 21st title in the women’s Italian championship and received the trophy in the presence of the Mayor of Castel Goffredo Alfredo POSENATO. In the first leg of the final round held in Bolzano the reigning champions dominated against ASV TT Südtirol and posted a 4-0 victory. Bernadette SZOCS defeated Debora VIVARELLI in straight games while Nicole ARLIA conceded only one game to Gaia MONFARDINI. The third match was fiercely contested with Andreea DRAGOMAN who was leading 2-0 over Solomiya BRATEYKO recovering and prevailing in the fifth and decisive game. In the last singles match SZOCS won a very long first game against MONFARDINI and clearly captured the following two. In the second leg held at the PalaTennistavolo “Elia Mazzi ” Castel Goffredo confirmed their dominance clinching a 3-0 triumph. In the opening encounter SZOCS and MONFARDINI shared the first two games and then the Romanian player raced to the finish line. ARLIA did not convert three closing balls and lost the first game to VIVARELLI but she came back and won three sets in a row. DRAGOMAN and BRATEYKO battled fiercely as they did two days before and the home player celebrated victory in the deciding game again. “We completed a perfect season ” commented coach Alfonso LAGHEZZA “made up only of victories. We are happy to win this 21st Italian championship. Congratulations to the girls because they played well in both legs and deserved this title but also to Südtirol because reaching the finals is not easy. Bernadette SZOCS is our strongest player and her wins take pressure off her teammates but her two points are not enough for us assuming she always manages to get them. We always need everyone’s contribution. All the girls were aware of this and responded in the best way. I am happy with the help that Nikoleta STEFANOVA gave to our team which goes beyond the technical aspect. However when she entered the field she did her duty. Also thanks to her we have a group where all the girls get along well and have fun. This aspect is important to have harmony and fight together in times of difficulties. This year Nicole ARLIA won everything possible in Italy and now she has to look beyond she knows it and become a protagonist on the international front too. She is a serious girl who works hard and deserves everything she has earned. Andreea DRAGOMAN was a very good new entry and I believe she can do much more than she did. During the season she had some ups and downs and we are already working with her to try to improve next year.” First leg ASV TT SÜDTIROL – BRUNETTI CASTEL GOFFREDO 0-4 Debora VIVARELLI – Bernadette SZOCS 0-3 (4-11 4-11 9-11) Gaia MONFARDINI – Nicole ARLIA 1-3 (6-11 11-9 9-11 8-11) Solomiya BRATEYKO – Andreea DRAGOMAN 2-3 (9-11 7-11 11-7 11-9 4-11) Gaia MONFARDINI – Bernadette SZOCS 0-3 (14-16 7-11 7-11) Second leg BRUNETTI CASTEL GOFFREDO – ASV TT SÜDTIROL 3-0 Bernadette SZOCS – Gaia MONFARDINI 3-1 (11-7 9-11 11-6 11-9) Nicole ARLIA – Debora VIVARELLI 3-1 (12-14 11-9 11-8 11-6) Andreea DRAGOMAN – Solomiya BRATEYKO 3-2 (11-9 10-12 5-11 11-6 11-6)
KS DEKORGLASS DZIAŁDOWO Celebrated Second Europe Cup Men’s Title
KS DEKORGLASS DZIAŁDOWO clinched their second title in the Europe Cup Men’s competition overcoming KS DARTOM BOGORIA Grodzisk Mazowiecki in the final. Dekorglass Działdowo’s President Ferdynand CHOJNOWSKI remarked: “The result of the two matches doesn’t tell the whole story but this year’s final was much more challenging than the one in 2018. Two Polish clubs clashed in the ultimate hurdle and Dekorglass emerged victorious over Dartom Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki with 3:0 and 3:0 victories.” “The total score of 6:0 might suggest a significant advantage for our team but we played brilliantly in the ends of the fifth games. Dekorglass players showed great resilience and secured the Europe Cup. However the final outcome could have been different. After the winning match in Działdowo it was time for celebration. We had t-shirts and champagne prepared for each player followed by a celebratory dinner. This evening will surely be etched in our memories.” The team consisting of Jakub DYJAS Jonathan GROTH and Kaii KONISHI was guided to success by coach Michal DZIUBANSKI. “The Dekorglass Działdowo club the City of Działdowo and the fans deserved this success. It was an outstanding performance at a very high level. We are immensely proud of the title and the way we played in the final. In both matches as a team we believed in our victory and achieved it ” stated Michal DZIUBANSKI. Photos here and here
PT 75 brought Finnish Championship Trophy to Tampere
PT 75 based in Tampere brought home the victory in the 2023-24 Finnish Table Tennis Championship League on Saturday at the Ruskeasuo Sports Hall in Helsinki where the four-team final tournament took place. In the final PT 75 narrowly defeated the reigning champions PT Espoo 4-3. In the decisive doubles match Otto TENNILÄ and Riku AUTIO defeated Aleksi RÄSÄNEN and Toni SOINE 3-0 (11-4 11-4 11-3). The championship team also included Aki KONTALA and Sami HATTUNEN. PT Espoo’s silver quartet consisted of RÄSÄNEN SOINE Arttu PIHKALA and Mika RÄSÄNEN. In the bronze match Kaiku from Turku defeated OPT-86 from Oulu 4-2. TIP-70 from Vantaa retained their league position directly while HIK Pingis from Hanko and Kaiku from Koski advanced through the qualifiers. PT Tapiola will drop to Division 1 next season with TuKa’s second team taking their place. Semifinals: PT Espoo – OPT-86 4-2 PT 75 – Turun Kaiku 4-0 Bronze match: Turun Kaiku – OPT-86 4-2 Final: PT 75 – PT Espoo 4-3.
Europe Youth Series Bosnia and Herzegovina commenced today in Sarajevo
The Europe Youth Series Bosnia and Herzegovina kicked off today in Sarajevo at the Sport Arena in Hotel Hills Complex. The event brought together young athletes from across the continent just two weeks before the European Singles Qualifications for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games (scheduled from May 15th to 19th) to be played at the very same place. The tournament began today with the Mixed Teams events in the Under 15 and Under 13 categories. In the Under 13 event teams from Romania are seeded at position no. 1 followed by a mixture of players from Czechia Slovakia and Croatia at position no. 2 with Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina teams seeded at positions 4 5 and 6. In the Under 15 Mixed Teams event there are 12 teams once again with Romania leading the seedings. Slovakia/Croatia is seeded at no. 2 followed by Croatia 1 Czechia Serbia Croatia 2 Bosnia and Herzegovina 1 Slovenia Sweden Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina 3 and 2. In singles there are 56 boys and 56 girls in the Under 15 category while in the Under 13 category there are 22 boys and 20 girls. For pictures from the event you can visit here
The Hennebont Ping Center opens the registration process for joining its Academy next season
The Hennebont Ping Center located in France and affiliated to the ETTU Network of European Training Centers opens the registration process for joining its Academy next season. Based on 20 years of expertise it is a 10 months program starting from September which gives the opportunity for players to train twice a day and compete in the French Championship during week-ends while pursuing their education online or in a French school. The Academy squad is composed of 30 players of all ages and levels from 15 different countries. Each athlete benefits from an individual table tennis and fitness training plan adjusted every quarter according to their improvements. Beside the 3 500 m2 multifunctional complex fully dedicated to table tennis which includes a fitness and medical center an accommodation center with 30 twin rooms lodges all the players. The Hennebont Ping Center is managed by the French professional club “GV Hennebont TT” 5-time French champion and 2-time ETTU cup winner. Apart from the Academy the Center also hosts training camps and international events such as the ITTF World Hopes and ETTU U15/U17 Development Camp. More info here Contact: Nicolas PETIT – npetit.gvhtt@gmail.com
Libertas Marinkolor clinches double crown after seven years Dr. Časl’s 27 trophies in 15 years!
The men’s team of Libertas Marinkolor and the women’s team of Dr. Časl emerged as the champions of the Croatian Cup. The team from Dubrovnik (Miho SIMOVIĆ Filip ČIPIN and Tomislav JAPEC) confirmed their double crown having secured the championship earlier. They clinched the Cup after defeating GSTK Zagreb 3-0 in the final. “We finally won the double crown. ČIPIN has been here for the fourth year and only now have we won both trophies. Something always went wrong for us in that Cup. We won the final 3-0 but it wasn’t easy. This season we played our best when it mattered most. We deserved everything. And the atmosphere within the team was excellent this season. Congratulations to the guys the president everyone in the club and the fans on the success ” said Miho SIMOVIĆ. “We’ve tried to win both titles on several occasions but we haven’t succeeded in the Cup so far. But this time around we were excellent ” said Goran RASPOPOVIĆ the club president who has been leading Libertas for the second year. “What’s next? Maybe an even bigger step in Europe! We’ve been thinking looking but without an additional player it will be difficult to achieve that. I hope we’ll qualify for the Champions League again but if we want to achieve better results then it will be more likely in some other European competition. The Champions League is a story of its own.” The last time Pituri won the double crown was on May 25 2017 when the team from Dubrovnik was also superior to GSTK Zagreb in Križevci. SIMOVIĆ and JAPEC were also part of the team back then. Seven years later the double crown has been secured again. After 2535 days from the first championship title Libertas Marinkolor has nine trophies in its treasury five championships and four Cups. In the match for third place STK Zagreb defeated Marathon 3-1. For the girls Dr. ČASL’S dominance (Mirela ĐURAK BLAŽIČEVIĆ Dorina SREBRNJAK Tamolwan KHETKHUAN and NI Xia Lian) continues! After securing their 11th championship title they won their seventh Cup trophy by defeating TIS 3-0 in the final. In 15 years Dr. Časl has won a total of 27 trophies 20 with the women’s team and seven with the men’s team and according to Martin ČASL the club’s president they don’t intend to stop. “In the final the victory was surprisingly easy; I didn’t expect this kind of win. We are the only club in Europe to have won five different titles: the Champions League the Central European Super League the Mediterranean Cup the national league and the national Cup. In a month we’ll be in Serbia to hunt for the sixth competition when we play the Grand Final of the Europa Trophy and next season I want to win the European Cup. We have a dangerous team. Of course all of this is worth it if our health holds up which is the most important thing ” said ČASL. The day before in the match for third place STK Zagreb defeated Vrsar 3-1.
Budaörsi Sport Club Clinches First-Ever Europe Cup Title
Since 2003 the Budaörsi Sport Club has been a fixture in the ETTU club scene. In their 21 appearances the Hungarian giants have finished among the top three clubs six times and they finally clinched the trophy tonight. In the second leg of the Europe Cup final they lost to Spanish side MUSEO DE LA ALMENDRA FRANCISCO MORALES 2-3 but with a 3-1 victory in the opening leg they concluded the season with the trophy presented by ETTU Vice President Sonja GREFBERG. Their previous accolades include a third-place finish in the Champions League in 2012 a final appearance in 2013 a semi-final berth in the ETTU Cup in 2019 a final in the Europe Cup in 2021 and another final in 2023. Tonight Marija GALONJA gave the hosts a hard time at the beginning with a 2-0 lead against Dora MADARASZ. The Hungarian Olympian recovered to win the next three games by the narrowest of margins. Meng JIAQI brought the Spanish club back into the game with a win over Helga DARI but Georgina POTA was not in the mood for charity. She overcame Patricia SANTOS in straight games to put the Hungarian club back in the lead. However it did not last for long. Meng JIAQI nullified Budaörsi’s advantage with a win over MADARASZ launching the match to the decisive clash. Marija GALONJA did not let the chance slip away. She beat Helga DARI to secure the win for her side. “We had an important lead from the opening leg and we were prepared for the changes in tonight’s match. I was playing in the number three position tonight and secured a very important win. Dora also gave us a valuable win over GALONJA at the beginning. It is our first trophy and we are going to celebrate it tonight ” said POTA. “It was amazing feeling to win this final in front of the home crowd. I am very happy that we could win this Europe Cup at home with this amazing team team spirit was a key point for our gold medal ” stated MADARASZ. ‘It was 19 years ago that a Hungarian team won the cup organized by the European table tennis association. the 100-year-old Budaorsi Sport Club is the first non-Budapest team to win an international cup. We are very proud of that ” said Team Manager Krisztina SZVITAN. SH-ITB Budaörsi Sport Club – MUSEO DE LA ALMENDRA FRANCISCO MORALES 2-3 Dora MADARASZ – Marija GALONJA 3-2 (5-11 8-11 13-11 15-13 6-4) Helga DARI – Meng JIAQI 1-3 (11-8 4-11 9-11 7-11) Georgina POTA – Patricia SANTOS 3-0 (11-4 11-5 11-5) Dora MADARASZ – Meng JIAQI 1-3 (1-3 11-8 7-11 6-11 5-11) Helga DARI – Marija GALONJA 0-3 (10-12 6-11 7-11) Opening leg Museo De La Almendra Francisco Morales – SH-ITB Budaörsi Sport Club 1-3 Meng JIAQI – Georgina POTA 2-3 (11-5 9-11 6-11 11-8 3-6) Patricia SANTOS – Dora MADARASZ 2-3 (5-11 7-11 12-10 11-7 5-6) Marija GALONJA – Maria FAZEKAS 3-0 (11-7 12-10 11-6) Meng JIAQI – Dora MADARASZ 0-3 (9-11 8-11 7-11)
KS DEKORGLASS DZIAŁDOWO Secures Title in Europe Cup Men
On their third appearance in a European Cup final KS DEKORGLASS DZIAŁDOWO clinched their second title. In two thrilling legs of the final between two Polish clubs KS DARTOM BOGORIA Grodzisk Mazowiecki was halted at the last hurdle. The trophy was presented by ETTU Vice President Ina JOZEPSONE. In the opening match Jonathan GROTH gave the hosts a dream start by defeating Marek BADOWSKI. Just like a few days earlier against Konishi KAII BADOWSKI lost by a death point. The Dane kept his focus and showed great nerves under pressure in a very close match to overcome Marek. The next match brought another five-game thriller; Milosz REDZIMSKI recovered from a 0-2 deficit to level but Jakub DYJAS withstood his spirited comeback to win by a death point. By doing so he secured the second needed point tonight and the overall win for KS DEKORGLASS DZIAŁDOWO. The title was secured. In the last duel Konishi KAII overcame Panagiotis GIONIS. “We are unbelievably happy. It was an amazing experience. Also we are so happy to have so many spectators supporting us on our way in Działdowo. I think that we showed a very high level of table tennis. Each one of us won put great effort and we did it in a fantastic way. Every match was so close; only one point decided the winner. My match as well as Jonathan’s against BADOWSKI were very emotional. The advantage went from one side to another and it was so exciting ending in a narrow margin. We gave spectators a very unpredictable match. We are happy that we won it in the end ” said Jakub DYJAS. KS DEKORGLASS DZIAŁDOWO – KS DARTOM BOGORIA Grodzisk Mazowiecki 3-0 Jonathan GROTH – Marek BADOWSKI 3-2 (14-12 8-11 11-9 8-11 6-5) Jakub DYJAS – Milosz REDZIMSKI 3-2 (11-7 11-9 7-11 6-11 6-5) Konishi KAII – Panagiotis GIONIS 3-0 (11-8 12-10 11-7) Opening leg KS DARTOM BOGORIA Grodzisk Mazowiecki – KS DEKORGLASS DZIAŁDOWO 0-3 Marek BADOWSKI – Konishi KAII 2-3 (7-11 11-4 13-11 6-11 5-6) Milosz REDZIMSKI – Jonathan GROTH 2-3 (11-9 13-11 8-11 4-11 4-6) Panagiotis GIONIS – Jakub DYJAS 2-3 (8-11 14-12 11-9 8-11 5-6)
KTS Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg Secures Third Consecutive Champions League Title
KTS Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg has clinched their third consecutive Champions League title marking their fourth in history. In the final the Polish club triumphed over France’s Etival ASRTT in both legs. The trophy was presented by ETTU Vice President Ina JOZEPSONE. As in the opening duel tonight’s match brought fantastic drama and fierce competition. “What a match! I am thrilled and delighted with the performance of the entire team ” said SAMARA who lifted her fifth Champions League trophy in her career.” Title goes to Han Ying too! Even she was not with us tonight we felt her here Once again Xiaoxin YANG showed no mercy. The player from Monaco defeated Camelia IACOB and Jieni SHAO in straight games. SHAO managed to beat Fu YU to secure the only point for the guests tonight while Elizabeta SAMARA was pushed to the limit against Marie MIGOT. “Tonight I showed my mental strength. With the death poin in the matcht it could have gone either way. I am thrilled to have emerged as the winner this time ” said SAMARA. KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL TARNOBRZEG – ETIVAL ASRTT 3-1 Xiaoxin YANG – Camelia IACOB 3-0 (11-5 11-9 11-7) Fu YU – Jieni SHAO 1-3 (14-12 8-11 9-11 7-11) Elizabeta SAMARA – Marie MIGOT 3-2 (11-7 11-8 9-11 6-11 6-5) Xiaoxin YANG – Jieni SHAO 3-0 (11-9 11-4 11-8) Opening match Etival ASRTT – KTS ENEA Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg 2-3 Jieni SHAO – Fu YU 1-3 (8-11 9-11 11-6 9-11) Camelia IACOB – Xiaoxin YANG 0-3 (8-11 4-11 11-13) Marie MIGOT – Elizabeta SAMARA 3-2 (11-8 12-14 11-8 5-11 6-2) Jieni SHAO – Xiaoxin YANG 3-2 (3-11 11-6 4-11 12-10 6-5) Camelia IACOB – Fu YU 0-3 (4-11 13-15 5-11)
