First final leg to be held this Saturday May 4th (16:00 CET): UMMC vs. Fakel-Gazprom The 2012 TTCLM runner-up UMMC faces former four-time winner Fakel Gazprom in the first leg of the 2018/19 final scheduled for May 4th (16:00 CET). Coach of the host side Dmitry BALACHENKOV hopes that his team is capable to beat great rival in the all-Russian final. “The fact that UMMC club has reached the finals of the European Champions League – for us and for the fans of the club is a great result. We hope that our team will be able to play for the maximum opportunity as powerful as possible because this is the only way to beat such a strong team as Fakel-Gazprom. Everything will be decided on site” stated BALACHENKOV. Seven years ago Orenburg prevailed against UMMC in the first ever all-Russian final. BALACHENKOV hopes that this time winner will be team from Verkhnaya Pyshma. “Of course I really want our club to win. A lot will depend on the result of the first match it will predetermine with what emotional mood they will approach the match in Orenburg. There is a good Russian saying that at home even the walls help. We will try our best at the home match.”
Tarnobrzeg ready for its third ECLW final
This Friday May 3rd (18:00 CET) first final leg to be held: KTS Enea Siarka Tarnobrzeg – Dr. CASL First final leg of the 2018/19 ECLW will be held this Friday May 3rd (18:00 CET) in the Polish city of Tarnobrzeg where two-time runner up KTS Enea Siarka Tarnobrzeg hosts reigning champion Dr. CASL. Considering their position on the seeding list it was expected to see them in the ultimate clash as no. 2 Tarnobrzeg faces no. 1 Dr. CASL. Croatian side is determined to repeat its historic exploit from the previous season when they won triple crown. Dr. CASL took both national league and cup last month but their president Martin-Tino CASL stressed that the next goal is to defend ECLW crown. Tarnobrzeg’s coach Zbigniew NECEK believes that his team is capable to win home match in spite of playing against huge favourite: “They are defending a title Dr. CASL is a favourite with an army of great players. I expect really good show. We make a lot of efforts to promote this event to popularise women’s table tennis because such match is a fantastic opportunity for it. Of course this is our dream to win home match but we know it will be extremely hard.” Kinga STEFANSKA player of the host side believes that the current shape will decide the champion: “It is very interesting from both sides how to set up teams. There are many possibilities and one thing is to win the draw but for Tarnobrzeg’s players another thing is to go to the table and play best ever match because draw doesn’t play. Level of the players is so equal that deciding will be a shape of the moment in my opinion.”
Fakel-Gazprom arrives in Verkhnaya Pyshma
First leg of 2018/19 TTCLM final UMMC vs. Fakel-Gazprom to be held this Saturday May 4th Actual TTCLM season will be concluded by all-Russian final between four-time winner Fakel-Gazprom Orenburg and 2012 runner-up UMMC. First leg is scheduled for this Saturday May 4th (16:00 CET) in the city of Verkhnaya Pyshma while the second game will take a place in Orenburg on May 8th (16:00 CET). The recent Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Championships in Budapest wasn’t successful for the players of the TTCLM finalists bearing in that none of them managed to surpass Round of 32. That was the last stage for Orenburg’s line-up Dimitrij OVTCHAROV Vladimir SAMSONOV and Marcos FREITAS as well as for UMMC player Jonathan GROTH. Fakel-Gazprom players have arrived in Verkhnaya Pyshma today May 1st and their coach Vladimir ENDOLOV give his first statement prior the game. “TTSC UMMC is very strong club. It has well-known players of high level. All our players are in good physical shape. Team spirit self-confidence and great experience of the final matches in the European Champions League are the main advantages of our team. We strongly believe that all these factors will help us in the coming battle against TTSC UMMC and our team can win the most prestigious European trophy for the fifth time.” These two teams met in the 2012 final when Fakel-Gazprom won its very first title. Since than UMMC didn’t reach the final.
Bas DEN BREEJEN passes away
It is with great sadness that the death of Bas DEN BREEJEN is announced. DEN BREEJEN was granted the ITTF Merit Award in 1992. An honorary member of the NTTB who played a significant role in publicity on and promotion for the Netherlands table tennis. He died at the age of 93. As a freelance journalist Bas den Breejen has been very active in Dutch and international table tennis. For 35 years he was editor and from 1975 to 1985 editor-in-chief of the federation’s official magazine. His table tennis commentary and reports in the NCRV Saturday afternoon radio sports show became famous all over the Netherlands. For decades he attended major table tennis events such as the Olympic Games World and European Championships as a journalist and sometime as an umpire. Bas was a member of the ETTU Media Committee from 1974 to 1998 and a member of the ITTF Media Committee from 1974 to 1999 from 1989 to 1997 he was chairman and secretary. From 1973 Bas was a member of the Swaythling Club. In 1995 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Table Tennis Association he published the book “History of Dutch Table Tennis (from hobby to sport from pioneer to professional)”. In this book on which he had been working for many years he described the history of Dutch table tennis. In cooperation with national competition manager René van Dijk he compiled two more statistical books under the titles ’70 years in facts and figures (2005) ‘ and ’75 years in facts and figures’ (2011). His last book ‘From ballroom fun game to worldwide sport’ was published in 2012. In this book he approached as indicated by himself the history of table tennis in a scientific way. Bas was a man dedicated to table tennis. His work will be continued by the “Friends of Table Tennis” foundation he started. The foundation will continue to record the history of Dutch Table Tennis.
European Olympic Qualifications in Moscow
The European Olympic Qualifications tournament will be held in April next year in Moscow. The qualifying tournament on the eve of Tokyo 2020 will be held in Luzhniki where the 1980 Olympics games were held. It will be one of the events which will serve as a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Olympic Games held in Russia. “One of the most important European events in 2020 is of course the European Olympic qualification for Tokyo. We are more than happy to have entrusted this event into the very competent hands of our Russian friends. They will make a great performance including the 40 years celebration of the Olympic Games in 1980 ” said ETTU President Ronald KRAMER. This week the Russian Olympic Committee first Vice President Head of the Board of Trustees of the TTFR Igor LEVITIN was present at the LIEBHERR 2019 ITTF World Championship when the Event was awarded to Russia. “The right to host the Russian Olympic Qualifying Tournament testifies to the recognition of Russia as a country where our sport is actively developing. In a country we are ready to experiment with the rules of the competition in order to attract more fans and spectators to increase the attractiveness of table tennis in terms of marketing and entertainment component. For example today the World Championships is not played with one ball we have young people involved in collecting it as in the big tennis. This allows you to save time of the matches and strength of the athletes. And we talked about this to the international federation about 5 years ago not to mention that we have been playing that way for the Russian Championships for a long time ” reminded Mr LEVITIN. Mr LEVITIN invited all the players and guests to come to Moscow. “Taking this opportunity I would like to congratulate the fans and fans of table tennis with the upcoming tournament in Moscow where we will see the best table tennis players in Europe. “
a Long wins third straight World Championships title as eight-day epic ends in Budapest
A dramatic final day befitting of the last eight: Sunday saw more history made at the Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships in Budapest Hungary as both Men’s Singles and Women’s Doubles titles were decided. Only in February MA Long’s World Championships participation was in serious doubt. The 30-year-old had been out with a persistent knee injury for over six months. Even attending the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games seemed a distant dream. Winning the ITTF World Tour Qatar Open in March then made the world sit back up and pay attention. ‘The Dragon’ was on the rise again. Wind the clock forwards just a couple of months and MA now has his hands on the most coveted Men’s Singles prize in the annual international table tennis calendar for a third time in a row. His sensational achievement was confirmed on Sunday as he saw off the spirited challenge of Mattias FALCK (SWE) posting a 4-1 victory (11-5 11-7 7-11 11-9 11-5) in a gripping final in front of a raucous capacity crowd at the HUNGEXPO Budapest. The scoreline really only told half the story of an enthralling contest which saw FALCK threaten to fight back from 2-0 down. After winning the third game the Swede also led 8-6 in the fourth. It was at this moment that MA utilised his timeout clearly sensing the need to turn the tide. It proved a very intelligent move as he stormed back onto court to go 3-1 up and take full control of the match. When victory was confirmed in the fifth game he let out an enormous roar in tune with the deafening cheers of the thousands of supporters who have travelled from China and the world over to the Hungarian capital hoping to see ‘The Dragon’ create another piece of history. That is exactly what he did by becoming only the third player of all time to win three consecutive Men’s Singles titles following in the footsteps of Victor BARNA (who won four in a row between 1932-1935) and ZHUANG Zedong (1961 1963 1965). “This is a very special victory for me and I just want to enjoy the moment for now. I want to thank my Chinese supporters and also foreign fans for cheering me on. I am not only interested in winning this title but I also want to gain the respect of the people.” MA Long As for FALCK his remarkable journey ended here. The 27-year-old played an integral role during the event and became the first Swede since Jan-Ove Waldner in 22 years to reach the Men’s Singles final of a World Championships. How the world no. 16 has taken his game to the next level in the Spring of 2019 has impressed the world of table tennis and MA Long himself who expects the Swede to be China’s main adversary in the future. “He (FALCK) has improved his game a lot. I played against him last year in Halmstad and it was far from what he showed here.” MA Long FALCK too confirmed that he had played the best table tennis in his career here in Budapest: “Just give me one more year. I will be closer. I improved my tactics and I made a big step forward. Today I also learnt that not only tactics and skills work in MA’s favour. He is a very clever player who can adjust to all situations.” Mattias FALCK SUN Yingsha and WANG Manyu (CHN) are sitting on top of the world after winning Women’s Doubles gold in their first ever appearance as a pair at a World Championships. The dynamic duo and 2nd seeds staged a remarkable comeback to take the title from the grasp of Hina HAYATA and Mima ITO (JPN) who had led by two games to nil and were seemingly on course for first world titles of their own. However the top-ranked pair in Budapest could not withstand an exceptional fightback from SUN and WANG who surged to win the next four games for a 4-2 victory (8-11 3-11 11-8 11-3 12-10 11-8). “When we were trailing in the match we just tried our best because our opponents are very strong and competitive. We just told ourselves not to give up but focus fully on the task at hand.” WANG Manyu The first Japanese Women’s Doubles pair since 1971 to reach a World Championships final there would be no happy ending to the journey of HAYATA and ITO as China once again confirmed its historical supremacy at the event. This was the 22nd time that a Chinese pair had won the Women’s Doubles competition at an individual World Championships. The Liebherr 2019 ITTF World Championships will go down as one of the greatest of all time not least in terms of all the drama shocks and raw emotions it provided. From the moment that Men’s World no. 1 FAN Zhendong (CHN) was eliminated in the round of 16 quickly followed by that of no. 2 XU Xin (CHN) no. 4 Tomokazu HARIMOTO (JPN) and the sad withdrawal through illness of no. 5 Timo BOLL (GER) this was a tournament where so-called underdogs rose to the challenge and put themselves forward for the sport’s most prestigious silverware playing some exhilarating table tennis along the way. In this light special mentions go to Men’s Singles silver medallist Mattias FALCK (SWE) and bronze medallists LIANG Jingkun (CHN) and AN Jaehyun (KOR) ranked 16th 9th and 157th respectively proving the impressive depth in quality now on show in the sport. The Women’s Singles event provided its own rollercoaster ride of emotions not least for LIU Shiwen (CHN) who brought an end to her 10-year wait for gold at the World Championships defeating compatriots DING Ning (world no. 1) and CHEN Meng (no. 3) in the semi-finals and final respectively. Budapest indeed brought the best out of LIU also in the Mixed Doubles which she won alongside XU Xin on Friday while MA Long too made it two titles in the Hungarian capital by winning the Men’s Doubles alongside WANG Chuqin seeing off the challenge of Alvaro ROBLES (ESP) and Ovidiu
European family returns to Cluj Napoca for European Championships 2021.
It is to our pleasure to announce that the 2021 European Team Championships will be held in Romania’s city of Cluj – Napoca. “After having hosted the very successful European Youth Championships in 2018 in Cluj-Napoca we are very pleased to return to this wonderful city in Romania. The competence of the organising team is above any doubt. We are looking forward to another great event in 2021!” said ETTU President Ronald KRAMER. Romania already proved as a good organiser of the top events. “It is a big pleasure and an honour for me to announce that Romania will host 2021 European Championships for seniors teams event. In one word our dreams come true. With a lot of work ambition and perseverance we will write history not only with the performances of out players and coaches but as top level organisers of the competitions. Table tennis needs a new professional approach at the highest level we need to attract media and sponsors in our sport more than ever. Cluj- Napoca is the host city for 2021 European event and we have fully support of the local administration of the Ministry of Youth and Sport and the Olympic Committee of Romania. We have a strong team in the Federation and I promise a reference event in Romania ” said President of the Romania Table Tennis Association Cristinel ROMANESCU.
Silver medal for Mattias FALCK
LIEBHERR 2019 ITTF World Championships Ma Long clinched a third consecutive World Championships Men’s Singles title following the success in 2015 and 2017. In today’s final of the Men’s Singles Event at the LIEBHERR 2019 ITTF World Championships he overcame Mattias FALCK (11-5 11-7 7-11 11-9 11-5). No European player has ever beaten an adversary from the People’s Republic of China in a men’s singles final at a World Championships but that does not diminish FALCK’s achievement. He showed remarkable performance in Budapest throughout the tournament and he showed brave face and put MA Long under severe pressure in the final. “Just give me one more year. I will be closer. I improved my tactics and I made a big step forward. Today I also learned that not only tactics and skills works in Ma’s favor. He is very clever player who can adjust to all ” said Mattias. The importance of the match was underlined by way they both were prepared for the match. “Our President Liu Guoliang helped me with the preparations whilst on the other side Jorgen PERSSON worked with FALCK. Two World champions were involved which tells a lot about how important this was “said MA. MA added that he expects that Mattias will be China’s main adversary in the future. “He improved his game a lot. I played against last year in Halmstad and it was far from what he showed here.” Mattias confirmed that he played the best table tennis in his career. “My shape was perfect and I was very aggressive ” said FALCK.
Mattias FALCK booked his place in the final
LIEBHERR 2019 ITTF World Championships Sweden waited 22 years for the final of the Men’s Singles Event at the World Championships and Mattias FALCK finally made it. In the semi final of the LIEBHERRR 2019 ITTF World Championships in Budapest Swede overcame Korea’s AN Jaehyun in seven thrilling games. Last time Swede won the title was Jan-Ove Waldner in Manchester 1997. AN was the player with the better start but Mattias took the control of the match very fast. “Of course I was nervous. This was a huge match. I am so proud to be in the final and to see my name among so many greats of Swedish table tennis ” said FALCK. FALCK praised his adversaries game. “He is very strong and smart player. In the sixth game he changed his tactics and he put me under big pressure. I have to adjust and to change my game to be more aggressive. I tried but it did not pay off at the beginning of the seventh game. He was up 4:2. I missed few points I should put on the table ” said FALCK. After 2:4 FALCK recovered and made eight points in the row. In other semi final MA Long of China beat his compatriot LIANG Jingkun (8-11 11-6 9-11 9-11 12-14). “I will take some time to enjoy this moment tonight. I will be ready for the duel tomorrow.”
LIU Shiwen clinched gold in Budapest
LIEBHERR 2019 ITTF World Championships Silver medallist in 2013 in Paris the same outcome two years later in Suzhou at the LIEBHERR 2019 World Championships in Budapest for China’s LIU Shiwen it was third time successful. China’s LIU Shiwen beat colleague CHEN Meng in six games (9-11 11-7 11-7 7-11 11-0 11-8) to secure the women’s singles title and in a most appropriate city lift high the Geist Prize; the trophy having been donated by Dr Gaspar Geist in 1931 at the time the President of the Hungarian Table Tennis Association. “I must congratulate Liu Shiwen. It was in 2009 that was 10 years ago we first played against each other and for 10 years she has been working hard. I think I lacked experience in the final as I was thinking too much on how to fight back from the big margin. I have a lot to learn from Liu Shiwen and I hope to win this title next time ” said CHEN Meng Success and it meant a full house of title. After the agony of Moscow in 2010 when China lost to Singapore in the final Liu Shiwen losing to Wang Yuegu and Feng Tianwei since that date Liu Shiwen has been a member of ever Chinese gold medal winning outfit at a World Team Championships. “I think from the way CHEN Meng played in the final there has been a lot of improvement in her game both tactically and mentally. There was no huge advantage for me against her in the final but the key to my victory was that I played more relaxed and with a friendship mentality. There was a moment in the match I was just thinking too much about the title but I had to relax myself to play under a good atmosphere ” added Liu Shiwen
