2018 ITTF Challenge BELGOSSTRAKH Belarus open   Top seeded player on duty in the qualification stage of the 2018 ITTF Challenge Belgosstrakh Belarus open Alexander SHIBAEV of Russia successfully concluded the opening day at the tournament. He beat Kiryl BARABANOV of Belarus in straight games.   Alexey LIVENTSOV of Russia followed his path joined by Elias RANEFUR of  Sweden Joe SEYFRIED of France Patryk ZATOWKA of Poland…   In Women’s Singles Event Chiara COLANTONI of Italy was stretched to six games against Emily BOLTON of England but managed to win Valeria SHCHERBATYKH of Russia needed one less to beat Anastasiya YEPIFANTSEVA of Russia. Another Russia’s player Daria CHERNORAY create an upset and beat Laura PFEFER of France the top seed in group 8.   In the group stage of the Under 21 Women’s Singles event on home soil in their opening contests Tatsiana CHAKAVAYA Darya KISEL and Mahartya BALTUSHITE all impressed all emerged successful. CHAKAVAYA beat Ukraine’s Anastasiya YEPIFANTSEVA KISEL overcame Poland’s Julia SZYMCZAK whilst BALTUSHITE accounted for Russia’s Raisa SHIRYAEVA.   In Under 21 Men’s singles event ZOU Hancheng beat Denmark’s Andras DILLING by the very narrowest of margins; SHEN Zhesong recovered from a two games to nil deficit to overcome Russia’s Andrey SEMENOV SUN Zheng prevailed in opposition to Belgium’s Laurens Devos.  

“I am impressed by what the clubs in Linz are doing for the development of women’s top table tennis” stressed Ronald KRAMER   ETTU President Ronald KRAMER has visited Sportpark Lissfeld in Linz one of the most important places for development of women’s table tennis in Europe. He had a warm reception in the club guided by Gunther and Robert RENNER.   “I am impressed by what the clubs in Linz are doing for the development of women’s top table tennis. I think it is quite unique how Günther and Robert RENNER have built this up: excellent!” stressed Ronald KRAMER.   Linz AG Froschberg was two-time ECLW winner and one of most respectable participants of this prestigious competition since its foundation. In the ongoing 2018/19 ECLW season Linz is represented by two clubs Linz AG Froschberg and LZ Froschberg.   “What an honour for the international training centre located at the Sportpark Lissfeld in Linz: ETTU President Ronald KRAMER visited the specially for women and girls dedicated high performance location. The tour through the Sportpark was guided by Robert and Günther RENNER from the local clubs Linz AGFroschberg LZ Froschberg and SPG Linz who are also running the Austrian TT National Team base at the same location” stated Austrian club.  

China’s LIANG Jingkun beat his compatriot XU Xin in the final of the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum Liebherr Austrian Open   China’s LIANG Jingkun made history by winning the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum Liebherr Austrian Open in Linz being first World no. 80 (he went through the qualifying tournament) on the top of the podium at this event. The 22-year-old beat two top seeds in the last two clashes his compatriots FAN Zhendong (world no. 1) in the semis and XU Xin (no. 2) in the gold medal contest. XU who defeated Liam PITCHFORD from England in straight games of the semis lost the final match after full seven sets.   “I am very satisfied with my performance. It is my first victory on the ITTF World Tour and a great reward for all the work. Every player in Chinese national team is capable of winning such a tournament. I am glad that I could come out as the champion. Linz will have a special place in my heart; I must thank the crowd for the great support ” stated LIANG Jingkun for the ITTF website.   The Women’s Singles event saw all-Chinese semi-finals and CHEN Meng and WANG Manyu as the winners. They eliminated top seeded names ZHU Yuling (in the semis) and DING Ning (quarter-finals) respectively. CHEN was unstoppable in the gold medal contest winning it in straight games.   Crowns in both double events belonged to Japan. Masataka MORIZONO and Yuya OSHIMA from Japan won gold in the Men’s Doubles as they overcame Korea’s JEOUNG Youngsik and LEE Sangsu while Hina HAYATA and Mima ITO prevailed against China’s CHEN Xingtong and SUN Yingsha.   XU Xin and LIU Shiwen from China are the winners of Mixed Doubles. They beat top seeds CHEN Chien-An and CHENG I-Ching from Chinese Taipei.   Daily Schedule and Results World Tour Standings ITTF.com  Twitter  Facebook  Instagram  Youtube Live Streaming Photo Collection Flash Quotes  

2018 will surely go down as a landmark year for relations between North and South Korea.   Two summits between their political leaders in April and September concluded with them committing to an ‘era of no war’ as historic divisions between the two nations begin to fade away – no faster than on the table tennis courts.   Now both countries will be represented in the same Mixed Doubles pairing at the sport’s showpiece World Tour Grand Finals in Korea this December. Table tennis’ potential to unite on the world stage has never been greater.   The Peninsula initially raised attentions in the sporting world by launching a Unified Korea team at the 2018 World Table Tennis Championships formed of players from both sides of the border.   That marked just the start of the Ping Pong Diplomacy initiative led and funded by the ITTF Foundation as North and South Korea joined forces again at July’s Korea Open where JANG Woojin (KOR) and CHA Hyo Sim (PRK) claimed the Mixed Doubles title in front of a proud home crowd in Daejeon.    That pride continues to shine throughout this year’s ITTF World Tour with confirmation arriving on Friday that there will be a unified Korean presence this December at the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in the Korean city of Incheon after JANG Woojin and CHA Hyo Sim qualified by virtue of reaching the Austrian Open semi-finals in Linz.   “Having a unified North & South Korean unified pair at ITTF World Tour Grand Final means a lot to us ” declared Ryu Seungmin Member of the IOC Athletes Commission and former Korean table tennis star who claimed gold at the 2004 Olympics.   “This achievement represents a very significant source of inspiration both for Koreans and all around the globe. I strongly believe that the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals will be another big opportunity for us to step forward in promoting peace and harmony to the world.”   “The ITTF Foundation is very proud of the Unified Korean team. The players are the visible part of a process that exceeds the limits of table tennis and the limits of sport ” declared ITTF President Thomas Weikert.   “We thank Sports Master for the support of the “One Korea – One Table” project we congratulate the Unified Korean Team for their excellent results in the Seamaster 2018 World Tours and we hope that the message of peace and unity reaches the worldwide population. Sport is a powerful tool to promote positive social changes. It is up to everyone to live them day by day!”   Make no mistake about it: Ping Pong Diplomacy is in full swing on the Korean Peninsula. Long may its momentum continue.

Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum LIEBHERR Austrian Open   Liam PITCHFORD from England has recorded one of the biggest victories in his career defeating Germany’s Timo BOLL actual world no. 3 4:2 (11:6 11:6 5:11 8:11 13:11 12:10) in the quarter-finals of the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum LIEBHERR Austrian Open in Linz. The 25-year-old surely will remember this year as the best one in his professional career so far bearing in mind that he upset three top class players in three months: actual Olympic and World champion MA Long at the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Asarel Bulgaria Open in Panagyurishte former two-times European champion Dimitrij OVTCHAROV at the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Czech Open and now seven-times gold European champion Timo BOLL three-times winner in Linz.   PITCHFORD also won bronze medal with his national team at the ITTF Team World Cup in London earlier this year. He reached semis at the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Czech Open held in late August by beating top seed Dimitrij OVTCHAROV. Last month he climbed on his best ever place at the ITTF World Ranking list being no. 23 (now 24).   Both PITCHFORD and BOLL entered Round of 16 as the last two representatives of Old Continent. Englishman has prevailed against Koyo KANAMITSU from Japan in five games while German star overcame China’s ZHENG Peifeng after six sets.   Clash between PITCHFORD and BOLL was very important for both players as they wanted to provide the place at the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals which commence in Incheon next Thursday. With this win PITCHFORD has a chance to overtake BOLL currently placed at the no 16th on Men’s Singles Standings. But England’s player needs one more high-level performance in the semis against Japan’s Tomokazu HARIMOTO or China’s XU Xin.   Romania’s Bernadette SZOCS (world no. 19) suffered by the hands of China’s LIU Shiwen current world no. 6 in straight games of the Women’s Singles Round of 16. Quarter-final stage saw six out of eight players from China and one of the most exciting clashes so far in Linz: WANG Manyu vs. DING Ning (no. 2 seed) 4:3.   Ovidiu IONESCU (Romania)/Alvaro ROBLES (Spain) have defeated Martin ALLEGRO/Florent LAMBIET (Belgium) at the Men’s Doubles quarter-finals but lost to Japan’s Masataka MORIZONO/Yuya OSHIMA in the penultimate stage.   Three European pairs Katarzyna GRZIBOWSKA-FRANC/Natalia PARTYKA (Poland) Barbora BALAZOVA (Slovakia)/Hana MATELOVA (Czech Republic) and Elizabeta SAMARA/Bernadette SZOCS (Romania) have lost their quarter-final matches from strong Asian women’s doubles.     Daily Schedule and Results World Tour Standings ITTF.com  Twitter  Facebook  Instagram  Youtube Live Streaming Photo Collection Flash Quotes  

The 2019 ITTF World Veterans Tour will feature a professionally organized series of events linking the global community of players 40 and over including:   Dedicated ITTF World Veterans Tour website including event-specific pages; First-ever Veterans ranking system; Enhanced marketing and social media programs for tour operators; Consistent playing formats; And much more!   With seven age categories on offer and match formats including Men’s and Women’s Singles and Doubles events with optional mixed doubles and Team events this is very much a Tour open to anyone and everyone who continues to show their passion for the sport.   The ITTF World Veterans Tour is not just an opportunity for mass participation in an ever-growing veteran players community but also for host cities to put on an international sporting event with visibility boosted through the support of the ITTF’s Marketing Team. Hosts must start their bidding process with an expression of interest to the ITTF who will then invite bidders to explain more about their proposals and submit a detailed bidding form. The strongest bids will be shortlisted by the ITTF who will subsequently decide which hosts have been successful. It is expected the 2019 Tour will include between 6-8 stops.   Click here to submit an expression of interest and to find out more about the deadlines of the different bidding stages.   “The new launch of the ITTF World Veterans Tour will provide all table tennis lovers with the platform for playing and promoting the culture of the game worldwide.”   Mr Frank Ji Founder of Sportsmaster and Special Advisor to the ITTF President for Commercial and Business    “With our new strategic direction and a vision of ‘Table Tennis. For All. For Life’ we feel that this is a great fit for the veterans.”   Mr. James Morris ITTF Executive Vice President   “Don’t worry this is not going to be a Tour for the professionals like the ITTF Wold Tour. This is designed for everyone. It’s about participation. It’s about seeing your friends more often.”   Mr. Matt Pound ITTF Marketing Director

Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum LIEBHERR Austrian Open. FRANZISKA extends BOLL to full distance   Germany’s Timo BOLL and England’s Liam PITCHFORD will represent Europe in the Men’s Singles Round of 16 at the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum LIEBHERR Austrian Open as they have been successful in the opening round of main draw. Actual world no. 3 BOLL was extended to full distance by his countryman Patrick FRANZISKA while PITCHFORD (no. 24) has prevailed against Austria’s Robert GARDOS in five games.   Ricardo WALTHER was very close to the best 16 leading 3-1 against former Asian champion Jun MIZUTANI but Japanese managed to win fifth set by a narrow margin and next two games. One more Germany’s player world no. 5 Dimitrij OVTCHAROV lost to Chinese Taipei LIN Yun-Ju after five games.   Italy’s Niagol STOYANOV managed to win one set against top seed from China FAN Zhendong current world no. 1 and Austria’s Daniel HABESOHN suffered by the hands of Japan’s Jin UEDA.   In the concluding encounter of today’s schedule India’s Sathiyan GNANASEKARAN upset former European championships runner-up Marcos FREITAS after full seven games. GNANASEKARAN will face no. 2 seed XU Xin from China at the Round of 16.   Actual world no. 83 Kazuhiro YOSHIMURA from Japan has created biggest upset in the Round of 32 as he overcame no. 4 LIN Gaoyuan. YOSHIMURA reversed the score from 1-2 to 4-2. Six out of 16 players in the upcoming round come from Japan.   Romania’s Bernadette SZOCS (world no. 19) will be only Old Continent’s player at the Women’s Singles Round of 16 as she prevailed against Hitomi SATO (no. 13) from Japan after full seven games. SZOCS is going to play against China’s LIU Shiwen current world no. 6.   Regarding doubles events one all-European clash will be seen in the men’s quarter-finals Martin ALLEGRO/Florent LAMBIET (Belgium) vs. Ovidiu IONESCU (Romania)/Alvaro ROBLES (Spain) while three more pairs from women’s competition will join them among the best 8: Katarzyna GRZIBOWSKA-FRANC/Natalia PARTYKA (Poland) Barbora BALAZOVA (Slovakia)/Hana MATELOVA (Czech Republic) and Elizabeta SAMARA/Bernadette SZOCS (Romania).   SZOCS had one more mission today playing beside Ovidiu IONESCU in the Mixed Doubles opening round. They led 2-1 against no. 1 seeds from Chinese Taipei CHEN Chien-An/CHENG I-Ching but lost next two games by a narrow margin.   Daily Schedule and Results World Tour Standings ITTF.com  Twitter  Facebook  Instagram  Youtube Live Streaming Photo Collection Flash Quotes

Timo Boll is one of several players at the Austrian Open vying to qualify for the World Tour Grand Finals   Who will be in Incheon in mid-December and who will be missing out? The question that has persisted for almost an entire calendar year will be decided this Sunday upon the conclusion of the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum Liebherr Austrian Open.   With the competition’s preliminary rounds over business can now begin in earnest at the four-day event (8-11 November) held in the Austrian city of Linz and the stakes have never been higher.   When Sunday evening arrives there’s just one common statistic that will matter: who made the top 16 places in the Men’s and Women’s Singles categories and who were the eight highest ranked pairs in the Men’s Doubles Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles categories. In short who made it to Korea?   Nine male and 10 female players have already booked their spots for their respective Singles categories at the World Tour Grand Finals. By participating in Linz Chinese quintet FAN Zhendong LIN Gaoyuan LIANG Jingkun ZHU Yuling and CHEN Meng will also be on the plane by reaching the minimum required five World Tour events.   That would leave four places available in each category going into the Main Draw whilst it’s all to play for still in the three Doubles categories as well.   Top seed and eventual champion at last week’s Seamaster 2018 ITTF Swedish Open FAN Zhendong once again enters the Men’s Singles competition at the summit of the draw where he will meet Italian qualifier Niagol STOYANOV.   Germany’s Dimitrij OVTCHAROV seeded fourth also contests the upper half of the draw beginning his campaign against Chinese Taipei’s LIN Yun-Ju.   There are also several eye-catching contests between compatriots: JANG Woojin is seeking revenge against fellow Korean LEE Sangsu who emerged victorious in their previous meeting at the Seamaster 2018 ITTF China Open in June second seed XU Xin will take on fellow Chinese representative LIU Dingshuo and there is also an all-German fixture between Timo BOLL and Patrick FRANZISKA.   In the Women’s draw there’s an enticing all-Japanese match on the menu between Miu HIRANO and Hina HAYATA the former leading their ITTF World Tour head-to-heads 4-3.   Meanwhile the host nation’s highest seed Sofia Polcanova takes on Chinese rising star SUN Yingsha as Romania’s Bernadette SZOCS gets set to face Japan’s Hitomi SATO for the first time in two years.   JANG Woojin and Cha Hyo Sim from Korea Republic and North Korea respectively will be making their first World Tour appearance since winning the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum SHINHAN Korean Open in July thus boosting their chances of qualifying for the World Tour Grand Finals on familiar territory.   Daily Schedule and Results World Tour Standings ITTF.com  Twitter  Facebook  Instagram  Youtube Live Streaming Photo Collection Flash Quotes