The Estonian Championship was held at the sports building of Tallinn University of Technology. The competitions began with the presentation of prizes from the Estonian Table Tennis Association for the year 2023 awarded to the best performers of the year. The winners of the awards are as follows: Best Male Player: Vallot VAINULA Best Female Player: Valeria HACHARD Best Young Man: Markkos PUKK Best Girl: Arina LITVINOVA Best Youth Coach: Liidia ANDREEVA Best Male Veteran: Rein LINDMÄE Best Female Veteran: Kai THORNBECH Best Chief Judge of the Competition: Aleksandr KIRPU The winners of this years National Championships are Aleksandr SMIRNOV and Reelica HANSON. Men’s Singles Aleksandr SMIRNOV Vallot VAINULA Madis MOOS and Maksim VUHKA Women’s Singles Reelica HANSON Arina LITVINOVA Airi AVAMERI and Kätlin PÕLDVEER Men’s Doubles Pert Marten LEHTLAAN-Madis MOOS Markkos PUKK-Mart LUUK Vallot VAINULA-Aleksandr SMIRNOV and Andrei MALTIZOV-Osqar PUKK Women’s Doubles Kätlin PÕLDVEER-Reelica HANSON Liisi VELLNER-Vitalia REINOL Olesja KETŠKO-Arina LITVINOVA and Angela LAIDINEN-Elis TÜRK Mixed doubles Aleksandr SMIRNOV-Kätlin PÕLDVEER Vallot VAINULA-Airi AVAMERI Maksim VUHKA-Vitalia REINOL and Toomas LIBENE-Olesja KETŠKO

Katarzyna WĘGRZYN clinched her third consecutive title and Samuel KULCZYCKI secured his second career title as national champions in singles. The 3-day tournament took place at the Andrzej GRUBBY Polish Table Tennis Training Center in Gdańsk. The youth dominated the competition. In the women’s singles final 23-year-old Katarzyna WĘGRZYN defeated 18-year-old Zuzanna WIELGOS 4-1 while 22-year-old Samuel KULCZYCKI defeated 21-year-old Maciej KUBIK 4-1. Katarzyna WĘGRZYN is gradually approaching Natalia BAJOR’S achievement who triumphed four times between 2018 and 2021. She only needs to win in 2025 to achieve that feat. In the semifinals in Gdańsk she defeated her twin sister Anna 4-2. It seemed she would compete for gold against the favored Natalia BAJOR but she failed to capitalize on 3 match points and lost to junior Zuzanna WIELGOS. There were no major surprises in the men’s competition. In the absence of Miłosz REDZIMSKI who was struggling with health issues the national team players dominated and all made it to the podium. In the semifinals young players defeated older ones – Samuel KULCZYCKI defeated four-time national champion Jakub DYJAS 4-3 and Maciej KUBIK defeated Marek BADOWSKI 4-1 (-6 12 5 8 8). Samuel KULCZYCKI previously won the national championships in 2021 while his doubles partner Maciej KUBIK played in the final of the most prestigious event for the first time. On the other hand Marek BADOWSKI has been a runner-up three times but never a champion. The final results in the women’s doubles were a small sensation. After winning in the two previous editions the WĘGRZYN sisters had to acknowledge the superiority of Agata ZAKRZEWSKA and Martyna LIS (2:3). Konrad KULPA and Tomasz KOTOWSKI the gold medalists from 2019 2020 and 2022 failed to reclaim their titles. They lost to Samuel KULCZYCKI and Maciej KUBIK 1:3 in the final. The defending champions from last year Jakub DYJAS and Patryk LEWANDOWSKI were eliminated in the early stages (their conquerors Szymon MALICKI and Tomasz TOMASZUK won bronze) and consequently their rivals from Płock Miłosz REDZIMSKI and Tomasz LEWANDOWSKI could not play together in the final. In the mixed doubles there were more candidates for the podium than available spots. Preparing for the Olympic qualifiers Samuel KULCZYCKI and Zuzanna WIELGOS suffered defeat in the semifinals against Tomasz KOTOWSKI and Katarzyna WĘGRZYN 0:3. Meanwhile in the gold medal match this duo lost 1:3 to Marek BADOWSKI and Natalia BAJOR. In this event the bronze medal was won by the oldest of the medalists at the Gdańsk event 39-year-old Tomasz LEWANDOWSKI. His partner was Paulina KRZYSIEK. They achieved an even better result in previous seasons finishing the national competition in 2nd place. Women’s Singles Zuzanna WIELGOS – Katarzyna WĘGRZYN 1:4 (4:11 4:11 11:4 5:11 7:11) Bronze madals: Anna WĘGRZYN Natalia BAJOR Men’s Singles Samuel KULCZYCKI – Maciej KUBIK 4:1 (2:11 11:4 11:7 11:9 11:6) Bronze madals: Jakub DYJAS Marek BADOWSKI Women’s Doubles Katarzyna WĘGRZYN/Anna WĘGRZYN – Agata ZAKRZEWSKA/Martyna LIS 2:3 (8:11 11:5 6:11 11:5 10:12) Bronze madals: Wiktoria WRÓBEL/Ilona SZTWIERTNIA Natalia GAJEWSKA/Alicja ŁEBEK Men’s Doubles Maciej KUBIK/Samuel KULCZYCKI – Konrad KULPA/Tomasz KOTOWSKI 3:1 (11:7 11:8 6:11 11:3) Bronze madals: Artur GRELA/Przemysław WALASZEK Szymon MALICKI/Tomasz TOMASZUK Mixed Double  Marek BADOWSKI/Natalia BAJOR – Tomasz KOTOWSKI/Katarzyna WĘGRZYN 3:1 (11:9 11:3 4:11 11:7) Bronze madals: Tomasz LEWANDOWSKI/Paulina KRZYSIEK Samuel KULCZYCKI/Zuzanna WIELGOS

Truls MÖREGÅRDH clinched his fourth and Stina KÄLLBERG clinched her third consecutive title this year at Halmstad Arena which hosted the Swedish National Championships. In the final against national teammate Anton KÄLLBERG from Söderhamn there was never any doubt. Truls MÖREGÅRDH led from start to finish and secured his fourth consecutive out of a total of five Swedish Championship gold medals in men’s singles at just 22 years old. “This was really great. I’ve been playing very well at the Swedish Championships for several years in a row now ” said Truls. “I’ve been playing superbly and love competing at the Swedish Championships. When it’s been as close as the last few times my family and relatives have been there and there’s something special that happens to me when I play in front of them. Both at the European Championships in Malmö and at the Swedish Championships I’ve been in really good shape and it’s super fun.” Another Swedish Championship gold medal is something Truls values highly and he is understandably proud of himself. “I’m super impressed with myself and it’s not easy to win the Swedish Championships. The fact that Mattias (FALCK) and Kristian (KARLSSON) who are returning after a bit of absence “lose” fairly early proves how difficult it is to win the Swedish Championships. Anton and I have consistently performed well and faced each other many times at the Swedish Championships so hats off to us for maintaining such a high level – I’m very proud of myself for performing well every time.” For a long time it looked like the final against perennial rival Linda BERGSTRÖM would be a dominating story in KÄLLBERG’S favor. But BERGSTRÖM stepped up her game and it took six sets before Stina KÄLLBERG could finally raise her arms in victory and claim yet another Swedish Championship gold. “It feels absolutely fantastic. My heart is still racing because it was such an incredibly exciting match in the end. It was tough in the moment when it was so close but almost extra fun afterwards ” stated Stina KÄLLBERG right after the final victory and her third consecutive Swedish Championship gold. KÄLLBERG got off to a strong start and was able to pull ahead to 3-0 in sets after a massive offensive. Offense was also the keyword for the strategy before the match. “We train with each other incredibly much so we know each other inside and out. The plan was to play my game and usually that works well but she started blocking quite effectively after the fourth set and then it suddenly felt very difficult to win points so I just had to keep fighting and hope she would make a mistake in the end ” explained Stina. “At 3-0 and 10-7 it felt very good and I started to relax a bit and it’s easy for your mind to wander a bit – what will I do if I win – and suddenly it slips away a real beginner’s mistake. I just have to learn from it.” Stina KÄLLBERG managed to seal the deal and at 3-2 and 9-8 she decided to just go for it. And victory was finally secured for the home player. The third consecutive Swedish Championship gold in singles was thus a fact. Additionally it was her tenth overall in senior competitions. “I hope there will be more ” concluded KÄLLBERG. Men’s Singles Final Truls MÖREGÅRDH Eslövs AI BTK – Anton KÄLLBERG Söderhamns UIF 4–0 (11–8 11–5 11–5 11–4) Women’s Singles Final Stina KÄLLBERG Halmstad BTK – Linda Bergström Ängby SK 4–3 (11–6 11–4 11–7 12–14 3–11 11–8) Women’s Doubles Linn OLSSON Fang ZHANG – Filippa BERGAND Matilda HANSSON 3-0 (11-9 11-9 12-10) Men’s Doubles Viktor BRODD Hampus NORDBERG– Anders ERIKSSON Anton KÄLLBERG 3–0 (11–9 11–8 12–10) Mixed Doubles Martin FRIIS and Filippa BERGAND – Leah MUSKANTOR Truls MÖREGÅRDH 3-2 (8–11 12–10 13–11 9–11 11–5)

The Lithuanian Championship was held in Druskininkai this weekend. The winners in their respective Men’s and Women’s Singles Events are Kęstutis Žeimys and Kornelija Riliškytė. Kornelija also clinched gold in Women’s Doubles partnering Emilija Riliškytė and bronze in Mixed Doubles with the singles winner Kęstutis Žeimys. Men’s Singles 1.Kęstutis Žeimys 2.Alfredas Udra 3.Arnoldas Domeika 3.Matas Skučas Women’s Singles 1.Kornelija Riliškytė 2.Vitalija Venckutė 3.Lukrecija Juchnaitė 3.Eivilė Abramavičiūtė Mixed Doubles 1.Matas Skučas/Emilija Riliškytė 2.Rimas Lesiv/Auksė Gecevičiūtė 3.Kęstutis Žeimys/Kornelija Riliškytė 4.Lukas Rimkus/Vitalija Venckutė Women’s Doubles 1.Emilija Riliškytė/Kornelija Riliškytė 2.Auksė Gecevičiūtė/Vitalija Venckutė 3.Lukrecija Juchnaitė/Eivilė Abramavičiūtė 3.Viltautė Adamonytė/Medeinė Stankevičiūtė Men’s Doubles 1.Matas Skučas/Matas Vilkas 2.Kęstutis Žeimys/Ignas Navickas 3.Valdas Martinkus/Rimas Lesiv 3.Ignas Šišanovas/Ervinas Uzialo

Held in Bucharest Romania the National Table Tennis Championships for seniors concluded in the singles events with victories for the favorites: Bernadette SZOCS and Ovidiu IONESCU. While Bernie clinched her sixth consecutive individual title for Ovidiu the gold won on Friday marked his ninth career National title. Ranked 9th in the World and a participant in all major tournaments worldwide Bernadette SZOCS joyfully attends the National Championship competitions each time. “It’s a pleasure to come here and I’m proud to represent CSA Steaua. It’s very nice to play at home in your country because many have come to support me. It’s a special feeling every time ” said Bernadette SZOCS. She harbors a hidden ambition: to set a new record for consecutive individual titles. So far she has reached 6. “Since I started this National Championship I’ve aimed to win the singles event because I want to set a record by winning it multiple times in a row. I’ve won 6 times in a row now and I want to keep winning for as many years as possible.” For SZOCS her results in recent years and especially her 9th place in the world rankings have enabled her to compete on par with players from Asia. “I’m no longer afraid because I’ve proven several times that I’m close to them especially since I’ve beaten them especially the two-time Olympic champion in a row. So I’m very positive every time I’m at the table with them; I give it my all and I love that feeling when I sense that they are afraid of me too.” Ovidiu Ionescu was once again in form and secured his ninth individual career title. “It’s a great joy to defend my title won here last year and to win my ninth individual title. The level at this National Championship was very high. I’m very happy that I managed to win again. It was a very nice atmosphere ” said IONESCU. Ovidiu first participated in the Senior Nationals in 2008 when he was 18 years old. Since then he has collected numerous medals in all events. “I first participated in 2008 so 16 years ago. At 18 I made my debut in the national senior team. It’s the ninth title individually I might have around 30 medals but I’m not sure exactly I admit.” For Ovidiu who resides in Germany the National Championships are also an ideal opportunity to come to his home country and spend some time with his parents. “I come to the country 3-4 times when we have training camps maybe I come to the country 4-5 times a year. This time the Nationals lasted 5 days so it was an even better moment for my parents and me to spend time together.” Brothers Iulian and Cristian CHIRIȚĂ defended their doubles title won last year. The two brothers have been playing together since last year and have ended up playing more often as a pair. They say there’s no boss in their team even though there’s a six-year age difference between them. “Last year when we both decided to play at the National Championship we played two matches in training and we lost twice with 3-0. But we said let’s see what happens at the National Championship and we played very well. We have two consecutive titles and I hope we win another one next year ” said Iulian CHIRIȚĂ. Women Singles Bernadette SZOCS (CSA Steaua București) Irina CIOBANU (CS Rapid București) Adina diaconu (CS Rapid București) Ioana Sîngeorzan (CS Gloria 2018 Bistrița-Năsăud) Men’s Singles Ovidiu IONESCU (SCM Gloria Buzău) Darius MOVILEANU (CSA Steaua București) Eduard IONESCU (CSA Steaua București) Andrei ISTRATE (CSA Steaua București) Men’s Doubles Cristian CHIRIȚĂ (CSM Constanța)/ Iulian CHIRIȚĂ (CS Rapid București) Ovidiu IONESCU (SCM Gloria Buzău)/ Alin SPELBUȘ (CS Rapid București) Darius TOMA (CSM Gloria 2018 Bistrița-Năsăud)/ Dragoș BUJOR (CSA Steaua București) Alexandru MANOLE/ Florin SPELBUȘ (CS Rapid București) Women’s Doubles Irina CIOBANU/Adina DIACONU (CS Rapid București) Bernadette SZOCS/Elizabeta SAMARA (CSA Steaua București) Elena ZAHARIA (CSM Constanța)/Andreea DRAGOMAN (CSA Steaua București) Bianca Mei-ROȘU/Andrea TEGLAS (LPS NR Constanța) Mixed Doubles Andrei ISTRATE/Andreea DRAGOMAN (CSA Steaua București) Eduard IONESCU/Elizabeta SAMARA (CSA Steaua București) Alin SPELBUȘ/Irina CIOBANU (CS Rapid București) Darius TOMA/Tania PLAIAN (CSM Gloria 2018 Bistrița-Năsăud)

The National Championship in Bosni and Herzegovina was held in Ilijaš organized by STS BIH in cooperation with STK Hašim Spahić Ilijaš. A lot of attention was drawn to the men’s final between the young and still a junior Benjamin ZIJADIĆ and the experienced Nikola MIHAILOVIĆ in which experience ultimately prevailed with Nikola MIHAILOVIĆ emerging victorious after a very tough and exciting match. In the women’s competition the situation was reversed with the experienced Harisa MEŠETOVIĆ and the young junior Emina CERIĆ reaching the final but this time the title went to the hands of the young Emina CERIĆ with a score of 4-0. In this Championship for the first time in 14 years and 14 titles won the most decorated player in Bosnia and Herzegovina Emina HADŽIAHMETOVIĆ did not compete in the singles competition as she decided to retire from individual competition and leave the new titles to younger players. Men’s singles Nikola MIHAILOVIĆ – STS BIH Benjamin ZIJADIĆ – STK Aladža A Sarajevo Luka MIHAILOVIĆ – STS BIH Edin GUTIĆ – STK Kreka Tuzla Women’s Singles Emina CERIĆ – STK Sarajevo Harisa MEŠETOVIĆ – STK Spin 2012 Sarajevo Enra SUBAŠIĆ – STK Spin 2012 Sarajevo Džana BIOGRADLIĆ – STK Spin 2012 Sarajevo Men’s Doubles Benjamin ZIJADIĆ/ Dario PEJIĆ– STK Aladža A / STK Borac Banja Luka Luka MIHAILOVIĆ / Nikola MIHAILOVIĆ– STS BIH Emir MUJIČIĆ / Anes MUJIČIĆ– STK Banja Luka Edin KONJIĆ/Kenan ZAHIROVIĆ – STK Mladost Zenica Women’s Doubels Džana BIOGRADLIĆ/Marija GNJATIĆ – STK Spin 2012 Sarajevo/STK Prijedor Ana SLADOJE/Enra SUBAŠIĆ – STK Spin 2012 Sarajevo Harisa MEŠETOVIĆ/Ajna ZLOTRG – STK SPIN 2012 Sarajevo/STK Vitez Emina CERIĆ/Sara HAMZAKADIĆ – STK Sarajevo/STK Bugojno Mixed Doubles Dario PEJIĆ/Džana BIOGRADLIĆ – STK Borac Banja Luka/STK SPIN 2012 Sarajevo Zijadić BENJAMIN/Cerić EMINA – STK Aladža A Sarajevo/ STK Sarajevo Raif FAKIĆ/Harisa MEŠETOVIĆ – STK Spin 2012 Sarajevo Hamza KAMENJAŠ/Marija GNJATIĆ – STK Hašim Spahić Ilijaš / STK Prijedor.

Luxembourg’s top players will compete this weekend at the Foyer National Championships at the Gymnase der Coque to determine the 2024 national champions in men’s and women’s singles and doubles. The defending champions from 2023 Tessy GONDERINGER (Rued) and Eric GLOD (Wëntger) are among the favorites along with other top-ranked players such as Maël Van DESSEL (Hueschtert-Folscht) Gilles MICHELY (Lénger) and Arlindo De SOUSA (Lénger) on the men’s side. Behind them promising young talents like Loris STEPHANY (Diddeleng) Tom SCHOLTES (Berbuerg) Gene WANTZ (Recken) and Aaron SAHR (Lénger) are poised to seize their opportunity having all demonstrated their skills in the AUDI League. Last year’s women’s finalist Enisa SADIKOVIC (Nidderkäerjeng) is expected to be the defending champion’s main rival. Sarah De NUTTE (Diddeleng) and Luka MLADENOVIC (Berbuerg) have opted not to participate in order to focus on collecting crucial world ranking points for a potential qualification for the Paris Olympic Games at the two WTT feeder tournaments in Beirut (March 19-24). On Saturday March 23rd the men’s qualifying groups (Category A) will take place starting from 12:30 pm. For the women (Category A/B) the remaining spots for the main draw will be determined in groups starting at 3:15 pm. The top players in each group of three will advance to the main draw for the men while the women’s qualifying groups will consist of four players with the top two from each group advancing to the main draw. The top 4 male and 2 female players in the ranking list are already seeded for the respective final rounds in singles; in doubles the competitions will begin immediately in the main draw.  On Sunday (24 March) the following matches are scheduled in the main categories: – 13:45 : ¼-final men A – 14:45 : ¼ final women A/B – 15:30 : ½-final men’s doubles A & women’s doubles A/B – 16:15 : ½-finals men A & women A/B – 17:15 : Final men’s doubles A & women’s doubles A/B – 18:00 : Final Men A & Women A/B  The doubles mixed will be played on Saturday: Semi-finals around 20:00; Final around 20:30.  

Salamina is capturing the attention of table tennis enthusiasts nationwide for the 2024 Men’s and Women’s National Championships. Over the course of three days from Friday March 22nd to Sunday March 24th this venue with a rich tradition in Olympic sports will not only attract the best athletes competing for medals but also create a festive ambiance elevating the prestige of this esteemed institution.  With cash prizes awarded for the first time in the history of the event along with innovative features numerous benefits and concurrent activities in the social and entertainment sectors 51 male athletes and 27 female athletes will compete under excellent conditions at the indoor gym “Olympian Nikos Grammatikos” for titles in the individual events of singles doubles and mixed doubles. Additionally this year’s competition spans three days a first-time occurrence aimed at avoiding scheduling congestion with all members of our national teams present except for Panagiotis GIONIS who will be participating in the WTT Feeder II in Beirut. Continuous live streaming will be available on the gre78 channel on YouTube. As a strong co-organizer of the HTTF the Municipality of Salamina provides significant support for these major competitions with vital assistance from sponsors in preparing various elements that enhance and elevate the Greek Championships. A total of 78 participants from 34 clubs nationwide have registered for the event. Twenty pairs will compete in the men’s doubles twelve in the women’s doubles and twenty-two in the mixed doubles. The action kicks off tomorrow Friday at 10 a.m. with the men’s singles group stage matches. In all singles matches up to the quarterfinals the winner will be determined by the best of five games while the semifinals and finals will be played using the best of seven games system. The doubles events will feature knockout matches from start to finish with the winning score always being 3-2 games. Eight athletes who have previously won the national singles title at least once will be competing in Salamina. These include the reigning champion from the past two years Giannis SGOUROPOULOS two-time winner Konstantinos KONSTANTINOPOULOS Giorgos STAMATOUROS Tasos RINIOTIS Katerina TOLIOU Ioanna GERASIMATOU and Konstantina PARIDI. Additionally twelve male athletes and seven female athletes from the Greek ranking tables will bypass the qualifying groups in the singles event and advance directly to the knockout stage. The top six favorites in the men’s singles in order are Giannis SGOUROPOULOS Konstantinos KONSTANTINOPOULOS Giorgos STAMATOUROS Tasos RINIOTIS Giorgos KONSTANTINOPOULOS and Konstantinos ANGELAKIS. In the women’s singles the corresponding favorites are Katerina TOLIOU Malamatenia PAPADIMITRIOU Elisavet TERPOU Konstantina PARIDI Ioanna GERASIMATOU and Dimitra-THOMAIS TSEKOURA. Groundbreaking Innovation: Trophies Crafted from Repurposed Ping Pong Balls An ingenious idea has led to a groundbreaking innovation in the league. The trophies and medals for the winners have been entirely “printed” using 3D printers with material sourced from the damaged ping pong balls collected through the Mediterra Institute’s recycling program! Over the past two years approximately a thousand broken ping pong balls (made of ABS plastic) from numerous sports clubs in Greece and Cyprus have been locally collected with Mediterra overseeing their free collection. Working in collaboration with this company EFOEPA aims to address environmental pollution caused by discarded ping pong balls after training sessions and matches which are typically disposed of in common waste. The opening ceremony will feature an archery demonstration by the Spartakos Salamina sports club along with awards presentations for athletes and coaches luncheons for officials and club representatives and a press conference at the Salamina Municipal Hall. Prize money of 1 000 euros will be awarded to both the men’s and women’s singles champions generously provided by Heads. Additionally for the first time in a National Championship a physiotherapist will be available offering 20-minute massage therapy sessions by appointment during the competition.  

From Friday to Sunday the town of Vrsar will once again be the center of Croatian senior table tennis. In the Saline hall new champions of Croatia in individual competition will be sought with Tomislav PUCAR and Hana ARAPOVIĆ defending their titles. Both have not relinquished the throne for two consecutive years and are the top favorites once again this year. PUCAR is the highest-ranked Croatian table tennis player but this year he will face an additional challenge. After two years of absence Andrej GAĆINA will also compete. It has almost been a rule that when the man from Zadar plays titles follow. Since the 2009/10 season he has won every time he has competed and in Vrsar he will strive to capture his 12th title. Recently he is certainly the Croatian record holder and it will be difficult for anyone to catch up with him even if they remain at their current levels. The two of them met last time in the finals of the national competition in the 2020/21 season and GAĆINA emerged victorious (4:2). It was questionable until the last moment whether PUCAR would compete but fortunately he is coming to Istria. And it is believable that it will be a final especially considering that Filip ZELJKO who has been the runner-up for the past two years and Frane KOJIĆ will not be competing. In the last two championships he returned from behind each time last year saving a 1:3 deficit against ZELJKO two years earlier trailing 2:3 in the final against the same opponent. “We know each other too well we practically grew up together. These are intense matches where the details decide. Since we often train together it’s hard to offer something new. We are used to each other’s shots serves… Right now he is in good form having defeated European champion Qiu Dang. It’s the same with GAĆINA whom I have lost to in several official matches including 2-3 finals. We know each other in detail there are no unknowns and in such matches mental strength is crucial. We often play each other in training and it’s about 50-50 there. But there’s no need to rush; first I need to reach the final and justify my status as the top seed ” highlighted PUCAR.”There are young lads who are looking for their chance. I may be the favorite but they have nothing to lose. These are matches where maximum focus is required from the start and they are pumped up as if there’s no tomorrow. They let loose have nothing to lose and can be heroes. I have experience with such situations in foreign leagues where I play and it can be challenging.” His biggest competition will come from young players like Ivor BAN and Borna PETEK. BAN has had a solid season in Austria facing several good players and winning medals at European competitions for under 21s. He has been part of the senior national team for some time. PETEK is among the top players in the Super League with a good sense of gameplay and surely has something to prove. Last year he won bronze and there’s no doubt that he aims for more. Additionally players like Leon BENKO who has a record of 21-5 this season in the Super League Ivan HENCL Luka ZLATKOV Leo VEKIĆ who had a season in Belgium behind him are all contenders. Rino VIDAN was stopped in the quarterfinals last year after seven sets by Miha SIMOVIĆ even though he was leading 3:1. All of them will be seeking their place in the sun just like the older generations where every point needs to be earned against them. “I played an official match with PETEK once and we trained together a bit but less often because he’s not with us frequently. BENKO and HENCL are always in the hall; whenever I come they are there. Let them continue like that. BAN is talented has a good serve anticipation. He is certainly challenging maybe even the trickiest of them all ” concluded PUCAR. In the women’s competition a similar situation is at play. The leading figure in the national championship is Hana ARAPOVIĆ who is defending both the senior and young seniors titles. In Vrsar she will not have her national team colleagues like Ivana MALOBABIC Mateja JEGER MAJSTOROVIĆ Lea RAKOVAC and Petra PETEK who will be in the hall after a long time as a coach or just a supporter as well as Dorina SREBRNJAK. The greatest competition for Hana could come from Ivana TUBIKANEC with the two of them meeting in the finals last year that ended 4:2 in Hana’s favor. Her motivation should never be doubted. “Not all girls will be there because they have commitments to leagues and WTT tournaments but still there are TUBIKANEC PAVLOVIĆ JAZBEC ĆOSIĆ CAKOL VUKELIĆ REBIĆ… Some of them have already won some are still aspiring. I don’t know exactly who will be playing so it’s difficult to say more. I haven’t played an official match with many of these girls for a while so you never know what to expect. The Croatian championship is a tournament like any other at first glance each match is a new story not too different. But it’s still somewhat special because it’s a national event all these girls are ones I have trained and played with for years… It has a special charm. Whatever I play I want to win and surely the same is true here ” emphasized Hana ARAPOVIĆ adding:”I have more experience now although the other girls also have it. I won two titles last year but it doesn’t create additional pressure for me. It’s not like I must do something. It’s up to me to give my all enjoy what I do. I don’t want to make big plans.” Andrea PAVLOVIĆ will also be seeking an opportunity having already been a national champion and enjoyed a solid season in Austria. Another contender is Ida JAZBEC who

There are several interesting aspects to the upcoming 82nd Danish Championships this weekend. The winners of the last six years Anders LIND and Jonathan GROTH are in Korea to play in the WTT championships. In their absence it seems to be a close race between Tobias RASMUSSEN Thor B. CHRISTENSEN and Martin Buch ANDERSEN who are also competing for the last place on the Olympic team which is qualified for the Olympics in Paris later this year. Alternatively could the legend Allan BENTSEN who has won 58 Danish championships outsmart the youngsters and win his ninth title in men’s singles? Will it be the Bentsen family championship? Allan BENTSEN’S wife the former Croatian national player Eldijana BENTSEN won her Danish citizenship on the 9th of March and became eligible to play in the national championships. Both are seeded as number 1 in singles and also top-seeded in mixed doubles. The mixed doubles will be quite a family gathering. Besides the BENTSEN couple the number 6 seed is the Danish president Henrik VENDELBO and his 17-year-old daughter Emma. Number seven seeded are sister and brother Pernille and Jonas AGDERHOLM. In men’s doubles Tobias RASMUSSEN and Martin Buch ANDERSEN are favorites to win the title as they did last year. Sixteen-year-old Maja Helene HANSEN and seventeen-year-old Emma VENDELBO are top-seeded in women’s doubles. Seventy-two players are participating in the 82nd Danish Championships in Fredericia.