2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships No. one seed in the Men’s Singles Event at the 2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships Tomas POLANSKY of Czech Republic is safely through to the quarterfinal. In the Round of 16 he overcame Vladimir SIDORENKO of Russia (6:11 11:13 11:3 11:9 11:9 11:7).   “I have played with SIDORENKO three or four times already and won each time so it was not much of a deal now but I should admit that he is a good player. He has beaten many strong players to get to this level and I appreciate how he does. I just proceeded in my style even when he was leading 2:0. After those two games my coach was not nervous or anything but he told me to change tactics so I implemented long receives and won points back. My next rival is Csaba ANDRAS from Hungary I’ve never play against him before but his will to win impresses me ” said POLANSKY.   In straight games Csaba ANDRAS of Hungary beat Tobias HIPPLER of Germany (11:8 11:7 11:8 11:9): “We have never played against each other before. I just tried to hold on to my tactic and not to let him play his game ” said Csaba.   Rares SIPOS of Romania prevailed against Stanislav KUCERA of Czech Republic (9:11 11:8 11:7 11:4 11:3) whilst Jiri MARTINKO of Czech Republic overcame Andreas LEVENKO of Russia (12:10 11:6 8:11 11:8 11:13 11:8).   “I started the match well I was confident. Today I mostly played backhands and it was fine. My next adversary is Rares SIPOS from Romania so I ca not say anything definite about what awaits me in the nearest future. All I know is that I am all ready to fight and impose my play it is unlikely that I will make any serious changes to my tactics ” said MARTINKO.   Ioannis SGOUROPOULOS of Greece beat Patryk ZATOWKA of Poland in straight games (15:13 12:10 11:9 11:6).   “I was 8:10 in reverse in the opening game and I was down in next but in both I managed to recover. We have never played against each other before but recently we have a chance to practice together in Sweden so I am familiar with his style of play ” said Ioannis SGOUROPOULOS who praised the conditions and the level of play in Sweden. ”I am very pleased with my progress there and I will stay there  for next year too. “   Darko JORGIC of Slovenia beat Marek BADOWSKI of Poland in five games (11:7 6:11 7:11 6:11 6:11): “I made few mistakes in the opening game and gave Marek few easy points. Luckily I raised the rhythm in next game to secure the victory ” said JORGIC.   Andrei PUTUNTICA of Moldova beat Russia’s Artur ABUSEV (12:10 12:10 11:1 11:9).   “The first two sets went not so well because I needed time to figure out the right tactics. Then I found my way and finished the match with good results. My adversary is a defender but I find it comfortable to play with him because he mostly attacks whereas some defenders master both attacks and defense. Actually I had a flight home today’s morning but I cancelled it and I am happy with it ” said Andrei.   Cristian PLETEA of Romania halted the progress of the last year’s bronze medalists in Sochi Deni KOZUL of Slovenia (11:6 5;11 7:11 11:8 11:8 9:11 11:3)   “I had difficulties playing with KOZUL he’s skilled. I have trained with him many times and he always beat me so I was a bit afraid before this match but everything has turned out in my favor. He has great services and I’m happy I have made it through this game ” said PLETEA.

2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships Top seeded player at the Women’s Singles Event Germany’s WAN Yuan inflicted the pain in the host nation supporters by beating Nadezhda BOGDANOVA of Belarus in the Round of 16 at the 2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships.   “This game was very demanding for me. Not only is Nadezhda a good player but I should also note that she is stronger than me. I felt uncomfortable playing against her but in the end it was me who won. I felt a lot of pressure from the tribunes but I tried to ignore the shouts and just play. What’s more my coach’s support was vitally important for me and in the breaks Tamara BOROS told me that I would win despite everything. She has never ceased to believe in me ” said WAN.   WAN Yuan succeeded after fierce battle (11:4 12:14 9:11 11:7 9:11 11:5 11:6).   “I’m grateful for the support of the fans it helped me through. I heard that people believed in me and in my victory so I was confident and did everything I could. My tactics for this game was to hit through the right as she played left but she had pimples on the right side so it was hard to strike as planned ” said BOGDANOVA.   The winner of the bronze medal last year in Sochi junior Mariia TAILAKOVA of Russia overcame Tatiana KUKULKOVA of Slovakia in the Round of 16 (3:11 11:8 4:11 6:11 14:16).   “We played last time against each other three years ago as cadets. I beat her in five games just like today. Her game has not changed a lot since so I knew that she had a passive approach and that I have to attack first. At some point of the match I lost a focus but my coach was there to rebuild my confidence and to bring me back in the match ” said TAILAKOVA.   Marketa SEVCIKOVA of Czech Republic suffered by the hands of Anna WEGRZYN of Poland (10:12 11:6 6:11 11:5 11:7 11:6).   “I’m so glad that I succeeded in this hard match. The toughest part of it was at 2:2 just after I had lost a game. I had to focus and revise my tactics so I added more top spins to my play and succeeded. I feel exhausted but happy ” admitted Anna.   Anastasia KOLISH of Russia beat Jamila LAURENTI of Italy (4:11 8:11 5:11 4:11) whilst in the lower half of the draw Valeria SHCHERBATYKH of Russia overcame Lisa LUNG of Belgium (11:7 11:9 11:4 11:7).   “ I had prepared well before this game and succeeded without any major difficulties. The hardest thing was to maintain focus throughout the match because my usual problem is that I lose concentration in the last sets. Hence the most serious part of the game was when I was leading 3:0 it was crucial to stay focused. Lisa Lung is a serious rival and I wasn’t really sure about the result of the encounter. What’s more I lost to her twice in the past ” explained SHCHERBATYKH.   Natalia BAJOR of Poland overcame Andreea DRAGOMAN of Romania on her way to the quarterfinal (6:11 11:13 13:11 4:11 9:11).   “It was our first encounter and I am very happy with the level of the game I produced.  I kept Andreea close to the table with the short balls and I was better in the backhand exchange of the rallies. I outplayed her ” said BAJOR.   Ozge YILMAZ of Turkey beat Daria TRIGOLOS of Belarus (9:11 11:4 12:10 11:8 8:11 13:11). However there were some consolation for the fans in the victory of Alina NIKITCHANKA. She eliminated the seed no. two Adina DIACONU of Romania (8:11 13:11 7:11 11:8 11:4 11:5).   “It was so great playing in front of such enthusiastic crowd. They helped me a lot and lifted me when I was down. Of course at the beginning was not that easy because it made me nervous but as the times went by I felt better and better. Yesterday was under less stress I guess the importance of the matches put some weight on my legs but it ended well ” said NIKITCHANKA.”The matches between Adina and me were always close but I did not want to think about it. I was just focused on today’s match.”  

2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships     At the big events always busy schedule does not allow a lot of time for anything but table tennis. The 2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships is not the exception to the rule. However the end of the day was the right time for a little gathering.   Today the Referees and Umpires from Hungary Lithuania Ukraine France Russia Portugal Netherlands Norway and Belarus gathered for brief photo session in the beautiful Falcon Club in Minsk. 

2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships   The winners of their respective Groups in Men’s Singles event at the 2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships in Minsk booked their positions in the Round of 16 to be played tomorrow. Top 8 players are: Tomas POLANSKY of Czech Republic Darko JORGIC of Slovenia Andreas LEVENNKO of Austria Cristian PLETEA of Romania Andrei PUTUNTICA of Moldova Andras CSABA of Hungary Patryk ZATOWKA of Poland and Rares SIPOS of Romania.   The players placed at the position no. two in their respective Groups also joined them for tomorrow’s battles in the main draw: Artur ABUSEV of Russia Stanislav KUCERA of Czech Republic Ioannis SGOUROPOULOS of Greece Jiri MARTINKO of Czech Republic Vladimir SIDORENKO of Russia Deni KOZUL of Slovenia Tobias HIPPLER of Germany and Marek BADFOWSKI of Poland.   Tomas POLANSKY concluded the second phase of the tournament unbeaten. In last two rounds Tom JARVIS of England lost against POLANSKY (11:4 11:8 9:11 3:11 11:6 11:6) before the top seeded player in the event accounted for Artur ABUSEV of Russia (11:3 6:11 11:7 11:7 11:6).   “I played against JARVIS a year ago and he beat me back then so I am proud of how I performed today. I knew from the very beginning that the match was not going to be easy at all I was focused on the process from the first point and through the game. I won first two games which proved as very important. I had to change tactics during the game: in the beginning I produced fast shots but it proved to be unsafe so I adapted to the situation and added patience to the table making shots more accurate in a slower manner ” Tomas explained how he beat no. two seeded player in his Group JARVIS   About the match against ABUSEV POLANSKY said:” I won the first game 11-3 which made me believe hat the match was going to be easy so I let go the situation a little bit. This is why I lost the second game so I told myself I had to be fully concentrated moreover ABUSEV’s play got better so I had to put much efforts to win.“   Cristian PLETEA of Romania overcame Jiri MARTINKO of Czech Republic (11:4 11:7 14:16 11;9 11:5) and Ibrahim GUNDUZ of Turkey (15:13 11:8 7:11 9:11 11:6 11:6).   “I started the game against MARTINKO with great confidence and played well. The third game was a tricky one with me winning at 16-14 there were lots of lucky balls. I was getting angry but my coach calmed me down and it helped me. Indeed the fourth set was finished with 11-9 in my favor I was relaxed while my rival was not ” said PLETEA.   Darko JORGIC of Slovenia beat Dennis KLEIN of Germany (12:10 15:13 7:11 11:4 11:8) and Stanislav KUCERA of Czech Republic (11:9 11:9 11:6 11:9).   “I won three games quite easily but I kept in mind that I had to be 100 percent concentrated on the game nothing more. It was proven when I was leading 7-2 in one of the games and then it became 7-7 in split second so then I realized I wasn’t focused all the time. This is very important” reflected JORGIC.   Andreas LEVENKO of Austria lost two games in last two matches. He beat Carlo ROSSI of Italy (15:13 11:8 11:6 11:7) and then Malte MOREGARD of Sweden (11:2 5:11 9:11 13:11 13:11 11:3).   “Everything worked fine except my receives. MOREGARD has the strongest services of all players here in my opinion. When I started losing points I decided to put the ball to the table and this change was the key to success” said LEVENKO.   The biggest upset so far at the tournament was made by Csaba ANDRAS of Hungary. He was placed only at the position no. four in group F but he managed to find his way to the top. In last two games he succeeded. He beat Konstantin CHERNOV of Russia (9:11 11:13 11:13 11:7 11:6 11:1 10:12) and Aliaksandr KHANIN of Belarus (11:2 11:3 11:8 12:10).   “I’m tired now after having played two days of the competition. When I finished my previous match my coach told me that it would be better next time but now I feel I’m not in my best. Anyway I’m happy that I’m the first in my group although some people call it “the group of death”. Also I’m the youngest player in men’s singles at this tournament I’m 15 now ” reminded Csaba.   As it was expected the matches involved Romania’s Rares SIPOS could not conclude without the drama but this time there was a happy end for Romania’s player. In the last match of the day against Marek BADOWSKI of Poland he was stretched to full distance (11:3 7:11 11:9 11:7 8:11 8:11 11:8) before he succeeded. SIPOS previously also overcame Anders LIND of Denmark (15:134 11:9 8:11 11:6 11:5).   “I had had a lot of pressure put on me before the match because I played with my rival in Sochi the last year and I lost that game. I knew I had to win because elsewhere I would have been at the second place. I’m the first in my group that’s a pleasure for me ” said SIPOS at the end of the day.     Patryk ZATOWKA overcame Tobias HIPPLER of Germany (5:11 11:9 11:4 11:7 11:6) and Maciej KOLODZIJCZYK of Austria (7:11 11:9 11:7 8:11 11:7 13:11).   “ I played softly in the first set and that was my mistake. More force – more points. 6 games is alright but it could have been better ” said ZATOWKA.

2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships Top seeded player in Women’s Singles Event WAN Yuan of Germany booked her place in the third stage of the 2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships. In the Round of 16 will also play Adina DIACONU of Romania Anastasia KOLISH of Russia Daria TRIGOLOS of Belarus Natalia BAJOR of Poland Mariia TAILAKOVA of Russia Valeria SHCHERBATYKH of Russia and Anna WEGRZYN of Poland as the winners of their respective Groups.   From the position two in their Groups to the Main draw progressed Ozge YILMAZ of Turkey Jamila LAURENTI of Italy Alina NIKITCHANKA of Belarus Tatiana KUKULOVA of Slovakia Nadezhda BOGDANOVA of Belarus Andreea DRAGOMAN of Romania and Lisa LUNG of Belgium.   In the second return to the table today WAN Yuan overcame Rebekka CARLSEN of Norway (11:6 11:9 11:9 11:1).   “Today’s match was hard despite the final score. The first two sets were really close but then I regained focus and did much better ” said WAN before she beat Julia SLAZAK of Poland in full seven games thriller (11:13 10:12 5:11 11:2 11:5 11:8 11:6).   Adina DIACONU beat Andrea PAVLOVIC of Croatia (11:8 11:8 11:7 11:4) and Jamila LAURENTI of Italy (8:11 11:5 11:4 11:9 11:3).   “It was difficult to play today due to this new rubber. The play of Jamila was very strange too. I needed time to get accustomed to her style so that is what I did in the first set. After that I felt much better and things went just fine ” said Adina.   In Group C Anastasia KOLISH of Russia exceeded her position and took the first place from Alina NIKITCHANKA of Belarus. KOLISH beat host nation representative (11:3 11:8 7:11 5:11 11:4 3:11 7:11) and Anna KIRICHENKO of Finland (11:7 11:6 7:11 11:7 11:5).   “I feel that it’s much easier for me to play now than it was yesterday. The first matches are hard because we warm up and trying to read one another’s styles and personalities and now we know a lot about who’s who. Maybe that’s why this game was simple for me” said KOLISH.   Daria TRIGOLOS maintained unbeaten status. In the afternoon program she overcame Tatiana KUKULOVA of Slovakia (9:11 11:8 11:9 11:4 11:5) and Fanni HARASZTOVICH of Hungary (11:6 8:11 11:6 11:4 10:12 11:9).   “I did my best to get the first place in the Group. I was nervous and I knew it would be difficult to reach my goal. Through the three games that I played today I felt the ball but lost focus sometimes. For example games 2 and 5 in last match: I opened them good but then something went wrong which resulted in losing points. It was the first time that I played with HARASZTOVICH and it was tough. Maybe it was for the psychological factor too – I knew I was going to be the first in the Group and this caused tension ” admitted TRIGOLOS. “Support is very important for me and today I felt extremely confident thanks to the Belarusian fans. I am usually anxious but not this time. I’d say that the second match was harder than the first one. In the beginning I was unaware of what to do but having understood the situation at the table I developed my strategy and imposed my play to Tatiana KUKULKOVA which she couldn’t handle.”   Natalia BAJOR of Poland overcame Marketa SEVCIKOVA of Czech Republic (11:6 11:5 7:11 11:9 12:10) and Simay KULAKCEKEN of Turkey (11:4 11:134 13:11 11:6 11:7).   “The last match was hard but I managed. I have won 4:1 and this result needed focus at every point so I was. I mainly served long and short backhands because I knew my adversary could hardly receive them ” explained BAJOR.   Valeria SHCHERBATYKH of Russia beat Nadezdha BOGDANOVA of Belarus (7:11 11:13 11:9 11:13 9:11) and Airi AVEMERI of Estonia (13:11 12:10 11:5 12:10).   “I had prepared seriously for the match against Airi because I knew I had to win here. I’ve got used to the ball and to the venue already so now I can play like I always do. Avameri is a non-standard player with tricky style but I’ve already faced an athlete with such play in Russia so I knew what to expect from her. “

2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships   Top seeded player in the Men’s Singles Event at the 2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships Tomas POLANSKY of Czech Republic had a safe start of the competition day in Minsk.   On his first coming to the table POLANSKY overcame Thomas GRININGER of Germany (11:2 11:7 11:6 13:11). In the same Group Artur ABUSEV of Russia created the upset by beating Tom JARVIS of England (6:11 4:11 6:11 12:10 7;11).   “ I had some difficulties yesterday. In the previous match it was no sooner that I started leading when I realized I could win. Today I feel much more focused and prepared. Jarvis has played the majority of games with defenders. I am a defender too so I knew what he could bring up. I started leading at the beginning and kept this mood till the end of the game ” said ABUSEV.   Darko JORGIC of Slovenia no. two seed faced serious pressure in the match against Tomasz KOTOWSKI of Czech Republic (7:11 11:2 11:4 11:5 5:11 8:11 11:5) but prevailed after the fierce battle.   “ It is my first match so I am probably not in the nest shape I hope it will get better in the upcoming games. I have played against KOTOWSKI many times before and I lost some of those matches against him. The last set was nervous for me I had to push to the table and just make points one by one ” explained JORGIC.   In the same Group Stanislav KUCERA of Czech Republic beat the odds and overcame Dennis KLEIN of Germany (8:11 9:11 7:11 8:11).   “I felt comfortable in this game. I beat KLEIN last time we meet. He’s not so good with defense while I was safe and made no mistakes. At some moments I changed the direction of my spins which confused him and helped me scored 3-4 extra points in every game ” said KUCERA.   Andreas LEVENKO of Austria avenged his last year’s defeat at the European U 21 Championships in Sochi against Ioannis SGOUROPOULOS of Greece (11:9 4:11 11:8 14:12 10:12 11:9).   “The match was tricky. I’ve played against him a couple of times before but I feel like I still need to heat up my play in this tournament. My strategy for this match was to be safe no surprises today ” said LEVENKO.   In the same Group Jiri MARTINKO of Czech Republic beat Ibrahim GUNDUZ of Turkey (12:10 12:10 11:8 11:6).   “I won two first games by narrow margin which was very important for me. After that I saw clearly that MARTINKO was under great pressure whereas I did well and implied my tactics. Everything was done neatly ” said MARTINKO.   Cristian PLETEA of Romania needed five games to overcame Luka MLADENOVIC of Luxembourg (11:5 11:3 10:12 11:5 11:5).   “I saw how MLADENOVIC played yesterday so I knew what to expect. Still his play style is strange he is a good athlete. He performs nice spins in forehand which gave me the idea of how to withstand him and I was focused on the match from the very first point. I am a bit scared of what is to be next but I will do my best at this tournament ” said PLETEA.   Bence MAJAROS of Hungary was first in line of top seeded players to suffer. He lost against Vladimir SIDORENKO of Russia (9:11 9:11 11:7 11:8 11:7 8:11 6:11). Aliaksandr KHANIN of Belarus was the next. He lost against Konstantin CHERNOV of Russia (6:11 11:5 14:16 9:11 15:13 8:11).   “Alexander and I know each other pretty well so we both knew it will not be an easy game. I won the first game quite decisively but it was harder to make the lead in the rest of the match. I mainly performed short shots through the right that’s my technique ” explained CHERNOV.   In the same Group another upset came from Csaba ANDRAS from Hungary. He overcame Denik KOZUL of Slovenia (9:11 8:11 3:11 8:11). “I am happy with how it all went. I think my rival was nervous he made mistakes and I had the right tactics. I played backhand with spins. In the last set nervousness came but I finished the game successful.”   Andrei PUTUNTICA of Moldova overcame Aleksandr LUSIN of Estonia (11:4 11:8 11:2 5:11 11:9) : “I felt good in this match it wasn’t anything extraordinary that I had to perform to win. I know LUSIN just as well as he knows me he does great in defense.”   Patryk ZATOWKA of Poland overcame Abdullah YINGLER of Turkey (12:10 7:11 1:11 12:10 11:5 11:6). Rares SIPOS of Romania prevailed against Konstantinos ANGELAKIS of Greece (11:7 5:11 7:11 11:9 11:2 11:8).   “I did not expect to win because few weeks ago I was ill. I did not play anything recently in order to recover as much as I can for this Championships. I only played at the Romanian National Championships ” explained SIPOS.   Anders LIND of Denmark accounted for Marek BADOWSKI of Poland (11:8 9:11 7:11 11:5 5:11 11:9 11:9).   “I had not the best feeling concerning this game and it turned out to be very hard indeed. My tactics was perfect but I couldn’t help missing key shots. I’ve played with BADOWSKI two times before this encounter and I won once only ” summarized LIND.     Tobias HIPPLER of Germany overcame Maicej KOLODZIEJCZYK of Austria (11:9 5:11 11:5 11:7 11:5).   “Actually yesterday’s match with BADOWSKI was more difficult for me than today’s one. I played against KOLODZIEJCZYK in Juniors so I knew what to expect. Also it’s much easier to win when you lead-the adversary becomes under stress and it’s harder to play ” explained HIPPLER.

2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships   The top 8 players entered the game today at the 2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships. In Women’s Singles Event in the morning session none of the top seeds faced severe pressure.   Top seeded WAN Yuan of Germany faced Ozge YILOMAZ of Turkey (12:10 10:12 11:5 11:8 11:7) but her adversary managed only to win the set. However the two opening games were very close but when WAN settled into the rhythm it was the one-way street. Adina DIACONU of Romania also needed some time to warm up and it looked that Sabina SURJAN of Serbia can produce the upset but eventually DIACONU showed her power (12:10 11:9 11:2 11:9).   In Group with Adina Jamila LAURENTI of Italy beat the odds and overcame Andrea PAVLOVICH of Croatia (9:11 7:11 15:13 10:12 11:5 12:10 7:11).   “That was a tough one. I was leading 3:1 in games when I lost focus which led to the loss of the fifth set. In that set I let myself relax and thought of winning the match already but this was a mistake and I paid for it. Nonetheless I managed to regain concentration and finished the game in my favor ” explained LAURENTI.   The host nation’s ace Alina NIKITCHANKA followed the path in the duel against Anna KRIOSHENKO of Finland (11:6 11:4 11:6 11:7).   “I was anxious before the start. It is my first match in Singles so I was a bit hesitative even though I played in Doubles yesterday. I am about getting used to the venue now ” said NIKITCHANKA. “I have faced my today’s adversary many times before. The last match against her was two months ago and it was a straight win back then. I know KIRICHENKO pretty well so today’s situation on the table did not bring any surprises.”   Daria TRIGOLOS also brought joy to host nation supporters. She overcame Kristina KALLBERG of Sweden (11:5 8:11 11:5 11:5 11:8).   “This game was not easy but I like how I did against KALLBERG. I played with her half a year ago so I had known what I c an expect of the game before even getting to the table. It was in the second game that I lost several points in sequence but then I recovered advantage and finished the match successfully ” explained TRIGOLOS.   In the same group Tatiana KUKULKOVA of Slovakia overcame Fanni HARASZTOVICH of Hungary (11:4 11:4 11:6 11:3).   “I was confident about how I performed in this match. I played with HARASZTOVICH a month ago and I lost then but today situation was different. She was nervous while I was calm and did well so the match is mine now ” concluded KUKULKOVA.   The winning series was completed with third Belarus representative Nadezhda BOGDANOVA. She beat Airi AVAMERI of Estonia (11:6 7:11 11:4 14:12 12:10).   “At the beginning I was nervous this is my first match here. But during the duel I felt the endless support of my city and my country so that was what helped me to win. My opponent plays with this special racket – one side of it is smooth and the other one is spiky so I had to adapt to this different style. In the end everything went just fine “ explained BOGDANOVA.   Solomiya BRATEYKO of Ukraine overcame Ana TOFANT of Slovenia (11:7 11:8 11:7 11:7) whilst Natalija BAYOR of Poland beat Filippa BERGAND of Sweden (14:12 11:7 14:12 8:11 11:9). Mariia TAILAKOVA of Russia prevailed against Orsolya FEHER of Hungary (11:3 11:5 11:6 4:11 11:3).   “ I didn’t play yesterday it is my first match here hence it was rather hard to win. My opponent is very good at topspins so my strategy was to put the ball on the table at least once and then impose my play style ” said BRATEYKO.   Marketa SEVICKOVA of Czech Republic beat Simay KULAKCEKEN of Turkey: “I am so happy that I’ve won in this match. I’ve never defeated KULAKCEKEN before you see so today’s victory is truly an achievement for me. The game wasn’t easy at all for my rival didn’t make any simple mistakes and I had to be in the game to the fullest. It was hard.”   Andreea DRAGOMAN of Romania overcame ZHANG Xuan of Spain: “Today’s match was harder than the previous one. More top seeded players are here today everyone is motivated and you have to do your best. ZHANG attacked very much and imposed diagonal play so my tactics was to play in parallel stay focused and be faster than the rival.”   Valeria SHCHERBATYKH of Russia overcame Katerina CECHOVA of Czech Republic (11:7 11:4 8:11 11:5 11:6):” I feel that today it is easier for me to play than it was yesterday. Sometimes I made mistakes in this match but my opponent was not really as strong as I expected so I won quite easily. I thought this game to be trickier.”  

BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships Unlike the Women’s the Men’s Singles Event at the BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships did not conclude with so many major upsets in the initial phase. One of the biggest was caused by Konstantinos ANGELAKIS of Greece who progressed to the second stage of the Event as no. one after being placed only at the position. no. four.   ANGELAKIS recorded all three victories. He beat Joan MASIP Thomas GRININGER and Simon SODERLUND.   “I was determined to fight until the end even if I lose. I lost one game indeed and made a lot of mistakes. I missed four returns after which I re-focused on the game did my best and finish the match victoriously ” said ANGELAKIS.   In Group one Tobias HIPPLER of Germany moved from position two to no. one whilst in Group two Deni KOZUL preserved his status. Andres LIND of Denmark joined them.   “I have got little to say about this match. Everything was smooth all the way no surprises no falls. I’m pretty satisfied with how I played ” explained shortly LIND who beat Aleksandr LUSIN in the last round.    Carlo ROSSI of Italy changed his position in the group with Ibrahim GUNDUZ of Turkey unlike Denis KLEIN of Germany who called off the day as leader. Andrei PUTUNTICA of Moldova and Csaba ANDRAS of Hungary progressed further from the Group 6. Tom JARVIS of England is also safely through with three wins. Last one came against Malte MOREGARD of Sweden.   “My adversary is really strong even tricky I’d say. He produced many strange shots which was hard to predict so I had to stay focused all the way. I kept to the strategy of playing backhand most of the time ” said JARVIS.   The list of group winners goes on with Jiri MARTINKO of Czech Republic Vladimir SIDORENKJO of Russia Ioannis SGOUROPOULOS of Greece and Tomasz KOTOWSKI of Poland.   “The match against Bathuan ULUCAK was not very tough maybe because my adversary didn’t fight in his full strength due to his position in the group. His receives were rather weak. Me and my coach developed a strategy for this match which was to cut the shots and play forehand. Such shots were hard for my opponent to receive.”  

BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships   At the end of the first day’s competition in Women’s Singles Event at the 2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships in seven out of 12 Groups leading players failed to justified their position.   Top ranked player in first stage Lisa LUNG of Belgium progressed to next stage as no. one and after a little struggle and one defeat Andreea DRAGOMAN of Romania followed her but in Group three no. three Karoline Mischek of Austria failed to progress further even as no. two. Rebekka CARLSEN of Norway moved to next stage as no. one.   Valeria SCHERBATYKH of Russia also justified her status but in Groups five six and seven it was not the case. Tatiana KUKULOVA of Slovakia accounted for ZHANG Xuan of Spain and moved to no. one position. Marketa SEVCIKOVA of Czech Republic also exceeded the expectation and moved from no. 4 to no. 1 position. Andrea PAVLOVIC of Croatia beat Veronica MOSCONI of Italy to take her spot.   “I was determined to be aggressive all the time and stay active. Everyone here plays on a high level. The first game was tough but after that the things went fine. I noted that it was important not to play in the middle of the table send long balls and attack as much as possible “ said PAVLOVIC after the victory over Marie MAESEN of Belgium.   Anastasia KOLISH of Russia concluded the opening day unbeaten and that was expected.   “I have played with the girls from my group before and I lost previously. In this tournament even the fourth numbers are strong so you have to fight through each match despite any rankings. My adversary played wide and it was hard to adapt to ” said KOLISH.     Surprise came in further Groups with Orsolya FEHER from Hungary Ozge YILMAZ of Turkey and Airi AVIMERI of Estonia. In last Group Christina KALLBERG of Sweden secured the leading position.   “I have troubles getting into the game today – it was in the first match and I struggled in last. It’s hard to maintain the rhythm. However I was not very nervous during the match against SURJAN because I knew that two participants of my group would be in. I had a strategy for this match to play left as my coach told me but let it go in the last game ” said AVIMERI.    

The highest ranked men on duty in the first phase of the Men’s Singles at the 2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships in Minsk Marek BADOWSKI of Poland suffered by the hands of Tobias HIPPLER of Germany. He lost in five games.   Next in line to fall was Ibrahim GUNDUZ of Turkey. Carlo ROSSI of Italy prevailed in seven games. Andrei PUTUNTICA followed the path by beating Nils HOHMEIER of Germany. Vladimir SIDORENKO of Russia joined the winning line after success over Simon BERLUNGD of Sweden. Tomasz KOTOWSKI of Poland overcame Konstantin CHERNOV of Russia whilst the list of upsets concluded with the Austria’s Thomas GRININGER’s victory over Simon SUDERLUND of Sweden.   “I did nothing special to beat BERLUNGD. No big changes in game no dramatic moments just kept being focused until the end of the game. The emotions were very strong but I was stronger. I played with this player two years ago and I won that match too. The venue plays its role too: the ceilings here are very high and because of this you can’t always hear the ball hence you have to pay maximum attention to the speed of the game. Also I wasn’t always able to come close to the table due to this ” said SIDORENKO.   Deni KOZUL of Slovenia second ranked player in first phase beat Stanislav KUCERA of Czech Republic to justify his status.   Artur ABUSEV of Russia recovered from the opening match defeat against Jiri MARTINKO of Czech Republic to beat Medardas STANKEVICIUS of Lithuania.   “The first match was not very successful for me but this game was just fine. My adversary is younger than me but it was the challenge to play with. I didn’t make a lot of changes to my tactics I worked with spins to make more of them and change the direction of the spins ” said ABUSEV.   Konstantinos ANGELAKIS of Greece reached the top spot in the group by beating Joan MASIP of Spain and Thomas GRININGER of Austria.   “The game was just fine at the beginning of the match I played to the middle of the table and applied many top spins which confused my opponent. Then at 2:0 he read my tactics which resulted in me losing the third game and nearly missing fourth game ” admitted ANGELAKIS.   Tatiana KUKULOVA of Slovakia created the upset in the second round by beating ZHANG Xuan of Spain. “My adversary is left-handed and I can use it to my favor. She won the first set after which I strengthened my serves and played more to the middle of the table. I’m extremely happy about this win because this player is much more than just “good”.”   Marketa SEVICKOVA added another victory to her scoreboard. This time it was Julia SLAZAK who suffered by the hands of Czechs hands.   “This match was much easier than the previous one. I have played against her many times before so I know her strong and weak moments and I know that she is not very good in defense. I took the advantage of it and just played ” said SEVICKOVA.   Young Romania’s player Elena ZAHARIA overcame Nikoleta PUCHAVANOVA of Slovakia. “It was a nice match. We know each other very well; we have played against each other so many times before. She was trying to put the ball on the table and I served with downspins and up spins hence gaining points. My tactics was quite simple. I’m 13 so I feel a bit uncomfortable in this U21 tournament but in the end it’s just fine ” explained ZAHARIA who is still cadet.   Zdena BLASKOVA of Czech Republic recorded second win against great favorite Andreea DRAGOMAN.   “I was confident about this game but I’m still happy that I’ve won. My preparation was not very good but everything seems to be just fine now. I faced my opponent two weeks ago and won then. I know her tactics I can see perfectly well that she prefers to use backhands so once she applies a backhand I know the direction of the ball ” sais BLASKOVA.     Valeria SHCHERBATYKH of Russia beat Fanni HARASZTOVIOCH of Hungary: “I am not in a great shape as for now I still need time to roll into the play. Moreover the ball has changed which needs time to get used to. I have played against this opponent only once before I know that she ius left-handed and my performance was not very different from what I did in the previous match with her. I noticed that she can hardly take spins and slices so I combined this information with what my coach told me in the timeout. He said that I should attack more. In the fifth set I was leading 8:4 but lost it here’s where the struggle started.”   Christina KALLBERG of Sweden was under severe pressure in the match against Dragana VIGNJEVIC of Serbia 4:3. “I lost three games in a row because my adversary was very strong and she did not miss. I decided to change tactics at 1:3 and slowed down the game which helped me dramatically. In the last set I was leading 7-0 when a little nervousness came but then I felt relaxed and finished the match ” said Swede.   Veronica MOSCONI the leader in Group 7 failed to justified her status. Andrea PAVLOVIC of Croatia upset the order. “I had to stay focused during the game. Each set was close. I played many balls in the table but then decided to attack more and put more pressure on MOSCONI which was a right decision. I was active in this match and I can say it was good for me.”   Despite late arrival in Minsk Sabina SURJAN of Serbia recorded bot wins in two opening rounds.   “This game was hard. I think my adversary has not practiced enough for this match. Normally