In their debut appearance at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan Slovenia caused an upset in the rankings by defeating Singapore whilst other European favorites continued their momentum from the previous day. The second-seeded Germany runners-up in five out of the last six World Championships left Kazakhstan without any chances with a 3-0 victory. Benedikt DUDA defeated Ali ALKHADRAWI Dimitrij OVTCHAROV justified his position against Abdulaziz SHULAYBI and European champion Dang QIU defeated Turki ALMUTAIRI. Germany did not drop a game in two matches so far. “We played confidently. It was okay ” said Benedikt DUDA who played his first singles match in Busan against the opponent’s number one Abdulaziz Bu SHULAYBI. “From tomorrow onwards tougher opponents will come.” Led by Darko JORGIC who secured two wins Slovenia defeated Singapore. Three-time winner of the Europe Top 16 Cup Darko defeated Izaac QUEK and PANG Yew En Koen. Peter HRIBAR added the third point with a victory over CHEW Zhe Yu Clarence. Austria defeated New Zealand: Robert GARDOS Daniel HABESOHN and Andreas LEVENKO overcame Nicholas LUM Finn LUU and Aditya SEREEN. Unlike the Hungarian women’s team which defeated Spain today the men’s team suffered at the hands of Croatia’s players. Tomislav PUCAR won both his matches against Adam SZUDI and Csaba ANDRAS. ANDRAS also suffered a defeat in the match against Andrej GACINA. The leaders in Group 6 Sweden overcame Puerto Rico in straight matches. Kristian KARLSSON defeated Angel NARANJO after a five-game match. “My physical and mental condition was good today. I played against a good opponent who managed to catch me off guard a couple of times with his strong forehands and good serve. It was a tough first match for me in the tournament but I’m happy to have won it. I had a good timeout in the fifth game which was pretty crucial. Then I got to 10-5 and managed to win at 11-8. So I’m very happy with the match ” said Kristian. Mattias FALCK succeeded against Brian AFANDOR in the opening match of the duel. “All matches here are always tough. You have to play at a high level all the time. Now there is no big difference between all the table tennis players. But I’m happy that we got another 3-0 victory. So it feels good for us ” said Mattias. Anton KALLBERG said “Next match tomorrow we play against Hong Kong which is the group final probably. So of course we have to bring our A game and be even better than before. And I think we all show good form so far.” The French team recorded their second win. Simon GAUZY Alexis LEBRUN and Jules ROLLAND overcame Algeria with Milhane JELLOULI Abdelbasset CHAICHI and Mehdi BOULOUSSA. Regarding the change in the lineup Alexis LEBRUN said “We do not know the specific reason for the change from yesterday’s match. But I think it is good for the team because we won. The coach assigned positions and we did our best to win.” Romania’s Eduard IONESCU Ovidiu IONESCU and Darius MOVILEANU overcame Egypt with Omar ASSAR Youssef ABDEL-AZIZ and Mohamed EL-BEIALI. England was stretched to the full five matches against Kazakhstan. Kirill GERASSIMENKO proved too strong for both Paul DRINKHOL and Liam PITCHFORD but there were no others to follow his path so PITCHFORD DRINKHALL and Tom JARVIS prevailed against the rest of Kazakhstan’s team. “We had good team spirit and were prepared for a tough match. We knew that they are a good and dangerous team. Every match here will be difficult and it’s good to win the match ” said Paul DRINKHALL. “We know how to win the other three matches. For me it was tough to come back from injury not so long ago and there were two days to practice. The first match was not great but I felt like I played better in the second match. Winning a medal at the World Championships is never easy and not many European teams have done it. These days all the teams get stronger so we need to be prepared for every tough match. It was a tough match to play against Kirill and it was a close match. In the last game he didn’t miss many easy balls and it was a good rally. Hopefully I can build on the match and get better and better for the next match ” said Liam PITCHFORD. England won bronze in 2016 in Kuala Lumpur with Liam and Paul being in that team. In the final match of the day Portugal prevailed against Iran. Marcos FREITAS recorded two wins; he beat Nima ALAMIAN and Noshad ALAMIYAN in both occasions in full five games. Joao GERALDO lost to Noshad while Tiago APOLONIA beat Amir Hossein HODAEI.

In the Women’s Teams Event at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan on the second day of play top European teams secured victories while Italy caused an upset by beating Puerto Rico. The best-seeded European team at the Championships ranked No. 3 in the World Germany succeeded against Mexico. They recorded a smooth 3-0 victory against the team ranked 34th in the world rankings. Nina MITTELHAM Xiaona SHAN and 17-year-old Annett KAUFMANN who made her debut in Busan didn’t give the Central American trio any chance in the match lasting only 75 minutes. “I am very pleased that we won the game 3-0 ” said leading player MITTELHAM. “Whether we lose one more game or not doesn’t matter in the end.” It was the first match of a German national team against Mexico in the 99-year history of the German Table Tennis Association. “For me the nervousness is higher on the bench when I’m not playing than when I’m playing ” explained the youth European champion of all categories KAUFMANN for whom this is already the third World Championship participation with the women in South Korea. The No. 12 seed Portugal was stretched to the full distance in the duel against Austria currently occupying position No. 21. Austria had a 2-0 lead after LIU Jia beat SHAO Jieni and Sofia POLCANOVA overcame YU Fu but the pendulum swung after the match between Ines MATOS and Anastasia STERNER when Portugal took control and recovered to win the match. Another thriller was played in Group 1 where Hungary prevailed against Spain after a long five matches. Maria XIAO won both her encounters but it was insufficient because on the other side Georgina POTA Dora MADARASZ and Bernadett BALINT all scored for Hungary. France Women’s team beat Ukraine. Only in the opening duel was the French team under pressure. Prithika PAVADE went the full distance against Solomiya BRATEYKO. Jian Nan YUAN and Charlotte LUTZ posted straight games wins. Slovakia’s Tatiana KUKULKOVA Barbora BALAZOVA and Ema LABOSOVA posted a victory against Nigeria in straight matches while Italy was stretched to the full distance against Puerto Rico. Adriana DIAZ was unbeatable today so Nikoleta STAFANOVA Giorgia PICCOLIN and Gaia MONFARDINI all had to be at the top of their game. “We feel great. It was an important match because we know that the first player from Puerto Rico is very good. So we had to win against the other players ” said Giorgia PICCOLIN. “Yesterday we prepared for this encounter. We analyzed the matches and talked together giving each other ideas about tactics and everything ” added Gaia MONFARDINI. The leader in Group 7 Romania beat Canada who played without Mo ZHANG. Elizabeta SAMARA Bernadette SZOCS and Adina DIACONU recorded a 3-0 win. Sweden needed the full five matches to upset the favorite Singapore in the last match of the program today. Kristina KALLBERG recorded two wins against ZENG Jian and ZHOU Jingyu while Lina BERGSTROM suffered at the hands of both players. Filippa BERGAND overcame WAONG Xin Ru.

The first day of play at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships in Busan saw the third-seeded Germany and the seventh-seeded Romania secure victories against Poland and Sweden respectively. Additionally the eighth-seeded France defeated Czechia Spain won against Uzbekistan and Serbia scored a surprising victory over Canada. The Germany Women’s team defeated the Poland Women’s Team in four matches although their opponents tested them. In a nearly three-hour-long match Nina MITTELHAM defeated Katarzyna WEGRZYN 3-2 and also overcame Natalia BAJOR in five games. Xiaona SHAN lost to BAJOR while Sabine WINTER prevailed against Zuzanna WIELGOS in straight games. Nina MITTELHAM commented “It was a really difficult match. I was just trying to play ball by ball because I knew they can play quite well they had good results in the past. First matches in the tournament are always difficult so I am really happy that we were able to win our match even if it was really close. But this just can push us a little bit more and hopefully tomorrow we can also play a little bit better. From the team spirit and from the fighting it was a really good match so I am satisfied.” Sabine WINTER said “We are going to have a nice and fast dinner I guess we will have a good sleep or I hope it will be a good sleep and I guess tomorrow we will talk about our plan and our draw the play and we will watch some videos of our opponents and I am sure we will be ready tomorrow.” Romania overcame Sweden in superb fashion: Bernadette SZOCS Elizabeta SAMARA and Adina DIACONU all recorded straight games wins over Christina KALLBERG Linda BERGSTROM and Filippa BERGAND. Elizabeta SAMARA said “I believe it was the unity of the team that made the difference. It was our first match which is never easy. My teammates gave me a lot of confidence but playing at 2-0 was still challenging because every match is crucial. I focused on adapting to the hall environment as well. Given that it was our first match it was particularly important. I maintained a high level of focus in every game and I’m pleased that we didn’t drop any matches today. We prepared extensively for these World Championships because they serve as a qualification criterion for the Olympics. Therefore we are physically and mentally well-prepared.” Adina DIACONU said “I lost two years ago so this time I approached the match with better tactics. We will treat every match as if it were the final. We will discuss our upcoming match against Canada tomorrow morning.” France led by the recent Europe Top 16 Cup winner YUAN Jia Nan succeeded in full five matches against Czechia. Spain’s Maria XIAO clinched two wins against Kazakhstan’s Rozalina KHADJIEVA and Markhabo MAGDIEVA while Sofia-Xuan ZHANG also managed to record a victory over MAGDIEVA and Maria BERZOSA lost to Rimma GUFRANOVA. Serbia’s women’s team like the men’s team created an upset and overcame Canada. Sabina SURJAN recorded wins over Zhang MO and Ivy LIAO while Andrea TODOROVIC beat Jessie XU. Zhang beat Izabela LUPULESKU. “I managed to restore my rhythm after Mo was 2-1 in advance. I put more variation in my speed and it gave me a 2-2 and 9-3 lead. Then Mo sped up her service threw me out of rhythm and leveled. In a close finish I put my game together to win and prevent the risky fifth duel ” explained SURJAN.

At the onset of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Busan 2024 the second-seeded men’s team from Germany launched their campaign successfully with a victory over the USA. Following their lead the fourth-seeded team from France secured a win against Denmark. Czechia defeated Madagascar and Hungary emerged victorious against Cuba. European champions Sweden triumphed over Slovakia while the eighth-seeded Portugal overcame Romania. Among the European teams Serbia surprised the odds and prevailed against Puerto Rico. In the German team the record European champion Timo BOLL was absent and the Olympic record medalist Dimitrij OVTCHAROV arrived later and played with new equipment. However Germany’s men displayed no weaknesses in their first group match against the underdog USA. The German team secured a 3-0 victory against the 21st-ranked team in the world without dropping a game with Patrick FRANZISKA Dang QIU and Dimitrij OVTCHAROV leading the charge. “The Americans are always tough opponents because they take high risks. They have an aggressive serve-return game. Therefore our 3-0 win and 9-0 were good victories ” said men’s national team coach Jörg ROSSKOPF. “We started the tournament well. Things are going well.” The United States will have to proceed without their top player TTBL player Kanak JHA for another month. The 23-year-old World Championship quarter-finalist from Houston was suspended for a year by the US Anti-Doping Agency USADA after repeated missed doping controls. His suspension will end in mid-March. Timo BOLL suffering from an eye inflammation has not yet been able to travel to South Korea. He is undergoing treatment in Germany and has another doctor’s appointment on Friday. “After that it will be decided whether he will still come or not. We have the option that he could still travel and play until the last day but if there has been no improvement of course it makes no sense. To clarify this he is still with the doctor today ” explained Coach ROSSKOPF after the USA game. In another match the French team defeated Denmark 3-1. Felix LEBRUN won both his matches against Jonathan GROTH 3-2 and Anders LIND 3-0. “We feel very good. Denmark is a strong opponent so we’re lucky to win today. The first match was very important. Alexis also pointed one and it was really important ” said Felix. Alexis Lebrun beat Tobias RASMUSSEN 3-0 while LIND prevailed against Simon GAUZY in a full-distance encounter. “We knew Denmark is a tough team to face and we took the match with the right mindset. They have 2 top players so we knew it would be tough but we handled it well ” explained GAUZY. Serbia ranked at position no. 39 created an upset by beating the world’s no. 26 Puerto Rico 3-1. The backbone of the team’s success was Dimitrije LEVAJAC who defeated both Brian AFANDOR and Daniel GONZALEZ. Marko JEVTOVIC overcame Angel NARANJO while AFANDOR scored against Zolt PETE. Both JEVTOVIC and Pete are without rankings due to the long absence from the international scene. “It was a close match with all players better ranked than us in the Puerto Rico team. We are only fifth in the group so we can only surprise our adversaries. It is good that we commenced our journey here with the win ” said LEVAJAC. Czechia overcame Madagascar as Lubomir JANCARIK went the full distance to beat Jonathan NATIVEL and also prevailed against Fabio RAKOTOARIMANANA. Fabio beat Tomas POLANSKY while Jiri MARTINKO defeated Antoine RAZAFINARIVO. Hungary beat Cuba in straight matches with Adam SZUDI Csaba ANDRAS and Tamas LAKATOS each securing one victory. European champions Sweden needed only three matches to prevail against Slovakia. Anton KALLBERG overcame Lubomir PISTEJ Truls MOREGARDH beat Wang YANG and Mattias FALCK succeeded against Jakub ZELINKA. Anton KALLBERG : “It was a very tough game I think it was close from the start and the first match is always pretty difficult for both sides. I’m very happy with my performance; I managed to win. The most challenging part was finding the rhythm the right tactics in the match and applying the right amount of pressure.” Mattias FALCK: “We are seeded number one in the group so our goal is to win the group stage and I am confident that we will. We will prepare the same way. We know the opponent; there is nothing new here. We will prepare seriously and take each match as it comes.” Portugal also needed three matches to overcome Romania. Marcos FREITAS was stretched to the full distance against Eduardo IONESCU before Joao GERALDO and Tiago APOLONIA recorded victories against Ovidiu IONESCU and Iulian CHIRITA.

Interesting facts & figures: This is the first time the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals (WTTC) is taking place in KoreaRepublic Over 2000 participants including players and staff have gathered in Busan for the prestigious event 2024 commemorates a century of table tennis in Korea marking a significant milestone in the sport’s history First ever international table tennis event to attain the prestigious ISO 20121 certification; also the first non-multisport World Championships hosted in Korea Republic to receive the certification Joao MONTEIRO (POR) is the only player to have played in every WTTC since 2000. • In April 1954 twins Diane and Rosalind ROWE’S (ENG) victory in the women’s doubles on their 21st birthdays remain unmatched in sporting history triumphing over Kathy BEST and Ann HAYDON in the only all-English final at a WTTC to date To this date Žarko DOLINAR (YUG) who partnered Vilim HARANGOZO (YUG) to men’s doubles success in 1954 remains the only World Champion with a Ph.D. degree

The ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Busan 2024 starting on Friday with Olympic tickets for Paris 2024 are at stake. Reaching the quarterfinals would secure a spot. According to ÖTTV web site mathematically Austria’s women have good chances of winning the group and advancing to the Round of 16 while the men hope for a second-place finish behind pool favorite France and aim to reach the Round of 16 through the playoffs. After that both teams are hoping for favorable draws… Austria’s men will face France Denmark Australia and Algeria in Group 4. “France is likely out of reach as a medal contender but we are clear favorites against Australia and Algeria. So the 50:50 match against Denmark will decide second place ” predicts ÖTTV Sports Director Stefan FEGERL. The group winner advances to the Round of 16 while the second and third-placed teams play in the Round of 32. All quarterfinalists qualify for the Olympics. The remaining slots for Paris will be determined by world ranking among the Round of 16 teams. In total 16 teams will compete in Paris. Andreas LEVENKO and Maciej KOLODZIEJCZYK took the opportunity to prepare with the Korean team in Incheon/Korea. Daniel HABESOHN and Robert GARDOS joined the team later. The ÖTTV women have even better chances in Group 6: Hong Kong Portugal Australia and Kazakhstan are all beatable for Sofia POLCANOVA and Co. Winning the group would see the ladies who prepared with the German team in Düsseldorf already in the Round of 16 and with a chance at an Olympic ticket within reach. For LIU Jia this could be her seventh Olympic appearance. The men’s team had won the World Championship title in 1936 in Prague while in 2018 both ÖTTV teams finished fifth in Halmstad/Sweden. A success that would be enough for an Olympic ticket this year. Austria has been most successful on the world stage at the Team World Cup in modern times. In 2015 Robert GARDOS Daniel HABESOHN current Sports Director Stefan FEGERL and current team coach CHEN Weixing even won silver in Dubai. In 2007 and 2010 the ÖTTV team finished third while at the Olympics they finished fourth in 2008 and fifth in 2012 and 2016. The women also finished fifth in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Team Austria in Busan/Korea (16.-25.2.) Draw for Women Group 6: Hong Kong (Fr.) Portugal (Sa.) Austria Australia (Di.) Kazakhstan (So.) Roster: Sofia POLCANOVA LIU Jia Anastasia STERNER Karoline MISCHEK Draw for Men Group 4: France (So.) Denmark (Di.) Austria Australia (Sa.) Algeria (Fr.) Roster: Daniel HABESOHN Andreas LEVENKO Robert GARDOS Maciej KOLODZIEJCZYK  

Both French teams will compete at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in Busan 2024. The women’s team is led by newly crowned CCB Europe Top 16 Cup champion Jianan YUAN along with Camille LUTZ Charlotte LUTZ Prithika PAVADE and Audrey ZARIF. The men’s team consists of brothers Alexis LEBRUN and Félix LEBRUN along with experienced players Simon GAUZY Lilian BARDET and Jules ROLLAND. A few days before the start of the World Team Championships in Busan captains Ludovic REMY and Nathanaël MOLIN along with delegation leader Emmanuel RACHEZ shared their latest impressions for the FFTT website. Nathanaël MOLIN captain of the French men’s team “The format is quite new with the reorganization of competitions by the WTT. The schedule is very busy and we haven’t had the opportunity to prepare collectively because the players train in different places. How will you adapt to this week without competition? “The competition starts four days after our arrival; the journey takes two days so the deadlines will be short. Nevertheless we will have the opportunity to discuss together taking into account everyone’s fatigue level; that’s the most important thing.” What is the main objective after the quarter-finals in Chengdu in 2022? “The last edition was special because it was the first competition of a new generation just after COVID. This year back to normal with a very young team but far from inexperienced as seen with Félix. The team can already rely on some experience.” What is your feeling about the draw? “I don’t pay much attention to the draw; there’s a randomness that no one can control and I tend to believe that it balances out over time. We drew Australia in the second position of the group which is obviously the most manageable draw. Conversely Denmark and Austria respectively positioned in the third and fourth positions on paper are two very strong teams.” So this is the final rehearsal before the Olympics. Will you pay special attention to certain teams? Do you expect to be watched more closely? “The competition is so important that we don’t even think about the Olympic Games. It’s a major competition; it stands alone and we are eager to leave our mark on it. Ludovic REMY captain of the French women’s team What is the team’s mindset approaching these World Championships in Busan? “It’s an important competition the last team event before the Olympics. The momentum right now is very good especially thanks to Jianan’s victory at the European Top 16 ” said REMY. What is the main objective? “The objective is first and foremost to advance through the group stage. It’s very evenly matched. No team stands out significantly and no team seems significantly weaker; all matches will be approached seriously.” Which team is the real threat in this Championships? “We are the eighth-best team on paper so all teams ranked higher are obviously to be feared. There are many evenly matched lower-ranked teams that could pose difficulties for us but it’s also up to us to challenge the top nations.” Emmanuel RACHEZ delegation leader What are the main objectives? “We have two relatively young teams mentored by Simon GAUZY and Jianan YUAN who are more experienced. After the two medals won in Malmö at the last European Championships the objective is quite clear: the podium.” So this is the final rehearsal before the Olympics. Will you pay special attention to certain teams? Do you expect to be watched more closely? “Yes and no because the contexts and formats are very different (there are no doubles in Busan). However the Chinese remain and will remain the clear favorites.”

From February 16 to 25 2024 the prestigious Busan Exhibition and Convention Centre (BEXCO) will witness a gathering of top-tier talent and fierce competition against the breathtaking backdrop of Busan – the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals. The Germany’s national teams led by European champion Dang QIU and European Championship runner-up Nina MITTELHAM aim to be involved in the medal distribution as they were two years ago in Chengdu. In 2022 the men brought home silver and the women bronze from China. The defending champions from China are also the overwhelming favorites in 2024. At the championships at BEXCO the Busan Exhibition and Convention Centre men’s national team coach Jörg ROSSKOPF aims to stand on the winner’s podium once again with his team. The tournament begins for the favored Germans in Group 2 on February 16th at 9 a.m. German time against the USA who according to the seeding list alongside England are the toughest competitors in the preliminary round. ROSSKOPF leaves no doubt about the objective before the start: “Of course we want to win another medal. We always aim for the maximum which is why we are also fighting for the title at this World Championship. Despite our previous unsuccessful attempts it is an incentive for us to beat the great favorites China once. In sports there are enough examples of the underdog winning in the end. Behind China and Germany teams from France Sweden Japan Taiwan and host South Korea are among the strongest contenders for a place on the podium.” The men’s team ranked second behind China in the World rankings has not only set its sights on medals at the World Championships but also on Olympic qualification. DTTB Sports Director Richard PRAUSE explains how this can be achieved: “The women as European champions are already guaranteed a place in Paris. For the men it looks like this: All eight quarter-finalists from Busan will receive a spot. Another spot will be allocated based on the current world rankings. If nations like China or European champions Sweden who already have a guaranteed spot through the continental quota reach the quarter-finals the number of additional spots allocated based on the world rankings will increase accordingly. We are targeting the quarter-finals for Olympic qualification with the world rankings serving as our safety net.” The women’s team who will have to do without the injured ninth-ranked player Ying HAN (Achilles tendon rupture) in Busan have already secured their ticket to Paris as European champions. The team led by women’s national team coach Tamara BOROS will start on February 16th at 12 p.m. in Group 3 against Poland who along with Slovakia will challenge Germany for the group win. Of the 40 participating teams the group winners from eight preliminary round groups will directly advance to the round of 16 while the second and third-placed teams will have to fight for a place in the round of the best 16 in an additional match. Tamara BOROS sees her team traveling to South Korea with good chances: “Without Ying this World Championship will of course be a bit more difficult. But I am very optimistic: We are well prepared and have a strong team. The team is ready to play a good World Championship in Busan. Our first goal is of course to win the group and then we want to reach the quarterfinals. If we achieve that anything is possible. In Busan Germany is ranked third behind China and Japan. Other contenders for medals include host South Korea Hong Kong Taiwan and European Games winner Romania. Dang QIU on assessing his current form: “It’s hard to gauge your shape solely from training. I’ve had some good results in January but also some games I wasn’t satisfied with. I hope I can add the missing percentage points to reach my best form by the start of the World Championships.” On the pressure of being favorites: “When we won the silver medal two years ago in Chengdu without Dima Timo and Patrick we didn’t expect to reach the final. This time we’re competing in full strength. We have a team that doesn’t need to hide from anyone and I don’t know if Germany has ever had such a strong team. But: The competition is also extremely strong. However I am sure that we will be at the forefront if we perform at our best.” Dimitrij OVTCHAROV on assessing the World Championship competitors: “England has a top player in Liam Pitchford who has beaten almost everyone in the world including the best Chinese players. The English team is strong and our toughest competitor in the group. There are many competitors in the race for the medals. Defending champion China will be well prepared. France has an exceptional player in Felix LEBRUN his brother Alexis is incredibly strong and former number one GAUZY is now third in the team. Sweden has at least three very strong players and Taiwan with Frankfurt Champions winner LIN Yun-Ju can defeat anyone. And South Korea is always a strong contender at home. However a more precise assessment of the opponents as was possible in the past is hardly available today. The level at the top has become extremely broad. Among the contenders for the medals there are many competitors and it feels like every match against these teams is a fifty-fifty match.” Timo BOLL on the unusual situation as the nominal number 5: “I’ve come to terms with that a long time ago. I don’t always have to play the leading role and will contribute to the team. If I’m not playing I’ll ensure good spirits. I’m very happy to have such good guys in the team.” On his performances in recent months: “It’s been tough months. Partly with good performances like the recent tournament win in Doha and occasionally more mixed. Right now I feel in good form.” Nina MITTELHAM on her current form: “I’m in good form. I’ve been playing very well lately and