ETTU / ITTF Women Coaches Seminar 2018 The European Table Tennis Union in cooperation with the Swedish Table Tennis Association invites all European female coaches to the ETTU Women Coaches Seminar which will be held in Halmstad (Sweden) 6 – 8 May 2018. ETTU Women Coaches Seminar is part of the ITTF/ETTU Development Program and it is primarily intended for all European female coaches but female coaches from other continents are welcome too. Topics „Footwork technic“ – (Theoretical lecture and Practical workout) – LI Fen „Passive play in table tennis“ – (Theoretical lecture and Practical workout) – Peter SARTZ Lecturers Li Fen (SWE) & Peter Sartz (SWE) Venue Practical and Theoretical sessions: Halmstad Arena Entry: Entries and wishes for accommodation shall be sent not later than: Monday 16th April 2018 by e-mail to: SWE TTA – Emma Persson National Team Coordinator (emma.persson@svenskbordtennis.com) with cc. to ETTU administration – Zita Pidl Project Consultant (zpidl.ettu@gmail.com) Program Sunday 6 May Arrival at Hotel (check in after 12:00) 17:00 – 19:45 Theoretical Lecture (Peter Sartz) 20:00 Dinner Monday 7 May 09:00 – 12:00 Practical Workout (Peter Sartz) 13:00 Lunch 15:00 – 18:00 Theoretical Lecture (Li Fen) 19:00 Dinner Tuesday 8 May 09:00 – 12:00 Practical Workout (Li Fen) 12:30 Lunch and Departure
Table Tennis – proud member of a big Sporting`s family and place of joy for Cristiano RONALDO
Interview with Sporting Team Manager Gonçalo CASTANHEIRA two days prior to the first semi-final leg of TTCLM against reigning champion Orenburg (March 15th 19:00): “Now everything is possible”! Sporting Clube de Portugal founded in 1906 is best known for its football team – 1964 European Cup Winners` Cup champion – and some of biggest football stars ever like Luis FIGO and Cristiano RONALDO. But Sporting`s table tennis club drew attention across the nation after big success in their very first Table Tennis Champions League Men season. This Thursday March 15th they will host the reigning TTCLM champion Fakel Gazprom Orenburg in the first semi-final leg. More than enough reason for the interview with Sporting TT Team Manager Gonçalo CASTANHEIRA… How do you explain Sporting`s success in the debuting TTCLM season? Although we were considered the outsider team of the event we knew we could go far. From the beginning we believed that victory in all games was possible even though we were in the most difficult group that left us without any margin of error. The game of the opening day in Pontoise was crucial. We knew that almost everything depended on how we started the race. We won with some naturalness and from that game we began to face the victories and the passage of the group of natural form. What was the crucial in the quarter-final encounters against Stella Sport? We knew it was going to be a very difficult game. We got a good home team victory that gave us several tactical chances in France. We choose to try to simplify the game and ensure the victory as soon as possible placing the greatest responsibility on João MONTEIRO who once again set the example and gave the team more peace of mind. They were all at their best and the support of the public – JuveLeo França – and athletes’ friends was also crucial. What is the limit of actual Sporting`s team? Sporting has no limit and we love this spirit. Sporting has won all national club competitions in recent years (Super Cup Championship and Cup) and there was the ambition to make the leap to international club events. This main team of Sporting was “handpicked” after a big change over the last season. We maintained the main structure consisting of the Chinese coach and two Nigerian players and we had the privilege of being able to hire our two favorite Portuguese athletes. How do you comment individual performances of Sporting`s players in the TTCLM so far? João MONTEIRO was chosen to lead this fantastic group of players. Former champion for Sporting and fan in love with the club he returned to “his home” in time after winning many international titles. Currently playing his best table tennis as a result of the passion and family atmosphere he enjoys in Portugal he was decisive in all games of the competition and he is undoubtedly the best player a team can wish for. Aruna QUADRI is the current best African player and after several times of international high level he was required to maintain his success at the club level. It has grown in mental terms since the beginning of the competition cementing more and more its aggressiveness at the table. Now that Aruna becomes a Portuguese citizen his best is yet to come… Diogo CARVALHO is the current national champion of Portugal and was our joker in the TTCLM. He was decisive in almost every game with a win in each. He has been at the highest level and will continue to work hard day-by-day to be an international figure of table tennis. You can bet hard because we sure count on him! What do you expect in the semi-finals? Now everything is possible. We have achieved the goals required so we are with less pressure to be able to give the maximum game to game and to present our fantastic audience with highly emotive and spectacular games. Whatever happens now we “will never take the eyes off the ball”. Is there any table tennis fan from other sports in Sporting family? Cristiano RONALDO is passionate about table tennis. If he were not the best football player of the world he would probably be the best table tennis player in the world. When he played football in Madeira he was a federation practitioner and when he came to Sporting he used to go to the table tennis gym every day to play a little ping pong with us. He also loves this game! Please describe how Sporting Table Tennis Club looks like inside? Sporting Clube de Portugal is currently the largest national sporting power in all modalities and intends to be a European example. In table tennis there is a ten-table sports hall that runs daily with three youth coaches having won multiple national youth titles. The Club’s management has built a fantastic pavilion – João Rocha – annexed to the football stadium which is considered the home of the modalities that will greatly contribute to the success of Sporting table tennis at European level. We look forward to see what will happen in the future and how we can help these athletes even more to win more and more victories.
Table Tennis – proud member of a big Sporting`s family and place of joy for Cristiano RONALDO
Interview with Sporting Team Manager Gonçalo CASTANHEIRA two days prior to the first semi-final leg of TTCLM against reigning champion Orenburg (March 15th 19:00): “Now everything is possible”! Sporting Clube de Portugal founded in 1906 is best known for its football team – 1964 European Cup Winners` Cup champion – and some of biggest football stars ever like Luis FIGO and Cristiano RONALDO. But Sporting`s table tennis club drew attention across the nation after big success in their very first Table Tennis Champions League Men season. This Thursday March 15th they will host the reigning TTCLM champion Fakel Gazprom Orenburg in the first semi-final leg. More than enough reason for the interview with Sporting TT Team Manager Gonçalo CASTANHEIRA… How do you explain Sporting`s success in the debuting TTCLM season? Although we were considered the outsider team of the event we knew we could go far. From the beginning we believed that victory in all games was possible even though we were in the most difficult group that left us without any margin of error. The game of the opening day in Pontoise was crucial. We knew that almost everything depended on how we started the race. We won with some naturalness and from that game we began to face the victories and the passage of the group of natural form. What was the crucial in the quarter-final encounters against Stella Sport? We knew it was going to be a very difficult game. We got a good home team victory that gave us several tactical chances in France. We choose to try to simplify the game and ensure the victory as soon as possible placing the greatest responsibility on João MONTEIRO who once again set the example and gave the team more peace of mind. They were all at their best and the support of the public – JuveLeo França – and athletes’ friends was also crucial. What is the limit of actual Sporting`s team? Sporting has no limit and we love this spirit. Sporting has won all national club competitions in recent years (Super Cup Championship and Cup) and there was the ambition to make the leap to international club events. This main team of Sporting was “handpicked” after a big change over the last season. We maintained the main structure consisting of the Chinese coach and two Nigerian players and we had the privilege of being able to hire our two favorite Portuguese athletes. How do you comment individual performances of Sporting`s players in the TTCLM so far? João MONTEIRO was chosen to lead this fantastic group of players. Former champion for Sporting and fan in love with the club he returned to “his home” in time after winning many international titles. Currently playing his best table tennis as a result of the passion and family atmosphere he enjoys in Portugal he was decisive in all games of the competition and he is undoubtedly the best player a team can wish for. Aruna QUADRI is the current best African player and after several times of international high level he was required to maintain his success at the club level. It has grown in mental terms since the beginning of the competition cementing more and more its aggressiveness at the table. Now that Aruna becomes a Portuguese citizen his best is yet to come… Diogo CARVALHO is the current national champion of Portugal and was our joker in the TTCLM. He was decisive in almost every game with a win in each. He has been at the highest level and will continue to work hard day-by-day to be an international figure of table tennis. You can bet hard because we sure count on him! What do you expect in the semi-finals? Now everything is possible. We have achieved the goals required so we are with less pressure to be able to give the maximum game to game and to present our fantastic audience with highly emotive and spectacular games. Whatever happens now we “will never take the eyes off the ball”. Is there any table tennis fan from other sports in Sporting family? Cristiano RONALDO is passionate about table tennis. If he were not the best football player of the world he would probably be the best table tennis player in the world. When he played football in Madeira he was a federation practitioner and when he came to Sporting he used to go to the table tennis gym every day to play a little ping pong with us. He also loves this game! Please describe how Sporting Table Tennis Club looks like inside? Sporting Clube de Portugal is currently the largest national sporting power in all modalities and intends to be a European example. In table tennis there is a ten-table sports hall that runs daily with three youth coaches having won multiple national youth titles. The Club’s management has built a fantastic pavilion – João Rocha – annexed to the football stadium which is considered the home of the modalities that will greatly contribute to the success of Sporting table tennis at European level. We look forward to see what will happen in the future and how we can help these athletes even more to win more and more victories.
Fan Zhendong Ends Calderano’s Dream Run in Doha
Brazilian Hugo CALDERANO’s dream run at the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Qatar Open has come to an end being defeated by FAN Zhendong in the much-anticipated final in Doha Qatar. The world’s eyes were on the final after the Brazilian beat world number one Timo BOLL (GER) world number 12 Tomokazu HARIMOTO (JPN) and world number four LIN Gaoyuan (CHN) on the march to the final. Despite having several game points in the first two games it was not to be as the 21-year-old Chinese superstar powered away to win 13-11 12-10 11-7 11-7 to ensure there would be no fairytale finish for CALDERANO. FAN Zhendong’s victory means that on 1 April 2018 he will be announced as world number one player for the first time. An excited FAN Zhendong stated after the match: “It is an amazing feeling to become the word number one it has always been a big dream of mine. I hope I can keep this position for a very long time. Hugo has a very strong backhand I had to change the placement of the ball a great deal. In the first two games I was too cautious too passive; after winning the second game I played in a more positive manner.” The women’s final was a battle between the old and new generation of the Chinese National Team. The next big thing in table tennis WANG Manyu got off to a rapid start winning the first two games and putting the elder LIU Shiwen under pressure. LIU Shiwen was able to keep her cool and used all her experience to win the next 4 games to win her third Qatar Open 8-11 10-12 11-9 11-6 11-5 11-6 after having to qualify for the main draw. The former world number one stated: “I have played seven matches in order to win this tournament; I am very happy to win here. I must express my gratitude to Qatar; this is a magnificent venue. I’ll be back next year.” The battle for the women’s doubles title was an all Chinese affair. CHEN Xingtong & SUN Yingsha has a blistering start to hold a 1-0 advantage. This was as close as they got to the title as CHEN Ke & WANG Manyu won the next 3 games to clinch the title 8-11 11-2 11-4 11-4. The men’s doubles final was between World Champions FAN Zhendong & XU Xin from China and the Japanese pair of Jun MIZUTANI & Yuya OSHIMA. In a pulsating final it was the Chinese pair who were victorious 9-11 11-5 11-9 13-11. The world’s best table tennis players now head to the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum German Open in Bremen on 23-25 March 2018 as they continue to fight to qualify for the one million dollars World Tour Grand Finals.
Fan Zhendong Ends Calderano’s Dream Run in Doha
Brazilian Hugo CALDERANO’s dream run at the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Qatar Open has come to an end being defeated by FAN Zhendong in the much-anticipated final in Doha Qatar. The world’s eyes were on the final after the Brazilian beat world number one Timo BOLL (GER) world number 12 Tomokazu HARIMOTO (JPN) and world number four LIN Gaoyuan (CHN) on the march to the final. Despite having several game points in the first two games it was not to be as the 21-year-old Chinese superstar powered away to win 13-11 12-10 11-7 11-7 to ensure there would be no fairytale finish for CALDERANO. FAN Zhendong’s victory means that on 1 April 2018 he will be announced as world number one player for the first time. An excited FAN Zhendong stated after the match: “It is an amazing feeling to become the word number one it has always been a big dream of mine. I hope I can keep this position for a very long time. Hugo has a very strong backhand I had to change the placement of the ball a great deal. In the first two games I was too cautious too passive; after winning the second game I played in a more positive manner.” The women’s final was a battle between the old and new generation of the Chinese National Team. The next big thing in table tennis WANG Manyu got off to a rapid start winning the first two games and putting the elder LIU Shiwen under pressure. LIU Shiwen was able to keep her cool and used all her experience to win the next 4 games to win her third Qatar Open 8-11 10-12 11-9 11-6 11-5 11-6 after having to qualify for the main draw. The former world number one stated: “I have played seven matches in order to win this tournament; I am very happy to win here. I must express my gratitude to Qatar; this is a magnificent venue. I’ll be back next year.” The battle for the women’s doubles title was an all Chinese affair. CHEN Xingtong & SUN Yingsha has a blistering start to hold a 1-0 advantage. This was as close as they got to the title as CHEN Ke & WANG Manyu won the next 3 games to clinch the title 8-11 11-2 11-4 11-4. The men’s doubles final was between World Champions FAN Zhendong & XU Xin from China and the Japanese pair of Jun MIZUTANI & Yuya OSHIMA. In a pulsating final it was the Chinese pair who were victorious 9-11 11-5 11-9 13-11. The world’s best table tennis players now head to the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum German Open in Bremen on 23-25 March 2018 as they continue to fight to qualify for the one million dollars World Tour Grand Finals.
Tomas POLANSKY justified his status and clinched gold
2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships In dramatic closure of the 2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships Tomas POLANSKY of Czech Republic justified his status and overcame Cristian PLETEA of Romania (11:6 5:11 12:10 11:5 5:11 7:11 12:10) to clinch the title in the final of the Men’s Singles Event. In thrilling seven games duel POLANSKY had a better start but after 3:1 PLETEA recovered to level the match. In addition he was the one who controlled the match in most of the seventh game. “Before the match I was not sure whether I could succeed in the finals with my arm injured. I played smoothly at the beginning but PLETEA surprised me and got some aces from up his sleeve so I had to change my tactics I switched to forehand at 3:1. To be honest I don’t have a slightest idea of how I managed to prevail in the seventh game. I kept up with my play and hoped for the best. My arm didn’t bother me in quarterfinals and semifinals and now it reminded me that I had to be careful. Of course it would also be fantastic if I won Doubles too but I was focused on Singles from the very beginning ” explained POLANSKY. In the semis Tomas POLANSKY overcame Rares SIPOS of Romania (11:6 11:4 12:10 1:11 11:6) Last time I played against SIPOS I was nearly defeated. I won by narrowest of margin 15:13 in the last game. He has neat backhands so I had to keep an eye on every single detail of how he performed his shots. I found the way to answer his style and proved to be stronger ” said POLANSKY. Cristian PLETEA of Romania was stretched to full distance against last year’s bronze medalists Darko JORGIC of Slovenia but prevailed (11:9 7:11 12:10 5:11 5:11 11:7 11:9) “I have seen how JORGIC played in different matches. He defeated many skilled adversaries in Bundesliga and he was merciless with his rivals here. Me and my coach developed tactics that seemed legit but the game wasn’t always going as planned. In the middle of the last set I felt something like a strong block all over my body I guess it’s due to immense psychological pressure of the importance of this match. I was afraid to lose ” explained PLETEA.
Tomas POLANSKY justified his status and clinched gold
2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships In dramatic closure of the 2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships Tomas POLANSKY of Czech Republic justified his status and overcame Cristian PLETEA of Romania (11:6 5:11 12:10 11:5 5:11 7:11 12:10) to clinch the title in the final of the Men’s Singles Event. In thrilling seven games duel POLANSKY had a better start but after 3:1 PLETEA recovered to level the match. In addition he was the one who controlled the match in most of the seventh game. “Before the match I was not sure whether I could succeed in the finals with my arm injured. I played smoothly at the beginning but PLETEA surprised me and got some aces from up his sleeve so I had to change my tactics I switched to forehand at 3:1. To be honest I don’t have a slightest idea of how I managed to prevail in the seventh game. I kept up with my play and hoped for the best. My arm didn’t bother me in quarterfinals and semifinals and now it reminded me that I had to be careful. Of course it would also be fantastic if I won Doubles too but I was focused on Singles from the very beginning ” explained POLANSKY. In the semis Tomas POLANSKY overcame Rares SIPOS of Romania (11:6 11:4 12:10 1:11 11:6) Last time I played against SIPOS I was nearly defeated. I won by narrowest of margin 15:13 in the last game. He has neat backhands so I had to keep an eye on every single detail of how he performed his shots. I found the way to answer his style and proved to be stronger ” said POLANSKY. Cristian PLETEA of Romania was stretched to full distance against last year’s bronze medalists Darko JORGIC of Slovenia but prevailed (11:9 7:11 12:10 5:11 5:11 11:7 11:9) “I have seen how JORGIC played in different matches. He defeated many skilled adversaries in Bundesliga and he was merciless with his rivals here. Me and my coach developed tactics that seemed legit but the game wasn’t always going as planned. In the middle of the last set I felt something like a strong block all over my body I guess it’s due to immense psychological pressure of the importance of this match. I was afraid to lose ” explained PLETEA.
Mariia TAILAKOVA sealed Russia’s fantastic tournament with gold
2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships Last year semi finalist’s in Sochi Mariia TAILAKOVA of Russia beat her teammate in all-Russia’s final. Valeria SHCHERBATYKH failed to produce any pressure could threat TAILAKOVA. It was generally perfect tournament for Russia. Three out of four semifinalist were from that country. After the final against SHCHERBATYKH tahat lasted only four games (11:3 11:7 11:4 11:8) TAILAKOVA said: “Usually I am nervous when playing against the girls from my team but the situation was different today. In this final game with SHCHERBAKOVA I was calm and steady unlike when I opposed KOLISH in the previous match. Moreover we played without a coach now so I had to take my own decisions and play as I decided. It’s the first time that I’ve made it to the finals and through I’ve never got farther than semifinals before.” In the semi final of the event Mariia TAILAKOVA beat her teammate Anastasia KOLISH (11:1 11:5 9:11 11:9 11:9). “I failed to win in the previous match against KOLISH some time ago. Nonetheless we train together we are in one team so I know her weaknesses and realize how to use them to my advantage. Today I have chosen the right tactics figured out the strategy of my rival and defeated her ” said TAILAKOVA who played in the semi final of the European Championships in Sochi last year. Natalia BAJOR of Poland suffered by the hands of Valeria SHCHERBATYKH (6:11 9:11 9:11 11:9 11:3 14:16). “I was leading 3:0 when I let my thoughts drift lost focus and missed two sets in a row which was a high price to pay for the mistake. In sixth game Natalia BAJOR had made it 5-2 when I finally managed to bring back focus and regain control over the situation. Actually I struggled with myself today. In this match my attack prevailed performed with power spins. In the finals I will play against Mariia which makes me feel anxious as we seldom play against each other ” said Valeria after the semi final.
Mariia TAILAKOVA sealed Russia’s fantastic tournament with gold
2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships Last year semi finalist’s in Sochi Mariia TAILAKOVA of Russia beat her teammate in all-Russia’s final. Valeria SHCHERBATYKH failed to produce any pressure could threat TAILAKOVA. It was generally perfect tournament for Russia. Three out of four semifinalist were from that country. After the final against SHCHERBATYKH tahat lasted only four games (11:3 11:7 11:4 11:8) TAILAKOVA said: “Usually I am nervous when playing against the girls from my team but the situation was different today. In this final game with SHCHERBAKOVA I was calm and steady unlike when I opposed KOLISH in the previous match. Moreover we played without a coach now so I had to take my own decisions and play as I decided. It’s the first time that I’ve made it to the finals and through I’ve never got farther than semifinals before.” In the semi final of the event Mariia TAILAKOVA beat her teammate Anastasia KOLISH (11:1 11:5 9:11 11:9 11:9). “I failed to win in the previous match against KOLISH some time ago. Nonetheless we train together we are in one team so I know her weaknesses and realize how to use them to my advantage. Today I have chosen the right tactics figured out the strategy of my rival and defeated her ” said TAILAKOVA who played in the semi final of the European Championships in Sochi last year. Natalia BAJOR of Poland suffered by the hands of Valeria SHCHERBATYKH (6:11 9:11 9:11 11:9 11:3 14:16). “I was leading 3:0 when I let my thoughts drift lost focus and missed two sets in a row which was a high price to pay for the mistake. In sixth game Natalia BAJOR had made it 5-2 when I finally managed to bring back focus and regain control over the situation. Actually I struggled with myself today. In this match my attack prevailed performed with power spins. In the finals I will play against Mariia which makes me feel anxious as we seldom play against each other ” said Valeria after the semi final.
Ibrahim GÜNDÜZ and Abdullah YIGENLER
2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships Turkey’s Ibrahim GÜNDÜZ and Abdullah YIGENLER clinched the title in the Men’s Doubles Event at the 2018 BELGOSSTRAKH European Under 21 Championships. In the final they overcame Patryk ZATOWKA and Marek BADOWSKI of Poland (8:11 11:9 3:11 9:11). “It was all about the control. The Polish pairings attacked but we maintained the control over the match and had the answer to their game ” said Ibrahim. Abdullah YIGENLER added: “The whole tournament was hard for us with each match bringing new surprises and new experience. I think we have known from the very beginning of the Championships that we could make it to the top. We always play together and our strategy evolves with each game. We may admit right away that the final match with the Polish players was the hardest one. ZATOWKA and BADOWSKI produce tricky services that are not easy to return so we had to try our best to beat them. In the end we are the champions.” Quarterfinalists from Sochi Patryk ZATOWKA and Marek BADOWSKI beat Tomas POLANSKY of Czech Republic and Dennis KLEIN of Germany (11:7 7:11 12:10 11:7) on their first exit to the table today. “We ca not say we were nervous in the beginning of the match although our rivals are top seeded in Doubles and POLANSKY is No.1 seeded in Singles. We simply did not think about it we just played our game. When we started losing points at some moment the only thing to matter was to focus on the quality of our play. This was our tactics and we imposed it successfully ” said Patryk ZATOWKA. Turkey’s Ibrahim GÜNDÜZ and Abdullah YIGENLER beat Konstantin CHERNOV and Artur ABUSEV of Russia (5:11 11:7 11:8 11:6) in the semi final.
