China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup   After the morning littered with surprises the trend of the lower ranked player beating the higher rated adversary Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania no. two seed and Gionis PANAGIOTIS of Greece no.13 stopped the trend. In Salle Omnisports du Pierrier at the China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup they successfully concluded the opening Round.   SAMARA beat NI Xia Lian of Luxembourg (9:11 12:14 11:9 7:11 11:8 11:5 5:11).   “When we saw the draw everyone was so confident that I will win because I beat her at the European Championships in Luxembourg. I was not that sure especially since I twist my ankle few days ago. The pain is not that big but still it is always in the back on my mind. However I start the match very calm and maintain the patience to beat her ” said SAMARA.   Next in line was Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN to meet LIU Jia.   “I will now sit and watch that match. I keep my fingers cross for her. If she win it is perfect for Romania. It means we will secure one place in the semi final since we will play against each other in the second round. We have not play against each other at the official match since the European Youth Championships. It is so nice we will play again ” said SAMARA.   Gionis PANAGIOTIS was also stretched to full distance in the match against Ukraine’s KOU Lei (11:13 8:11 17:15 7;11 11:8 12:10 11:5).   “At the beginning I was not in the good rhythm. I could not feel the venue the ball the spin…nothing works. That is why I was 2:1 down. He played much better; unlike me who had many ups and downs he was more stable with his game. Then I get the grip. I took over the control. KOU lost his confident and I took advantage of the momentum. In the last game which was crucial I want to finish quickly. I was even 7:0 in the lead. I was so tired and I wanted to conclude the duel as soon as possible.   Men’s Singles – Round of 16 Event’s page here Organisers web site here Tickets are available here Facebook here Twitter here Instagram here

China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup   After the morning littered with surprises the trend of the lower ranked player beating the higher rated adversary Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania no. two seed and Gionis PANAGIOTIS of Greece no.13 stopped the trend. In Salle Omnisports du Pierrier at the China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup they successfully concluded the opening Round.   SAMARA beat NI Xia Lian of Luxembourg (9:11 12:14 11:9 7:11 11:8 11:5 5:11).   “When we saw the draw everyone was so confident that I will win because I beat her at the European Championships in Luxembourg. I was not that sure especially since I twist my ankle few days ago. The pain is not that big but still it is always in the back on my mind. However I start the match very calm and maintain the patience to beat her ” said SAMARA.   Next in line was Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN to meet LIU Jia.   “I will now sit and watch that match. I keep my fingers cross for her. If she win it is perfect for Romania. It means we will secure one place in the semi final since we will play against each other in the second round. We have not play against each other at the official match since the European Youth Championships. It is so nice we will play again ” said SAMARA.   Gionis PANAGIOTIS was also stretched to full distance in the match against Ukraine’s KOU Lei (11:13 8:11 17:15 7;11 11:8 12:10 11:5).   “At the beginning I was not in the good rhythm. I could not feel the venue the ball the spin…nothing works. That is why I was 2:1 down. He played much better; unlike me who had many ups and downs he was more stable with his game. Then I get the grip. I took over the control. KOU lost his confident and I took advantage of the momentum. In the last game which was crucial I want to finish quickly. I was even 7:0 in the lead. I was so tired and I wanted to conclude the duel as soon as possible.   Men’s Singles – Round of 16 Event’s page here Organisers web site here Tickets are available here Facebook here Twitter here Instagram here

China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup     Alexander SHIBAEV seeded no. 7 create the upset in the early stages of the China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup by beating no. 3 seed Simon GAUZU of France no. three seed (11:9 11:4 8:11 11:4 5:11 9:11 11:7). In the opening Round in Salle omnisports du Pierrier in Montreaux the upsets continued as Sabine WINTER of Germany no. 13 beat LI Qian of Poland no. 7 at the seeding (11:6 9:11 4:11 14:12 11:5 11:5).   Alexander SHIBAEV had a better start but GAUZY managed to recover after being 2:0 and 3:1 in reverse.   “I had a good start but then I lost my focus. However despite the GAUZY’s recover I did not lost my faith. I was sure if I continue to play my game I will be in the control again. It was tactically hard match but most important tactic for me was to play my game and to attack with forehand ” said SHIBAEV.   Due the injury GAUZY had only five days of trainings before he came in Switzerland.   “I had a two months break and I am far from the best shape. It is always difficult to lose seven games match but under such circumstances I have to accept it with the optimism. Even yesterday I was not sure if I could play today. Fortunately I feel less pain and I am looking forward coming encounters ” said GAUZY.   The drama was also seen in the Women’s event. Sabine WINTER was 2:1 behind LI Qian but she recovered in big style. It is Sabine’s third time to play at Top 16.   “When I play at the Top 16 for a first time I was happy I was qualified. I was not under pressure and I finished at the position no. 6. Last year I came from the shoulder injury with low expectation and achieved great success. I was third. This time too I did not come well prepared. I did not have enough training so once again my expectations were not high and I was not nervous. However thing changed when I saw the draw with two players with defending style. That is the style I feel comfortable with. It seams it is good not to have high expectations but for sure I will give my best ” said WINTER.   Playing against defender proved as specialty for Sabine today.   “I hat to put top spin on the table and to avoid any direct attacks. The key is in patience. You have to have it a lot against such players ” said WINTER.   Event’s page here Organisers web site here Tickets are available here Facebook here Twitter here Instagram here

China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup     Alexander SHIBAEV seeded no. 7 create the upset in the early stages of the China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup by beating no. 3 seed Simon GAUZU of France no. three seed (11:9 11:4 8:11 11:4 5:11 9:11 11:7). In the opening Round in Salle omnisports du Pierrier in Montreaux the upsets continued as Sabine WINTER of Germany no. 13 beat LI Qian of Poland no. 7 at the seeding (11:6 9:11 4:11 14:12 11:5 11:5).   Alexander SHIBAEV had a better start but GAUZY managed to recover after being 2:0 and 3:1 in reverse.   “I had a good start but then I lost my focus. However despite the GAUZY’s recover I did not lost my faith. I was sure if I continue to play my game I will be in the control again. It was tactically hard match but most important tactic for me was to play my game and to attack with forehand ” said SHIBAEV.   Due the injury GAUZY had only five days of trainings before he came in Switzerland.   “I had a two months break and I am far from the best shape. It is always difficult to lose seven games match but under such circumstances I have to accept it with the optimism. Even yesterday I was not sure if I could play today. Fortunately I feel less pain and I am looking forward coming encounters ” said GAUZY.   The drama was also seen in the Women’s event. Sabine WINTER was 2:1 behind LI Qian but she recovered in big style. It is Sabine’s third time to play at Top 16.   “When I play at the Top 16 for a first time I was happy I was qualified. I was not under pressure and I finished at the position no. 6. Last year I came from the shoulder injury with low expectation and achieved great success. I was third. This time too I did not come well prepared. I did not have enough training so once again my expectations were not high and I was not nervous. However thing changed when I saw the draw with two players with defending style. That is the style I feel comfortable with. It seams it is good not to have high expectations but for sure I will give my best ” said WINTER.   Playing against defender proved as specialty for Sabine today.   “I hat to put top spin on the table and to avoid any direct attacks. The key is in patience. You have to have it a lot against such players ” said WINTER.   Event’s page here Organisers web site here Tickets are available here Facebook here Twitter here Instagram here

Construction Bank 2018 ITTF-Europe Top 16 Cup   The battle for the most prestige title in Europe the gold at the China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF-Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux and for the place in top three which opens the door for the 2018 ITTF Men’s World Cup and 2018 ITTF Women’s World Cup will start tomorrow. The draw was conducted today in presence of the players.   Host’s representative Lionel WEBER was not very lucky today. He will meet World’s no. one and titleholder Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany. However he did not complain.   “I am very happy to play here in Montreux and of course to meet Dima the World’s no. one ” said WEBER.   “I’ve been practising with Kou Lei the last few days and we are in good shape. I received many congratulations here in Switzerland for being world number one which is nice. And now I play Lionel I will study his matches.” Said Dimitrij OVTCHAROV   Panagiotis GIONIS of Greece will meet KOU Lei of Ukraine Jonathan GROTH of Denmark will face Tiago APOLONIA of Portugal Alexander SHIBAEV will play against Simon GAUZY of France Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden will meet Vladimir SAMSONOV of Belarus Mattias KARLSSON of Sweden will play against Ruwen FILUS of Germany Emmanuel LEBESSON of France will play against Bastian STEGER of Germany and Stefan FEGERL of Austria will play against Timo BOLL of Germany.   “We are in the same club in Borussia Dusseldorf. We know each other very well. At least if I lose I can watch Super Bowl at home ” joked BOLL.   In the Women’s Event the duel that will cause most of the attention in the morning program will be the clash between two defenders no. one seed LI Jie of Netherlands and Russia’s Polina MIKHAILOVA.   “All the matches will be difficult and I will try my best ” said LI.   In the opening round Sabine WINTER of Germany will meet LI Qian of Poland LIU Jia of Austria will play against Daniela DODEAN MONTEIRO of Romania NI Xia Lian of Luxembourg will meet Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania.   “I allways surprise everybody and myself. My approach today is younger than tomorrow ” said NI.   Georgina POTA of Hungary will meet Petrissa SOLJA of Germany Tetyana BILENKO of Ukraine will meet Bernadette SZOCS of Romania Matilda EKHOLM of Sweden will meet Viktoria PAVLOVICH of Belarus Rachel MORET of Switzerland will meet Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria.   “ I will try my best and I am happy to play here in front of the Swiss fans’” said MORET.   The matches starts at 10 AM.     Event’s page here Organisers web site here Tickets are available here Facebook here Twitter here Instagram here

Construction Bank 2018 ITTF-Europe Top 16 Cup   The battle for the most prestige title in Europe the gold at the China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF-Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux and for the place in top three which opens the door for the 2018 ITTF Men’s World Cup and 2018 ITTF Women’s World Cup will start tomorrow. The draw was conducted today in presence of the players.   Host’s representative Lionel WEBER was not very lucky today. He will meet World’s no. one and titleholder Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany. However he did not complain.   “I am very happy to play here in Montreux and of course to meet Dima the World’s no. one ” said WEBER.   “I’ve been practising with Kou Lei the last few days and we are in good shape. I received many congratulations here in Switzerland for being world number one which is nice. And now I play Lionel I will study his matches.” Said Dimitrij OVTCHAROV   Panagiotis GIONIS of Greece will meet KOU Lei of Ukraine Jonathan GROTH of Denmark will face Tiago APOLONIA of Portugal Alexander SHIBAEV will play against Simon GAUZY of France Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden will meet Vladimir SAMSONOV of Belarus Mattias KARLSSON of Sweden will play against Ruwen FILUS of Germany Emmanuel LEBESSON of France will play against Bastian STEGER of Germany and Stefan FEGERL of Austria will play against Timo BOLL of Germany.   “We are in the same club in Borussia Dusseldorf. We know each other very well. At least if I lose I can watch Super Bowl at home ” joked BOLL.   In the Women’s Event the duel that will cause most of the attention in the morning program will be the clash between two defenders no. one seed LI Jie of Netherlands and Russia’s Polina MIKHAILOVA.   “All the matches will be difficult and I will try my best ” said LI.   In the opening round Sabine WINTER of Germany will meet LI Qian of Poland LIU Jia of Austria will play against Daniela DODEAN MONTEIRO of Romania NI Xia Lian of Luxembourg will meet Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania.   “I allways surprise everybody and myself. My approach today is younger than tomorrow ” said NI.   Georgina POTA of Hungary will meet Petrissa SOLJA of Germany Tetyana BILENKO of Ukraine will meet Bernadette SZOCS of Romania Matilda EKHOLM of Sweden will meet Viktoria PAVLOVICH of Belarus Rachel MORET of Switzerland will meet Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria.   “ I will try my best and I am happy to play here in front of the Swiss fans’” said MORET.   The matches starts at 10 AM.     Event’s page here Organisers web site here Tickets are available here Facebook here Twitter here Instagram here

China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup   Russia`s Polina MIKHAILOVA actual world no. 44 is ready for her fourth consecutive participation at the China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup (February 3-4th) to be played in Montreux Salle Omnisport du Pierrier. Four-time bronze medalist from ITTF-European Championships – one individual (Yekaterinburg 2015) and three Team events – speaks about her goal in her new attempt at the competition where she begins as no. 14 seed…   “So my goal for the top 16 is to reach semifinal and to qualify for a World Cup I know it will be difficult but I will try” stressed player of Hungarian Szekszard and Russian National Team.   It will be your 4th consecutive Top16. What do you remember most from previous three events?   “Yes it will be my 4th event and 3 times I finished tournament on a group stage I remember how on Top 16 in Portugal me and 2 more players had same amount of won and lost matches and also sets so it was necessary to count points and I was the last in this triangle. So it’s not the best memory but this came to my head…”   Favorites and possible upsets at China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup?   “I can’t say favorite as all depends on draw and shape of players I think in Europe almost everyone can win everyone”.   What about your plans and goals for 2018?   “For 2018 my goal is to get higher in a world ranking to qualify for a World Cup (never took part in this tournament) and also this year will be single European championship I would like to reach medal there”.   Your moments to remember in 2017?   “From 2017 best memory was Team European Championship in Luxembourg where we took bronze it’s always great feeling and very good achievement for me and my national team”.   In your opinion who was World’s best athlete of the 2017?   “My opinion best athlete was Dima OVCHAROV how he played all season and how many tournaments he won and also became number one in world ranking it’s amazing”.   In Montreux (on 3rd and 4th February) will play Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany Timo Boll of Germany Simon GAUZY of France Vladimir SAMSONOV of Belarus  KOU Lei of Ukraine Ruwen FILUS of Germany Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden Alexander SHIBAEV of Russia Bastian STEGER of Germany Jonathan GROTH of Denmark Emmanuel LEBESSON of France Tiago APOLONIA of Portugal Mattias KARLSSON of Sweden Panagiotis GIONIS of Greece Stefan FEGERL of Austria Lionel WEBER of Switzerland.   In Women’s Top 16 will play: LI Jie of Netherlands Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania Georgina POTA of Hungary Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria Petrissa SOLJA of Germany LI Qian of Poland Matilda EKHOLM of Sweden Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania Viktoria PAVLOVICH of Belarus NI Xia Lian of Luxembourg Polina MIKHAILOVA of Russia Sabine WINTER of Germany Tetyana BILENKO of Ukraine and Rachel MORET of Switzerland.   Event’s page here Organisers web site here Tickets are available here Facebook here Twitter here Instagram here

China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup   Russia`s Polina MIKHAILOVA actual world no. 44 is ready for her fourth consecutive participation at the China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup (February 3-4th) to be played in Montreux Salle Omnisport du Pierrier. Four-time bronze medalist from ITTF-European Championships – one individual (Yekaterinburg 2015) and three Team events – speaks about her goal in her new attempt at the competition where she begins as no. 14 seed…   “So my goal for the top 16 is to reach semifinal and to qualify for a World Cup I know it will be difficult but I will try” stressed player of Hungarian Szekszard and Russian National Team.   It will be your 4th consecutive Top16. What do you remember most from previous three events?   “Yes it will be my 4th event and 3 times I finished tournament on a group stage I remember how on Top 16 in Portugal me and 2 more players had same amount of won and lost matches and also sets so it was necessary to count points and I was the last in this triangle. So it’s not the best memory but this came to my head…”   Favorites and possible upsets at China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup?   “I can’t say favorite as all depends on draw and shape of players I think in Europe almost everyone can win everyone”.   What about your plans and goals for 2018?   “For 2018 my goal is to get higher in a world ranking to qualify for a World Cup (never took part in this tournament) and also this year will be single European championship I would like to reach medal there”.   Your moments to remember in 2017?   “From 2017 best memory was Team European Championship in Luxembourg where we took bronze it’s always great feeling and very good achievement for me and my national team”.   In your opinion who was World’s best athlete of the 2017?   “My opinion best athlete was Dima OVCHAROV how he played all season and how many tournaments he won and also became number one in world ranking it’s amazing”.   In Montreux (on 3rd and 4th February) will play Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany Timo Boll of Germany Simon GAUZY of France Vladimir SAMSONOV of Belarus  KOU Lei of Ukraine Ruwen FILUS of Germany Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden Alexander SHIBAEV of Russia Bastian STEGER of Germany Jonathan GROTH of Denmark Emmanuel LEBESSON of France Tiago APOLONIA of Portugal Mattias KARLSSON of Sweden Panagiotis GIONIS of Greece Stefan FEGERL of Austria Lionel WEBER of Switzerland.   In Women’s Top 16 will play: LI Jie of Netherlands Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania Georgina POTA of Hungary Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria Petrissa SOLJA of Germany LI Qian of Poland Matilda EKHOLM of Sweden Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania Viktoria PAVLOVICH of Belarus NI Xia Lian of Luxembourg Polina MIKHAILOVA of Russia Sabine WINTER of Germany Tetyana BILENKO of Ukraine and Rachel MORET of Switzerland.   Event’s page here Organisers web site here Tickets are available here Facebook here Twitter here Instagram here

China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup   Two years ago bronze medalist last year runner-up and what can the best Russian player Alexander SHIBAEV achieve at the upcoming the China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup to be played in Montreux Salle Omnisport du Pierrier.   “At any competition I want to play well and to show the result of my training which is important to me” stressed no. 8 seed and actual world no. 62.   Alexander SHIBAEV faced many injuries in last couple of seasons but managed to stay focused on highest possible goals in European table tennis. UMMC` player is three-time ITTF-European Championships medalist having one silver (Double Gdansk 2011) and two bronze (Team Schwechat 2013 and Double Yekaterinburg 2015). Speaking about his goal in Montreux he stated:   “I will be training for the Top 16 in Denmark with my coach and the Danish team. The training in Denmark will last 7-8 days and I hope that everything will be fine. I am determined to fare well in the tournament and I think I will succeed. This is the main goal. Therefore the result I hope will be good.”   Last year`s Europe Top 16 silver in Antibes France was one of his two best achievements in 2017.   “The 5th place in the World Cup and silver in the TOP-16 of course this is the main things. Regarding my plans in 2018 I would like to rise in the ranking get into the 15 strongest in the world or even in the top ten. Well to show good play to improve the results that I have now”.   SHIBAEV believes that the biggest favorites at the China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup are two German players actual world no. 1 and no. 3 Dimitrij OVTCHAROV and Timo BOLL.   On question who are the World`s best athlete of the 2017 he replied:   “To my opinion OVTCHAROV”.   In Montreux (on 3rd and 4th February) will play Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany Timo Boll of Germany Simon GAUZY of France Vladimir SAMSONOV of Belarus Marcos FREITAS of Portugal Ruwen FILUS of Germany Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden Alexander SHIBAEV of Russia Bastian STEGER of Germany Jonathan GROTH of Denmark Emmanuel LEBESSON of France Tiago APOLONIA of Portugal Mattias KARLSSON of Sweden Panagiotis GIONIS of Greece Stefan FEGERL of Austria Lionel WEBER of Switzerland.   In Women’s Top 16 will play: LI Jie of Netherlands Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania Georgina POTA of Hungary Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria Petrissa SOLJA of Germany LI Qian of Poland Matilda EKHOLM of Sweden Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania Viktoria PAVLOVICH of Belarus NI Xia Lian of Luxembourg Polina MIKHAILOVA of Russia Sabine WINTER of Germany Tetyana BILENKO of Ukraine and Rachel MORET of Switzerland.   Event’s page here Organisers web site here Tickets are available here Facebook here Twitter here Instagram here

China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup   Two years ago bronze medalist last year runner-up and what can the best Russian player Alexander SHIBAEV achieve at the upcoming the China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup to be played in Montreux Salle Omnisport du Pierrier.   “At any competition I want to play well and to show the result of my training which is important to me” stressed no. 8 seed and actual world no. 62.   Alexander SHIBAEV faced many injuries in last couple of seasons but managed to stay focused on highest possible goals in European table tennis. UMMC` player is three-time ITTF-European Championships medalist having one silver (Double Gdansk 2011) and two bronze (Team Schwechat 2013 and Double Yekaterinburg 2015). Speaking about his goal in Montreux he stated:   “I will be training for the Top 16 in Denmark with my coach and the Danish team. The training in Denmark will last 7-8 days and I hope that everything will be fine. I am determined to fare well in the tournament and I think I will succeed. This is the main goal. Therefore the result I hope will be good.”   Last year`s Europe Top 16 silver in Antibes France was one of his two best achievements in 2017.   “The 5th place in the World Cup and silver in the TOP-16 of course this is the main things. Regarding my plans in 2018 I would like to rise in the ranking get into the 15 strongest in the world or even in the top ten. Well to show good play to improve the results that I have now”.   SHIBAEV believes that the biggest favorites at the China Construction Bank 2018 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup are two German players actual world no. 1 and no. 3 Dimitrij OVTCHAROV and Timo BOLL.   On question who are the World`s best athlete of the 2017 he replied:   “To my opinion OVTCHAROV”.   In Montreux (on 3rd and 4th February) will play Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany Timo Boll of Germany Simon GAUZY of France Vladimir SAMSONOV of Belarus Marcos FREITAS of Portugal Ruwen FILUS of Germany Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden Alexander SHIBAEV of Russia Bastian STEGER of Germany Jonathan GROTH of Denmark Emmanuel LEBESSON of France Tiago APOLONIA of Portugal Mattias KARLSSON of Sweden Panagiotis GIONIS of Greece Stefan FEGERL of Austria Lionel WEBER of Switzerland.   In Women’s Top 16 will play: LI Jie of Netherlands Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania Georgina POTA of Hungary Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria Petrissa SOLJA of Germany LI Qian of Poland Matilda EKHOLM of Sweden Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania Viktoria PAVLOVICH of Belarus NI Xia Lian of Luxembourg Polina MIKHAILOVA of Russia Sabine WINTER of Germany Tetyana BILENKO of Ukraine and Rachel MORET of Switzerland.   Event’s page here Organisers web site here Tickets are available here Facebook here Twitter here Instagram here