The concluding ECLW round of group stage will be held on December 16th and 18th There are just four games to play in the group stage of the 2016/17 European Champions League Women. Seven out of eight quarter-finalists booked their places so far – TTC Berlin Eastside Linz AG Froschberg UCAM Cartagena Szekszard AC ALCL TT Grand-Quevilly Metz TT and KTS Siarka ZOT Tarnobrzeg. The ultimate one will be decided in the Round 6 match between TT Saint Quentin and Postas Sport Egyesulet (December 16th 19:30 CET) but it could say that French side is 99 % certain needing just two sets. TT Saint Quentin manager Jean-Louis POLARD is aware how big score his side achieved in Hungary six weeks ago – 3:0 (9:1) saying that in spite of all circumstances they weren’t able to beat reigning ECLW champion in the previous round: “We flew to Germany with our best possible team to play against the 2017 ECLW favourite. As SHAN Xiaona was away and Petrissa SOLJA had a foot operation both coaches played tactics. RAN Li Kath was N°2 for Saint-Quentin and Daniela MONTEIRO-DODEAN and Petrissa were both N°3. First Georgina POTA had a rough time with RAN (who used to play for Berlin some years ago): she only won 11:8 in the 5th set after the best rally of the match at 9:8. Then U21 Yui HAMAMOTO N°5 easily beat U21 ZENG Jian N°8 in 3 quick sets. After the break Daniela MONTEIRO faced Petrissa SOLJA and she was leading 2 sets to nil (11:9 14:12) when the German player quit. The Romanian’s victory was a way to celebrate Great Union Day the Romanian’s National Day on December 1st. Unfortunately Singaporean ZENG Jian was in bad shape and couldn’t avoid another defeat by Gina POTA. Anyway just two sets to go on December 16th (Round 6) and we’ll wait for December 21st.” In Group B two times ECLW winner Linz AG Froschberg hosts ECLW newcomer TuS bad Driburg. Austrian side secured top spot in this group while German team regardless the score will stay on 3rd place. Szekszard AC and ALCL TT Grand-Quevilly will fight for the top position in Group C. But Hungarian club needs just three sets to defend the top spot. Metz TT and SKST Stavoimpex Hodonin will conclude competition in the Group D but the score will not change anything: French side stays at second place while Czech club finishes third. ECLW Round 6 December 15-16th GROUP A Dec 16 19:30 CET: TT Saint Quentin – Postas Sport Egyesulet GROUP B Dec 18 16:00 CET: Linz AG Froschberg – TuS bad Driburg GROUP C Dec 18 16:00 CET: Szekszard AC – ALCL TT Grand-Quevilly GROUP D Dec 16 19:25 CET: Metz TT – SKST Stavoimpex Hodonin
Bogoria aims TTCLM quarter-finals
One of decisive matches of the TTCLM Round 6 will be held between BOGORIA GRODZISK MAZOWIECKI and G.V. HENNEBONT TT this Thursday (19:00 CET) BOGORIA GRODZISK MAZOWIECKI approaches decisive TTCLM Round 6 match against G.V. HENNEBONT in full swing after two very important victories in seven days. First they beat away FC SAARBRUCKEN TISCHTENNIS in the latest TTCLM game 3:1 then they repeated the same score in the super clash of Polish Super League against KS UNIA AZS AWFiS GDANSK to take over the leading position. The 2013 ETTU Cup runner-up now needs victory against French side to secure the quarter-final berth of 2016/17 TTCLM. Both sides Bogoria and Hennebont stand on 3-2 score in the Group C. Team manager of Polish club Dominik WIECZOREK provided us some statements of Bogoria`s player Daniel GORAK who stressed concerning the game in Saarbucken: “We knew that we are in difficult situation and if we wanna fight for the quarterfinal we have to put everything on one card and we have succeeded”. GORAK has played two matches in Germany first he lost to Patrick BAUM then he overcame Andrey SEMENOV. He wasn`t surprised by the fact that Bojan TOKIC will not be his second opponent: “In first match with BAUM I was and played really nervous so it was the main reason of my loss. And before my second game I heard that I will face young SEMENOV so I knew if I play calm I win this game.” Concerning chances against Hennebont on December 15th? “I’m glad that everything will be in our hands and if me Panos (GIONIS) and GAO play big game in front of our fans we are able to win this game”.
Favorits on the road in pursuit for points
ITTF European Championships Qualifications The fourth Round of the ITTF European Championships Qualifications will be played tomorrow. This week the leading teams in their respective groups will travel to play matches against the lower ranked teams. In Men’s Event after two wins in previous rounds Austria will travel to Odensee to meet Denmark. Hosts failed to post a win in previous encounters. In Group B Switzerland will host Germany in Magglingen. In Helsinki Finland will play against France in Lod Israel will host Belarus Talin will be the host of the match between Estonia and Sweden whilst Portugal will travel to Vilnius to meet Lithuania. Zoetermeer will be the host of the match between Netherlands and Greece whilst Slovenia and Poland will play in Nova Gorica. Russia will travel to Bulgaria’s Sofia. Slovenia is the only guest team with one defeat in the event. In Women’s Event in Preston England will host Germany in Piraeus Greece will host Romania whilst Bulgaria await Russia in Sofia. Girls of Switzerland will play alongside men’s team in Magglingen against Poland. The double program is also in Vilinius. Lithuanian team will play against Czech Republic. Kosovo will host Austria in Prishtina Italy will host France in Terni whilst Blegny will be the host city of the match between Belgium and Hungary.
HAN Ying earns silver and 30 000 $
MA Long and ZHU Yuling are winners of the Seamaster Qatar 2016 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Doha Germany`s HAN Ying took silver medal at the Seamaster Qatar 2016 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Doha as she lost to China`s ZHU Yuling in straight games of the final – 4:0 (11:9 12:10 12:10 11:3). World and Olympic champion in Men`s Singles Event MA Long successfully defended his title in the all-Chinese final against FAN Zhendong – 4:2 (11:5 11:4 11:9 7:11 12:14 11:9). MA goes down in history with his fifth crown of the World Tour Grand Finals while ZHU reached her very first one. No. 11 seed in the Seamaster Qatar 2016 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Doha HAN will take home 30 000 dollars in prize money. It was her best performances in this event. Last year she was quarter-finalist. “I am very pleased that I have been in the final. I am very satisfied with my performance at the tournament and I also played well in the final. ZHU Yuling was better in the final I must acknowledge that but I think one or two sets I could take” stated HAN Ying after the final.
Japan dominating Finlandia Open team events
Olah recovering from surgery Japan gained double victories in both men´s and women’s team competition in Finlandia Open in Kisakallio Sports Institute. In men’s final Hokuto KORIYAMA and Kohei SAMBE clinched a straight 3-0 victory. Ayami NARUMOTO and Minami ANDO defeated their compatriots in women´s final by 3-1. Singles will be played with progressive knock-out system that gives exact positions to every player. The winners will be known Sunday. Like during four previous years Finlandia Open is once again full involving 124 men and 76 women. “ Our competition seems to have quite a strong position in international table tennis. It suits particularly well for the promises of the future. In addition the condition which provides full accommodation in the immediate vicinity of arena is highly appreciated” says FTTA president Esko HEIKKINEN. The home crowd’s favourite Benedek OLÁH who played well in both Olympic Games and European Championships arrived to Kisakallio on Friday directly from the hospital. On Thursday he went under surgery of the left foot and releasing another nerve compression. “I feel relieved because now it became clear that I really had a problem which would not heal without the surgery. However I did well in the Olympic Games and European Championships so the decisions were exactly correct. Training will start again in about one month” OLAH promised.
HAN Ying in final FAN Zhendong halted OVTCHAROV’s progress
Seamaster 2016 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Doha Germany’s HAN Ying booked her place in the final of the women’s Singles Event at the Seamaster 2016 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Doha. In the penultimate round she beat Miu HIRANO of Japan in straight games (11-2 11-4 11-3 11-5). China’s FAN Zhendong and XU Xin both emerged successful in their quarter-final Men’s Singles. FAN Zhendong the no.2 seed was required to recover from a two games to nil deficit to beat Germany’s Dimitrij OVTCHAROV the no.8 seed (9-11 10-12 15-13 11-8 11-8 11-5); conversely XU Xin the no.3 seed overpowered Japan’s Yuto MURAMATSU the no.10 seed in straight games (11-2 11-6 11-5 11-4). Focused and positive Dimitrij Ovtcharov secured the first two games each by the minimal two point margin. In the third he led 9-5; then 10-9 Fan Zhendong levelled before a moment of drama. Attempting a powerful backhand top spin as Fan Zhendong’s racket made contact with the ball; the ball broke into two pieces. “I’m disappointed because I feel I was playing really well; the first two games were very open. If had won the third maybe I could have won four-nil; the last tournament of the year I wanted to finish on a winning note” explained Dimitrij OVTCHAROV. At the semi-final stage XU Xin meets FAN Zhendong; colleague MA Long confronts Korea Republic’s JEOUNG Youngsik. Russia’s Alexey LIVENTSOV and Mikhail PAIKOV lost in the semi final of the Men’s Doubles event against Korea’s JEOUNG Youngsik and LEE Sangsu (11-8 10-12 12-10 4-11 9-11 12-10 7-11).
OVTCHAROV reached quarterfinal of the World Tour Grand Finals
Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany the no.8 seed accounted for Hong Kong’s Tang Peng the no.14 seed in five games (11-9 11-5 13-15 14-12 11-6) to reserve his place in the quarter-finals of the Seamaster Qatar 2016 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Doha. He is the only European representative left in the game in the Men’s Singles Event. Han Ying of Germany will play tomorrow in the semifinal of the Women’s Singles Event. “I’m very satisfied with how I played today; my focus today was better than in recent matches I think I was a step above my recent matches but still some way below my best. Certainly I felt confident against TANG Peng I have a good record against him and maybe he doesn’t feel too confident playing me. Now it’s Fan Zhendong I’ve not played against him a great deal but I practised with him for over an hour this morning” said Dimitrij OVTCHAROV. FAN Zhendong the no.2 seed accounted for Japan’s Koki NIWA the no.15 seed (11-6 11-7 11-7 9-11 11-4) and XU Xin the no.3 seed defeated Chinese Taipei’s CHEN Chien-An the no.11 seed (11-8 11-11 11-6 11-8). CHUANG Chih-Yuan the no.5 seed beat Japan’s Yuya OSHIMA the no.13 seed in six games (11-8 11-7 10-12 4-11 11-4 11-9). In the Men’s Doubles event Russia’s Alexei LIVENTSOV and Mikhail PAIKOV beat Belgium’s Robin DEVOS and Cédric NUYTINCK (11-7 11-7 11-4 11-9) to reach semifinal. Japan’s Masataka MORIZONO and Yuya OSHIMA overcame the French pairing of Antoine HACHARD and Romain RUIZ (11-6 11-6 11-6 11-8). In the Women’s Doubles event Yui HAMAMOTO and Hina HAYATA overcame Russia’s Maria DOLGIKH and Polina MIKHAILOVA in five games (11-7 9-11 11-9 11-7 11-7) in the quarterfinal.
OVTCHAROV and HU Melek top Men`s and Women`s lists respectively
Invitation for the 2017 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup announced Invitation for the 2017 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup 3-5 February Antibes (FRA) are announced with 32 names in both competitions altogether plus reserve players. Current ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup winner Dimitrij OVTCHAROV and actual European champion and 2016 Top 16 runner-up HU Melek are on the top of lists followed by Vladimir SAMSONOV and Petrissa SOLJA respectively. Host audience will have a joy to see two finalists from the recent LIEBHERR 2016 ITTF European Championships champion Emmanuel LEBESSON and runner-up Simon GAUZY. Men`s invitation list promises fantastic event bearing in mind that all 16 top European players are here: Dimitrij OVTCHAROV (GER European No. 1) Vladimir SAMSONOV (BLR No. 2) Timo BOLL (GER No. 3) Marcos FREITAS (POR No. 4) Simon GAUZY (FRA No. 5) Stefan FEGERL (AUT No. 6) Bastian STEGER (GER No. 7) Tiago APOLONIA (POR No. 8) Kristian KARLSSON (SWE No. 9) Andrej GACINA (CRO No. 10) Mattias KARLSSON (SWE No. 11) Emmanuel LEBESSON (FRA No. 12) KOU Lei (UKR No. 13) Joao MONTEIRO (POR No. 14) Alexander SHIBAEV (RUS No. 15) Jonathan GROTH (DEN No. 16). Last year`s Women`s champion SHEN Yanfei (Spain) decided to retire from the table tennis but her name is still on the Invitation list due to regulations (European ranking from December 1st is valid). Newly crowned European champion HU Melek (Turkey European No. 2) who finished behind best Spanish player in the latest Europe Top 16 will compete in Antibes. Twelve out of 16 best ranked women`s players of Old Continent are on the Invitation list (top ranked HAN Ying are not among them). Beside HU Melek they are: Petrissa SOLJA (GER No. 3) Elizabeta SAMARA (ROU No. 4) LIU Jia (AUT No. 4) LI Jie (NED No. 7) LI Qian (POL No. 9) Georgina POTA (HUN No. 10) Matilda EKHOLM (SWE No. 11) LI Jiao (NED No. 12) Sabine WINTER (GER No. 13) SHEN Yanfei (ESP No. 14) Polina MIKHAILOVA (RUS No. 15) Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN (ROU No. 17) Sofia POLCANOVA (AUT No. 20) Viktoria PAVLOVICH (BLR No. 21) while the 16th name on the list will be the best ranked French player.
Olympic Champions Ding Ning & Ma Long named 2016 ITTF Table Tennis Stars
Newly crowned Olympic Champions DING Ning and MA Long have been named the ITTF Female and Male Table Tennis Stars respectively at the Seamaster Qatar 2016 ITTF Star Awards. The Seamaster Qatar 2016 ITTF Star Awards was held today 8 December at the Sheraton Grand Doha where the world’s best table tennis athletes dressed up in their finest to celebrate their achievements in 2016. Eight prestigious awards were handed out during the night to honor the respective winners. Having dominated the international table tennis scene since his victory at the 2015 World Table Tennis Championships the world number one was the clear favourite for the Male Table Tennis Star award. The 2015 ITTF Male Table Tennis Star did not disappoint his fans who voted for him bringing home the award presented by DHS. MA had to fend off competition from 2016 Men’s World Cup Champion FAN Zhendong (CHN) 2014 Male Table Tennis Star Quadri ARUNA (NGR) and Rio 2016 Olympic Singles Bronze medalist Jun MIZUTANI (JPN) before he could become the first athlete to receive the title twice in a row. “Thank you to ITTF and the Qatar Organizing Committee for giving me this award. Doha is a very beautiful city and I’m very happy and honored to receive this beautiful award in this city. Thank you everyone for the recognition of my efforts and results in 2016 ” shared MA upon receiving his award. “After Rio table tennis has become more popular in China I’m very happy and proud of this. I hope that through my efforts and that of other members of the table tennis community we will be able to spread table tennis to more corners of the globe.” Fans had a hard time voting for the Female Table Tennis Star as well with history makers Rio 2016 Olympic Champion DING Ning 2016 Women’s World Cup Champion Miu HIRANO (JPN) youngest Olympic table tennis medalist Mima ITO (JPN) and Rio 2016 Olympic Singles Bronze medalist KIM Song I (PRK) all going after the prestigious award. It was DING who won the hearts of the table tennis fans and the expert panel consisting of the fellow players and members of the media. Despite having a fever DING attended the Awards night and share her joy with her fans and the table tennis family “I’m glad with the award. I want to thank ITTF and everyone who supported me and helped me grow stronger. I love you everyone! Thank you very much!” China’s LIU Jing who claimed her third consecutive Paralympic Singles Gold was named the Female Para Table Tennis Star presented by Stag International while Belgium’s 16-year-old Laurens Devos took home the Male Para Table Tennis Star award by Tinsue after becoming the youngest male Paralympic Champion ever in Rio. With his insane roller shot against France’s Simon GAUZY at the 2016 ITTF World Tour Japan Open that went viral around the globe FAN Zhendong claimed the 2016 Star Point presented by Seamaster. Missing out on the Female Table Tennis Star award HIRANO returned home with the 2016 Breakthrough Star title presented by Monday Club with her achievement at the Seamaster 2016 Women’s World Cup. HIRANO became the youngest World Cup Champion at 16-year-old and is the first non-Chinese to ever held up the trophy. Egypt’s Rinad FATHY was the 2016 Fair Play Star for her true act of sportsmanship and honesty at the ITTF-African Junior & Cadet Championships. At 2-2 and 12-11 in the Cadet Girls’ Team Final FATHY gave an edge point to her opponent that neither the umpire nor the assistant umpire saw which resulted in the loss of her individual game. FATHY’s sportsmanship was rewarded in the end as Egypt was crowned the eventual Champion. For their achievements in their table tennis career winning more than Gold medals at the World Championships and Olympic Games DING was inducted into the ITTF Hall of Fame together with her fellow teammates XU Xin and LIU Shiwen. The world’s best players now swap their dresses and suits for the table tennis gear as the Seamaster World Tour Grand Finals continues to take place until 11 December 2016. Full List of 2016 ITTF Star Awards Winners: Male Table Tennis Star presented by DHS: MA Long (CHN) Female Table Tennis Star presented by Nittaku: DING Ning (CHN) Male Para Table Tennis Star presented by Tinsue: Laurens DEVOS (BEL) Female Para Table Tennis Star presented by Stag International: LIU Jing (CHN) Table Tennis Star Coach presented by Butterfly: LIU Guoliang (CHN) Table Tennis Breakthrough Star presented by Monday Club: Miu HIRANO (JPN) Table Tennis Star Point presented by Seamaster: FAN Zhendong (CHN) Fair Play Star: Rinad FATHY (EGY)
ITTF Moves into Virtual Reality at World Tour Grand Finals
Soon you can watch table tennis from any position in your living room. Table tennis is set to move into the virtual reality broadcasting world with a test broadcast organized for the Seamaster Qatar 2016 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals in Doha Qatar on 8-11 December 2016. The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) has partnered with SECA who owns ITTF’s Chinese Digital rights from 2017 to make the move into virtual reality and become a world leader in the new age of broadcast. ITTF President Thomas WEIKERT stated: “The ITTF is very excited about this momentous step forward in the way we will broadcast events. We are sure that virtual reality will be a big hit amongst table tennis and sport fans and will improve the popularity of table tennis broadcast significantly. Table tennis was the first ever video game with Pong being released in 1972 so we are very excited to again be a leader in digital innovation. Due to China being such a strong market for table tennis we are confident that SECA who is based in China are the best partners to move into this new frontier.” The virtual reality broadcast will eventually allow fans to watch the table tennis match from any position inside the venue. This means a fan could watch the match from the umpires or coaches’ perspective or sit up in the VIP seats to get a prime view of the world’s best table tennis player battling for gold. SECA CEO and Founder LI Sheng added: “SECA is delighted to bolster our partnership with ITTF in pushing the sport of table tennis to new frontiers. As the leadings sports marketing company in China SECA is always looking to service sports fans both in China and Worldwide through the newest technologies. Together with ITTF we firmly believe virtual reality and augmented reality is the technology of the future and that table tennis is the perfect sport to start this revolution.” Once the test has been successfully conduced at the Seamaster Qatar 2016 ITTF World Tour Grand Finals the ITTF & SECA plan to roll out virtual reality broadcasts at key ITTF events in 2017 to bring table tennis into the virtual realm.
