The top seed in the Men’s Singles Event at the European Under 21 Championships in Skopje Eduard IONESCU of Romania successfully began his journey in North Macedonia. However the complete spotlight today was stolen by Andre BERTELSMEIER of Germany who recorded two wins in straight games including one against the No. 5 seed Darius MOVILEANU of Romania. BERTELSMEIER defeated Pierre KASES of Austria in the opening match of the Second stage of the Championships before overcoming MOVILEANU. Germany’s player is seeded at position No. 27. “We played against each other twice before; he won the first one and I was better last time. Today it was crucial for me to fight for every ball. There comes my 4-0 win but the match was much closer than the result predicted today ” said BERTELSMEIER. Top seed IONESCU overcame William BERGENBLOCK of Sweden and Kas VAN OOST of the Netherlands. “I am happy with my form; everything is falling into place on the way to the top ” said IONESCU. European under 15 champion Tiago ABIOUDUN of Portugal ranked at position No. 52 in the seedings also recorded two wins in his group. He overcame Germany’s Matthias DANZER and Croatia’s Ivor BAN. Against BAN he was stretched to the full distance. “At 3:1 I lost my pace. Leading 3:1 I realized I could be a little bit passive and at 3:2 I became very nervous. At 3:2 I started playing aggressively again. The last game was very hard but I continued fighting and managed to win. I did not change my game in the last three games. I followed the same tactics: a long service in the backhand and a short one in the forehand no spin and it turned out very well ” explained Tiago ABIODUN. Speaking of last year Portugal’s player said: “2023 was a good year for me. I played in the U17 category for the first time and in Linz I made it to the semi-finals. Also U19 quarter-finals so I am very happy with my performance. In 2024 I will try to make it to the U19 World Championship and keep working for European events.” Reigning champion Milosz REDZIMSKI of Poland concluded the day successfully with wins over Flavien COTON of France and Ivan HENCL of Croatia. “I try not to think of last year’s championships. This is a new chapter another tournament and all my thoughts are here just to play and fight. I do not feel any pressure; every player as you saw plays very well. I did not know my last opponent Ivan Hencl; he played very well so I must be fully focused on every match and fight ” said REDZIMSKI. The last round of the second stage will be played tomorrow. The two best-ranked players from each group will progress to the round of 16.
BERGENBLOCK: I Feel Amazing
The leading player in the opening stage of the Men’s Event at the European Under 21 Championships in Skopje Flavien COTON of France concluded all three rounds in Stage 1 undefeated. He progressed to Stage 2 with Miguel PANTOJA of Spain who upset the rankings by beating Miha PODOBNIK of Slovenia. In Group 2 there were no problems for Simon BELIK of Czechia but Mateusz ZELENGOWSKI lost to Daniel BERZOSA thus failing to secure a place in the next stage. Mateusz ZALEWSKI of Poland showed no mercy in Group 3 with Andrii GREBENIUK of Ukraine following him with one defeat in the same group. European Under 21 champion in doubles Ivor BAN of Croatia had a 9:0 record and safely concluded the day while Nazar TRETIAK of Ukraine followed him from the second position. In Group 5 Tommaso GIOVANNETTI of Italy was first as the rankings predicted but Andre KASES of Austria upset the order with a better game ratio as three players in the group had three defeats – the Austrian Filip DELINCAK of Slovakia and Arnau PONS of Spain. From the bottom of Group 6 William BERGENBLOCK of Sweden launched himself to the top with three wins. Wim VERDONSCHOT of Germany was second leaving Tom CLOSSET of Belgium and Samuel ARPAS of Slovakia behind. “I feel amazing playing very well. I think I receive well serve well and generally play a good game. It is too early to tell the outcome; at the moment I just play don’t think too much try to play my game and I have a good chance by just playing my game. It is too early to tell if I will become a surprise of this tournament. I will give my best and focus on one game at a time ” said 16-year-old BERGENBLOCK. Also progressing to the next stage were Borna PETEK of Croatia and Louis LAFFINEUR of Belgium Andre BERTELSMEIER of Germany and European under-15 champion in Singles Tiago ABIODUN of Portugal Andrea PUPPO of Italy Tom SCHWEIGER of Germany Lei BALASZ of Hungary Kas VAN OOST of Netheralnds Connor GREEN of England Ivan HENCL and Leon BENKO of Croatia and Matthias DANZER of Germany.
STERNER is Already Thinking about Linz
On the opening day of the European Under 21 Championships in Skopje the Group phase took center stage. It was a highly successful day for the highest-ranked player in the opening stage Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania. The European bronze medalist in the Under 19 category in Gliwice concluded the day at the top of Group 1 with three victories over Elvira RAD of Spain Elise PUJOL of France and Foteini MELETIE of Cyprus. PUJOL surpassed her rankings and finished second moving on to the second stage after defeating RAD. In Group 2 Clea DE STOPPELEIRE of France also upset the rankings to advance to the next phase. However Matilde PINTO of Portugal managed to join her from the second spot after one defeat. The same order was maintained in Group 3. Anastasia STERNER recorded three wins to secure the top position in Group 3. Austria’s player seeded at position no. 31 overcame the 11th-seeded Ukraine’s Veronika MATIUNINA on her way to the top (-5 9 11 -9 11). “It was a very close game so I think it was about who was braver who takes more risks – wins ” said STERNER. “For this tournament I just want to give my best and I’ll see what it will bring. I hope I can beat more and more good players and I just hope that I can fight with everybody.” Anastasia moved to Austria several years ago and is now the leading player in the Under 21 category. “I have been in the national team for almost a year. I just want to continue growing because I have many abilities to show and show what I can do. Just hoping to improve faster and faster. This year I will participate in the World Championship with Team Austria and I hope I can show my best game. Also I am looking forward to the European U19 championship and European Senior Championship where Austria is the host so I hope to show my best game ” said STERNER. In Group 4 there was an interesting situation with three players having two wins and one defeat. Eventually Iolanta YEVTODII of Ukraine placed at position no. 33 at the seedings emerged at the top of the group in front of Maarit Ramona BETZ of Finland who is 32nd and Agathe AVEZOU of France who is 12th on the list. Helena SOMMEROVA of Czechia and Matilda HANSSON of Sweden both beat Emine ERNST of the Netherlands to secure a place in the next round. Also progressing to the next stage were Sara TOKIC of Slovenia Ilona SZTWIERTNIA of Poland Luciana MITROFAN of Romania Natalia BOGDANOWICZ of Poland Zuzanna WIELGOS of Poland Nomin BAASAN of Sweden Maria BERZOSA of Spain Naomi PRANJKOVIC of Germany Sara DEVOS of Belgium Mari BALDWIN of England Lena HOCHART of France Tsvetelina GEORGIEVA of Bulgaria Josephina NEUMANN of Germany and Adriana ILLASOVA of Slovakia.
ZELENGOWSKI: I’m trying not to have big expectations
The opening rounds in the Men’s Group Stage at the European Under 21 Championships in Skopje announced exciting proceedings of the Championships in North Macedonia. A few favorites were already defeated or faced fierce challenges. However the top-seeded player in qualifications Frenchman Flavien COTON was not among those who suffered. He overcame Miguel PANTOJA of Spain in straight games (6 10 9). In Group 2 Simon BELIK of Czechia also recorded a win over Daniel BERZOSA of Spain (9 9 12) but in the same group Mateusz ZELENGOWSKI of Poland was forced to go the full distance in the duel against Sharpel ELIA of Cyprus (-8 2 8 -6 8). “I didn’t know much about the adversary because there weren’t videos on Youtube so I didn’t know what to expect. I was too nervous during the match. I was winning in the first game 6:2 and then the game was just lost. I lost the shape and the tactics started receiving badly and that was the key why the match was that tough ” explained ZELENGOWSKI who clinched the title at the WTT Youth Contender Linz 2023. “Last year I won the title in Skopje in Mixed doubles but in singles I was pretty bad; I have to admit that but I really like the atmosphere here the city… For 2024 most likely I will try to qualify for the European Championships U19 and continue playing on a good score in the German league. Here I try not to have big expectations because when I create them they always disappear in the first rounds of the tournament. That was pretty close to happening today ” admitted ZELENGOWSKI. A player who suffered an unpleasant fate in the opening round was the no. 14 seed Tom CLOSSET of Belgium who lost to no. 40 seed Wim VERDONSCHOT of Germany (-9 9 5 7). Adam KLAJBER of Slovakia the No. 15 seed lost to Petek BORNA of Croatia no. 38 seed (6 7 -8 12) and no. 44 seed Aljaz GODEC of Slovenia overcame Kas VAN OOST of Netherlands no. 18 seed (6 10 7).
Maria BERZOSA Off to a Strong Start
In the initial round of the Women’s Singles qualifications at the Under 21 European Championships favorites encountered early challenges. In Group 9 Maria BERZOSA seeded at position no. 46 caused an upset by defeating Germany’s Naomi PRANJKOVIC listed at position no. 21 in the seedings in straight games (9 9 10). “The victory at the very beginning of the Championships is a great way to boost confidence and it gives me extra motivation to proceed ” said BERZOSA. Maria BERZOSA had already garnered attention at the European Team Championships in Malmö. The 15-year-old recorded valuable wins over Tessy GONDERINGER of Luxembourg and Konstantina PARIDI of Greece contributing to Spain’s advancement to the quarterfinals. “Maria seized the opportunities we gave her as the third player to the fullest. Her wins helped us achieve a very good result in Sweden ” said coach Silvia ERDELYI. In the European Youth Championships last summer in Poland Maria secured bronze medals in all three categories: Under 15 Singles Doubles and Teams Event. The opening round witnessed several more surprising outcomes. Iolanta YEVTODII of Ukraine ranked at position no. 33 defeated the no. 12 seed Agathe AVEZOU of France in three games (11 9 7). Matilda HANSSON of Sweden seeded at no. 37 emerged victorious over Emine ERNST of the Netherlands the no. 13 seed in a hard-fought five-game match (9 -10 8 -7 8). “Perhaps it could have been an easier match. I lost my tactics in the fourth game. I believe I performed well in the third game and if I had continued in that manner it could have been easier. Nevertheless I am content. I think I could have made a comeback in the fourth game. I took a timeout and towards the end of the fourth game I felt I found my rhythm. I had some good shots missed a few but it wasn’t sufficient ” said Matilda HANSSON. Viktoria PERSOVA of Bulgaria seeded at no. 44 secured a win against Malamatenia PAPADIMITRIU of Greece the no. 17 seed in straight games (6 9 7). Mari BALDWIN of England the no. 41 seed overcame Leah TVEIT MUSKANTOR of Sweden seeded at position no. 18 after five games (-7 -7 14 6 8). Additionally Jana RIERA of Spain seeded at position no. 43 succeeded in the match against Adriana ILLASOVA of Slovakia the no. 20 seed in five games (7 -12 -7 7 7).
Martine TOFTAKER TT Pro and Business Woman on duty in Macedonia
Norwegian international player Martine TOFTAKER currently holding the 9th place on the European U-21 ranking is taking part in the European Under 21 Championships in the capital of North Macedonia Skopje. Never before has a Norwegian female player achieved such a high ranking in Europe. TOFTAKER made a bold move at the age of 16 when she left home to relocate to Sweden joining a larger training group. This decision proved beneficial as she immediately witnessed improvement in her game. Subsequently she moved to France where she continued to practice in an even more extensive group before eventually settling in Belgium. In Belgium TOFTAKER engages in daily practice sessions with some of the best Belgian players. Her commitment to continuous improvement bore fruit last season when she clinched the prestigious His Royal Highness Kings Trophy the highest accolade for an athlete in Norway. Beyond her prowess in table tennis what captivates many about TOFTAKER is her business acumen. She finances her table tennis endeavors in part through her own firm Toftaker Content. Creating videos on TikTok particularly focusing on makeup she has garnered impressive viewership numbers with one video reaching an audience of 12.8 million people. “I will play one match at time with full focus. I always play to win but I am fully aware of that the other 54 players think the same. I have prepared well for the Under 21 Championships and I look forward to compete “said always positive Norwegian table tennis star before her start in Skopje. Her primary future aspiration is to qualify for the Olympics a dream she has nurtured since childhood.
The Under 21 Breaks the Ice at the European Championships in 2024
The 8th edition of the European Under 21 Championships is set to take place in North Macedonia’s capital Skopje from January 24th to 28th 2024. A total of 55 players across both categories will be on duty and as has been the case since 2020 the complete program includes Singles Doubles and Mixed Doubles Events. Last year’s champion Croatia’s Hana ARAPOVIC will be on duty aiming to defend her title. Elena ZAHARIA of Romania the Under 19 European champion from Poland this summer will seek to reclaim her gold from the Under 21 event two years ago. Germany’s Sophia KLEE the 2023 runner-up is listed alongside semifinalists Nicole ARLIA of Italy. Other favorites include Charlotte LUTZ of France Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania Ines MATOS of Portugal and Anna BRZYSKA of Poland. In the Men’s Under 21 singles event European Under 19 champion Eduard IONESCU of Romania had a fantastic season last year reaching the Round of 16 in the European Games in Poland. Now he leads the elite in Skopje where he will face the reigning champion Milosz REDZIMSKI of Poland. Judging by the rankings we could witness great duels between the best players from Poland and Romania. Poland is also represented by Maciej KUBIK while Romania’s Teodor ISTRATE who reached the semifinals last year Darius MOVILEANU and Iulian CHIRITA also have a good chance for a spot on the medal podium. Although the Lebrun brothers are absent France can count on Hugo DESCHAMPS and Flavien COTON. Hugo played in the Round of 16 last year. The draw for singles and doubles events will take place on Tuesday January 23rd 2024 at 12:00 at the SC Jane Sandanski where the Championships will be held.
Hat-trick for JORGIC first title for YUAN
The winners of the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux are Jia Nan YUAN of France and Darko JORGIC of Slovenia. It is a hat-trick for JORGIC who clinched the title for the third time in a row while YUAN became the first woman from France to reach the highest step on the medal rostrum. Bronze medalists in the Men’s event are Marcos FREITAS of Portugal and Alexis LEBRUN of France. In women’s Singles Bernadette SZOCS of Romania and Nina MITTELHAM of Germany finished third. Darko JORGIC – Truls MÖREGÅRD 4-1 (9-11 11-8 11-6 11-7 11-7) In the final of the Men’s Singles at the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup JORGIC showed superiority strengthened with the confidence that came from previous titles. In the re-run of the final of the 2022 Top 16 Cup JORGIC dominated in the match against Swede Truls MÖREGÅRD. “Truls and I know each other very well for a long time. Last month we trained together in Sweden for a Top 16 ” said JORGIC. It was MÖREGÅRD who won the opening game. “At the beginning I was a little nervous. I had 4-1 at the start but then MÖREGÅRD had two lucky balls and that shook me a little. In the next game I found my focus again. I played “my” game. I was more aggressive in all segments from service return of the service and in the play. I did not make easy mistakes. I am happy with how I performed today ” stated JORGIC. Darko is the 4th player to win the Top 16/12 3 times in a row after Beatrix KISHAZI (1971-72-73) NI Xialian (1996-97-98) and Dimitrij OVTCHAROV (2025-16-17). No one ever won 4 in a row. With 3 wins he is now the 5th man in the all-time Top 16/12 standings. Jan Ove WALDNER and Timo BOLL lead with both 7 victories Dmitrij OVTCHAROV won 5 Vladimir SAMSONOV 4. In the women only Beatrix KISHAZI (4) and LI Jiao (4) won more. Darko is the only one ever to win the Cup 3 times in the same city and the same hall. Jia Nan YUAN – Sofia POLCANOVA 4-3 (11-6 9-11 11-6 10-12 5-11 11-4 11-6) Carried by the frantic support from the fully packed tribunes in the Salle Omnisport du Pierrier in Montreux Jia Nan YUAN clinched her first-ever title in women’s Singles for France at the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup becoming only the second French player to win it after Jean Philippe GATIEN in 1997. In the final the reigning European champion in Mixed Doubles overcame the title holder in Singles and Doubles Event in Europe Austria’s Sofia POLCANOVA who reached the final in Montreux last year as well. “I am so proud of this title. I did not expect to win when I came here. I lost in the opening round last year. My heart is still beating like crazy. I have to thank for all the support I received today; the spectators gave me the courage to reach the top ” said YUAN after the final. YUAN had a better start but POLCANOVA was never far behind. Sofia won the second game the close fourth and she was furious in the fifth before YUAN took the full control over the match. “It is the first time that we played against each other and it was very difficult. I just tried to be fully focused ” said YUAN. YUAN won the gold medal in mixed doubles at the European Championships with LEBESSON in 2022; bronze in doubles with LOEUILLETTE and in mixed with LEBESSON in 2020; bronze in Teams event at the Europeans in 2021 and 2023.
Ultimate day at the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup
In the final of the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux Jia Nan YUAN of France will meet Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria and Truls MÖREGÅRD of Sweden will play again with Darko JORGIC of Slovenia like two years ago. Bernadette SZOCS – Jia Nan YUAN 3-4 (11-7 6-11 11-8 11-7 9-11 8-11 9-11) The ultimate day commenced with an upset and the departure of the no. one seed Bernadette SZOCS of Romania after a dramatic recovery by Jia Nan YUAN of France. The No. 4 seed YUAN was 1-3 in reverse before she rallied to win the penultimate stage. “So many times before I lost to Bernadette even when I was playing really well that I did not have any illusions it would be easy. I tried not to think about the outcome because I did not want to put extra pressure. I just tried not to think ” said YUAN laughingly. A passive approach in the opening stages favored SZOCS and the 2019 winner was in the driver’s seat with a 3-1 lead when YUAN changed tactics. “I spoke with my coach and he said it was a bad tactic; we have to change. I did and also at the same time I let everything go. I just cleared my mind and became much calmer. So many times I lost in the final stages of big events and this victory makes me very happy ” said YUAN. Nina MITTELHAM – Sofia POLCANOVA 1-4 (12-10 4-11 6-11 6-11 5-11) For the second year in a row Austria’s Sofia POLCANOVA will play in the final of the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup. In the semis the No. 2 seed overcame the 2021 winner Nina MITTELHAM of Germany. Only the opening game produced a close contest; in the proceedings the Austrian player dominated. “In the opening game I did not have good timing. Nina has a very different style compared to the other players. My receive at the beginning was not at the top level. What worsened the situation for me was the fact that Nina remembered and studied well my tactics from our last encounter and she was well prepared for it ” said POLCANOVA. After the close opening game Sofia got the grip of the match and took over the control. “From the second game I changed the tactics. I put a lot of pressure on her and blocked her attacks which are her main strength ” said POLCANOVA. The finalists Jia Nan YUAN and POLCANOVA have never played against each other before. For the first time since 2014 we have no Germans in the Top 16 finals. In 2014 the men’s final was FREITAS – MAZE and the women’s final was LIU Jia – Viktoria PAVLOVICH. In the nine following years there was at least one German in a final and often more than one. Truls MÖREGÅRD – Alexis LEBRUN 4-1 (13-11 11-9 11-8 3-11 11-4) The runner-up from 2022 Truls MÖREGÅRD reached the final once again. In an atomic and powerful display just a day after Alexis LEBRUN beat the No. 1 seed Felix LEBRUN the Swede catapulted himself to the ultimate stage. “It was crazy; it’s always crazy to play against LEBRUN. The matches are always so tough. The two opening games could have gone either way but I managed to win. I really wanted so much to win this match. It was felt in the last point how much I was determined ” said MÖREGÅRD. At first LEBRUN had more success in their encounters. “Now we have played a lot of matches against each other. In two at the beginnings he beat me quite easily. However I managed to find a way to play against him. Some of those tactics I used today which he managed very well. Despite his response I played so fantastically today that made me very powerful ” said MÖREGÅRD. By the reaction after winning everybody was sure how important this win was for the Swede. “I am so motivated to play here in Montreux. I want to win here. It is a big tournament with a lot of prestige. I will give my best to get the trophy” Darko JORGIC – Marcos FREITAS 4-0 (11-1 11-3 11-4 11-4) Reigning champion Darko JORGIC of Slovenia paved his way to the final in superb style. In the penultimate stage he overcame Marcos FREITAS of Portugal in straight games. “I was surprised yesterday by Marcos’ win over Dang QIU but it was just the continuation of very good results FREITAS had this year. He played fantastic at the European Games this summer also has good results from the tournament currently is at spot no. 18 in the Rankings and I knew how difficult it would be. He beat me at European Games; he had 3-0 I recovered to 3-2 but he left me no chances and I lost. It was the same in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Kazakhstan where he beat me 3-0 without the chances. So I knew that I have to be ready to play for each ball ” JORGIC praised his adversary. For sure JORGIC was determined not to repeat the previous failures. “I am happy with how I played today. I was focused on each point. I was very good in the receive game even more aggressive than himself. Yesterday it was clear that DANG was too passive and he allowed FREITAS to be aggressive. I had to prevent that.” JORGIC showed much more flow in the play and less stress compared to the previous day. “It is always difficult to play on Saturday. You do not feel the venue enough you are under pressure to defend the title and by doing so you are everyone’s target. Everyone wants to beat you. However when you survive the opening day then you are on ‘your’ soil you are more relaxed and the game is better ” said JORGIC.
The action from the quarterfinals of the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup
Darko JORGIC – Anton KALLBERG 4-2 (11-4 5-11 11-9 8-11 11-7 11-5) The reigning champion concluded day one at the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup with a victory. The No. 5 seed overcame Anton KALLBERG of Sweden who is seeded one place below on the list. “I knew how difficult it was going to be. We play against each other 500 times each year in the Bundesliga Champions League Cups Championships tournaments… I know what to expect he knows what to expect; it was clear from the start… There were a few games when one player caught the rhythm it meant a quick end. In most of the games a quick lead was the end of the game. The exception was the fourth game when I almost recovered from 7-1… I am happy with how I played. I saw that Anton was under pressure. He did not hit the backhands that he usually does in the Bundesliga like he did in the last match that we played. In addition I was much more aggressive than I was in the opening match today ” said JORGIC. Prithika PAVADE – Sofia POLCANOVA 1-4 (12-14 9-11 12-10 8-11 5-11) The reigning European champion is in good shape again. Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria overcame Prithika PAVADE of France led by a fantastic atmosphere in Switzerland. “I am feeling great here. I love to play in Montreux and I hope we will return next year too ” said POLCANOVA. POLCANOVA stated that the possibility to play in front of the fully packed tribunes gives her extra motivation and that it helped tonight against determined PAVADE. “I played against her in 2021 in Tema’s event at the European Championships and I lost. She is very young and a rising star. She is playing very clever but I was prepared for that. In addition I believed in myself. I played well and moved fast. I was enjoying the fight and playing for each point. That was important at the end ” stated POLCANOVA. Truls MÖREGÅRD – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV 4-0 (11-9 11-9 11-8 wo) Truls MÖREGÅRD of Sweden progressed to the semifinal after Dimitrij OVTCHAROV was forced to withdraw in the third game due to injury. “I played fantastically until the end. I saw that he suffered in the final stages but I also know how experienced and what a big fighter he is and that Dima could return. We are good friends and I am sorry this happened to him. I know that he would not give up if he was not in big pain ” said MÖREGÅRD. He will meet the winner of the match between Felix LEBRUN and Alexis LEBRUN. “I play well here. Now I will wait for the outcome of the strange match between two brothers. Felix is under severe pressure here but he always makes the best of it; pressure works for him ” said Truls. OVTCHAROV stated that he was not sure about the nature of his injury. “In the third game I felt pain on the right side of my body between the ribs. I am not sure what it is.” Nina MITTELHAM – Yu FU 4-0 (11-8 11-6 11-6 11-5) Nina MITTELHAM of Germany showed no mercy against Yu FU of Portugal. “I am happy with the outcome after the first day here. I was a little bit nervous at the beginning of the match against FU but as the game progressed I got better and better. I came here well-prepared. Against Sofia POLCANOVA it will not be easy but I am satisfied with my performance now ” said MITTELHAM. in the semi final of the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup Truls MÖREGÅRD will meet Alexis LEBRUN and Darko JORGIC will play against Marcos FREITAS. In the Women’s event Sofia POLCANOVA will meet Nina MITTELHAM and Bernadette SZOCS will play against Jia Nan YUAN. Felix LEBRUN – Alexis LEBRUN 2-4 (11-8 3-11 7-11 9-11 11-5 9-11) No. 1 seed Felix LEBRUN is out and he suffered at the hands of his brother Alexis. The No. 8 seed is the first European player who overcame Felix in the last seven months. “I cannot recall playing this well like I did today. I think since the European Games I have not had such a high level of game ” stated Alexis. Felix won the opening game before Alexis recovered to level. Once again at 3-1 Felix managed to score but failed to push the match into the decider. “Felix played incredibly well not only now but for so many months consistently. But I know I could beat him if I stick to good tactics. The main problem was to stay on that path and endure the physical challenges. He is always aggressive and he never gives up. When I saw the draw I saw my chances. I feel I can beat him but it was difficult to keep my head cold when I started winning ” explained Alexis LEBRUN. Bernadette SZOCS – Natalia BAJOR 4-3 (11-6 8-11 4-11 10-12 11-4 11-7 11-6) At one point tonight both top seeds were 1-3 down but unlike Felix LEBRUN Romania’s Bernadette SZOCS recovered to win the duel against Natalia BAJOR of Poland. “I started very well at the beginning. I won the opening game and I had 4-1 in the second one. Then Natalia won that game and continued to play very powerfully. She had a good tactic against me. On the other side I was in too much hurry I did not have the patience and that pushed me into the situation where I was losing 1-3 ” said SZOCS. At the brink of defeat SZOCS managed to come back. “You must be patient against a player like BAJOR is. You have to put many balls on the table. That was what I did. This time my game was much better and I was confident with my performance but I was not with my tactics. I had to change. I
