Penultimate round of the 2017 ITTF European Championships qualifications The 2017 ITTF European Championships qualifications Round five concluded. Top seeds Austria recorded straight matches win with the strongest forces. In Berlin Germany introduced young team but Serbia failed to produce upset. Guests also came with two youngsters. Greece men proved too strong for England at home soil. In Women’s Event Romania and Netherlands went full distance in Bucharest. Britt EERLAND won both her duels but Elizabeta SAMARA Daniela DODEAN MONTEIRO and Bernadette SZOCS showed they are not in the mood for surprises. Men’s Group A Austria – Hungary 3:0 Daniel HABESOHN – Krisztian NAGY 3:0 (11:4 11:4 11:4) Stefan FEGERL – Daniel KOSIBA 3:0 (11:8 11:3 13:11) Robert GARDOS – Tamas LAKATOS 3:1 (16:14 11:2 10:12 11:6) Group B Germany – Serbia 3:2 Riccardo WALTHER – Nikola STRUGAREVIC 0:3 (12:14 9:11 12:14) Benedict DUDA – Ivor KATIC 3:0 (11:7 14:12 11:7) QIU Dong – Dragan SUBOTIC 0:3 (5:11 6:11 10:12) Riccardo WALTHER – Ivor KATIC 3:0 (13:11 11:5 11:6) Benedict DUDA – Nikola STRUGAREVIC 3:0 (12:10 11:3 11:3) Group C France – Italy 3:0 Stephane OUAICHE – Leonardo MUTTI 3:0 (11:7 11:9 11:4) Emmanuel LEBESSON – Niagol STOYANOV 3:1 (11:4 11:4 9:11 13:11) Quentin ROBINOT – Antonino AMATO 3:0 (11:3 11:2 11:2) Group D Belarus- Croatia 0:3 Vladimir SAMSONOV – Tomislav PUCAR 1:3 (9:11 4:11 11:9 9:11) Pavel PLATONOV – Frane KOJIC 2:3 (11:7 11:13 3:11 14:12 10:11) Aliaksandr KHANIN – Andrej GACINA 0:3 (10:12 5:11 3:11) Group E Sweden – Slovakia 3:1 Mattias KARLSSON – Lubomir PISTEJ 0:3 (9:11 9:11 8:11) Jon PERSSON – Alexander VALUCH 3:0 (11:9 11:5 13:11) Par GERELL – Samuel NOVOTA 3:1 (11:9 9:11 11:5 11:9) Alexander FRANZEN – Alexander VALUCH 3:1 (11:9 8:11 11:6 11:8) Group F Ukraine – Portugal 2:3 KOU Lei – Joao GERALDO 1:3 (6:11 11:7 9:11 10:12) Yaroslav ZHMUDENKO – Marcos FRETAS 3:2 (9:11 11:9 12:10 6:11 11:9) Yefhen PRYSHCHEPA – Diogo CARVALHO (8:11 9:11 7:11) KOU Lei- Marcos FREITAS 3:0 (11:4 11:7 11:8) Yaroslav ZHMUDENKO – Joao GERALDO 2:3 (11:8 7:11 11:9 5:11 12:14) Portugal – Ukraine 3:0 Joao GERALDO – Viktor YEFIMOV 3:1 (13:11 10:12 11:5 11:6) Diogo CARVALHO – Yaroslav ZHMUDENKO 3:0 (11:8 12:10 11:3) CHEN Diogo – Yevhen PRYSHCHEPA 3:1 (12:10 11:7 11:13 11:8) Group G Greece – England 3:0 Panagiotis GIONIS – Paul DRINKHALL 3:0 (11:2 11:6 11:5) Konstantinos PAPEGEORGIOU – Liam PITCHFORD 3:2 (11:3 11:9 6:11 16:14) Ioannis SGOUROPOULOS – Samuel WALKER 3:0 (11:9 11:7 11:7) Group H Poland – Belgium 3:0 WANG Zeng Yi – Robib DEVOS 3:0 (12:10 11:6 11:3) Jakub DYJAS -Cedric NUYTINCK 3:1 (11:7 11:9 9:11 12:10) Daniel GORAK – Florent LAMBIET 3:0 (11:9 11:5 6;11 11:7) Group I Russia – Spain 2:3 Alexander SHIBAEV – Carlos MACHADO 3:0 (11:7 11:3 11:3) Alexey LIVENTSOV – Alvaro ROBLES 0:3 (9:11 7:11 6:11) Grigory VLASOV – Jesus CANTERO 1:3 (10:12 11:9 6:11 9:11) Alexander SHIBAEV – Alvaro ROBLES 3:2 (11:9 8:11 9:11 11:8 11:1) Kirill SKACHKOV – Carlos MACHADO 1:3 (11:7 8:11 7:11 9:11) Group J Czech Republic – Romania 1:3 Dimitrij PROKOPCOV – Hunor SZOCS 3:2 (7:11 6:11 14:12 11:6 11:8) Tomas KONECNY – Ovidiu IONESCU 0:3 (12:14 12:14 11:13) Lubomir JANCARIK – Adrian CRISAN 0:3 (10:12 3:11 14:16) Dimitrij PROKOPCOV – Ovidiu IONESCU 1:3 (11:13 10:12 13:11 7:11) Women’s Group A Germany – Slovenia 3:1 Nina MITTELHAM – Manca FAJMUT 3:0 (17:15 14:12 11:9) WAN Yuan – Alex GALIC 0:3 (13:15 10:12 6:11) Kristin SILBEREISEN – Ana TOFANT 3:1 (11:1 6:11 11:9 11:3) Nina MITTELHAM – Alex GALIC 3;1 (11:8 11:4 9:11 19:17) Group B Romania – Netherlands 3:2 Elizabeta SAMARA – Rianne VAN DUIN 3:1 (11:8 8:11 11:3 11:7) Daniela DODEAN MONTEIRO – Britt EERLAND 2:3 (10:12 6:11 12:10 13:11 8:11) Bernadette SZOCS – LI Jie 3:2 (11:8 8:11 11:9 7:11 11:5) Elizabeta SAMARA – Britt EERLAND 1:3 (9:11 11:7 8:11 8:11) Daniela DODEAN MONTEIRO – Rianne VAN DUIN 3:0 (11:4 11:8 11:2) Group C Russia – Belarus 3:1 Yana NOSKOVA – Alina ARLOUSKAYA 3:1 (11:4 11:9 9:11 11:9) Olga VOROBEVA – Nadia BOGDANOVA 2:3 (11:1 5:11 11:5 7:11 11:13) Yulia PROKHOROVA – Katia BOROVOK 3:0 (11:4 11:3 11:4) Yana NOSKOVA – Nadia BOGDANOVA 3:1 (11:5 11:4 4:11 11:2) Group E Poland – Spain 3:0 LI Qian – Ana GARCIA 3:0 (11:5 11:6 11:2) Katarzyna GRZYBOWSKA – Sofia XUAN ZHANG 3:0 (11:7 11:5 11:3) Natalia PARTYKA – Claudia CAYMEB 3:1 (11:3 8:11 11:7 11:7) Group F Austria – Wales 3:2 Amelie SOLJA – Megan PHILLIPS 3:0 (12:19 11:3 11:6) Karoline MISCHEK – Charlotte CAREY 1:3 (9:11 7:11 11:7 7:11) LI Qiangbing – Chloe THOMAS 11:7 11:7 11:8) Amelie SOLJA – Charlotte CAREY 0:3 (8:11 9:11 9:11) Karoline MISCHEK – Megan PHILLIPS 3:1 (5:11 11:8 11:9 11:3) Group G Czech Republic – Serbia 3:1 Renata STRBIKOVA – Tijana JOKIC 3:1 (11:9 11:8 10:12 11:5) Katerina – TOMANOVSKA – Anna Zofia FENJVESI 2:3 (11:7 11:9 10:12 10:12 5:11) Karin ADAMKOVA – Dragana VIGNJEVIC 3;0 (11:7 11:9 14:12) Renata STRBIKOVA – Anna Zofia FENJVESI 3:1 (11:9 11:5 8:11 7:11) Group H Portugal – Turkey 3:2 Leila OLIVEIRA – Simay KULAKCEKEN 3:0 (11:6 11:8 11:8) Cathia MARTINS – HU Melek 0:3 (7:11 4:11 9:11) YU Fu – Ipek KARAHAN 3:0 (11:4 11:5 11:5) Marta SANTOS – HU Melek 1:3 (12:10 8:11 8:11 6:11) Cathia MARTINS – Simay KULAKCEKEN 3:1 (10:12 11:6 11:6 12:10) Group I France – Slovakia 3:0 Stephanie LOEUILLETTE – Eva ODOROVA 3:2 (11:9 11:9 6:11 7:11 11:4) Laura GASNIER – Barbora BALAZOVA 3:2 (11:4 4:11 11:4 6:11 14:12) Marie MIGOT – Eva JURKOVA 3:0 (11:7 11:8 12:10) Group J Hungary – Sweden 3:1 Georgina POTA – Matilda EKHOLM 3:1 (11:6 6:11 11:4 11:9) Dora MADARASZ – LI Fen 2:3 (11:5 13:11 7:11 3:11 6:11) Szandra PERGEL – Linda BERGSTRÖM 3:2 (8:11 5:11 11:8 11:9 12:10) Georgina POTA – Christina KALLBERG 3:0 (11:6 12:10 16:14)
TT Saint-Quentin vs. Szekszard AC first battle for ECLW semi-final
Two clubs will meet this Friday in the 1st quarter-final leg. POLARD: “Coach DELCAMBRE will try to take advantage of Daniela MONTEIRO-DODEAN’S experience to offer a good match to the public”. SZILY: “First leg in France might be crucial” The 2012/13 ETTU Cup semi-finalist TT Saint-Quentin hosts actual Hungarian champion Szekszard AC in the first leg of 2016/17 European Champions League Women this Friday (January 27th) having a chance to reach their best achievements in this prestigious competition. French club finished second in Group A with 2-2 score whilst Szekszard (3-1) topped Group C. “The first leg between T.T. Saint-Quentin and Szekszard A.C. should be tight as both teams are respectively ranked N°6 and N°7 in the ECLW list” explained TT Saint-Quentin manager Jean-Luis POLARD. “In the Hungarian team Russian Polina MIKHAILOVA came to Saint-Quentin last season with Turkish team Bursa B.B. and she knows the place and the members of our team. As their N°2 player young LIN Ye from Singapore will challenge again her compatriot ZENG Jian the new leader of T.T. Saint-Quentin while the N°3 player will definitely be a Hungarian player. French coach Franck DELCAMBRE will try to take advantage of Romanian Daniela MONTEIRO-DODEAN’S experience to offer a good match to the public.” Szekszard`s coach György SZILY agrees with POLARD that the upcoming clash will be a close: “We really look forward to this match-up in 1/4 finals of Champions league. Our French opponents have played strong matches in group stage so we are preparing for close and heavy battle. First leg in France might be crucial. That being said our focus this week is to get best possible result on the road and get ready for second leg back in Szekszard.”
European Team Championships Qualifications
European Team Championships Qualifications For a first time in 2017 European Team Championships Qualifications will occupy attention of table tennis fans at the Old Continent. On Tuesday the fifth round of the Event will take pace. Top seeds in Men’s Championships Division Asutria will host Hungary. So far Austria recorded two wins against Denmark at home and Hungary as guests but failed to repeat their victory in Denmark. In Berlin Germany with Benedikt DUDA Ricardo WALTHER und debutant Dang QIU will host Serbia and so far they have a clear record with three straight matches’ victories. So far they beat Switzerland twice and Serbia once. In Group C France beat Finland twice and Italy once. Now they will host Italy. The leader in Group D Belarus awaits Croatia. Hosts already suffered the defeat in the duel against the same adversaries when they have played in Croatia. That means Croatia is unbeaten after they overcame Israel as well. Israel failed to score against Belarus too. In Group E Sweden holds the top with three straight matches victories over Estonia twice and Slovakia once. Now they will meet Slovakia again. Portugal will host Ukiraine in Porto. They are unbeaten so far. Greece will play again against England. In first duel England upset the favorites and beat them at home soil. In Group H top seeds Poland stumbled in both Rounds one and four against Slovenia but Slovenia failed against Belgium. It makes the battle in Group H more interesting as Belgium travels to Walbrzych. Favorits in Group I Russia also failed to justify their rankings. They lost against Spain in second round. Now they will have the chance to awenge their defeat. Same stands for Czech Republic. They lost against Romania and now they will meet again. In a women’s Championships Division Germany’s girls follow the men’s path. They recorded three 3:0 wins before fifth round duel against Slovenia this week. Very interesting duel is at the programe in Romania. SAMARA and Co. will host Netherlands. Dutch team already suffered once against Romania’s players in second round. Russia top favorites in Group C beat Bulgaria twice and Belarus once. Now they are looking for their second victory against Belarus to seal the leading position in their Group. Poland will have opportunity to close the Group phase of the competition unbvaten in front of the home crowd. They will meet Spain again. They also overcame Switzerland. The double program will be played in Austria too. Unbeaten host will play against Wales. Czech Republic was chalenged only in the match against Lithuania in previous occasions but against Serbia again no one expects great fight. It is the reverse scenario expected in Group I. France the top seeded in the Group will meet Slovakia. Slovaki beat them at home. Hungary will play against Sweden after they already have beat them in Qualifications last year. Four matches will be live streamed on ETTU.tv (http://www.laola1.tv/watch/channel/tisch-tennis) two from each men`s and women`s Championships Divisions. Men`s games are Austria vs. Hungary and France vs. Italy whilst from women`s side two offered are Romania vs. Netherlands and France vs. Slovakia.
POTA and EKHOLM clinched the silver in Hungary
2017 ITTF World Tour Hungarian Open in Budapest Hungary’s Georgina POTA and Sweden’s Matilda EKHOLM clinched the silver at the Women’s Doubles Event at the 2017 ITTF World Tour Hungarian Open in Budapest. Not seeded in the final of the Women’s Doubles event CHEN Xingtong and LI Jiayi ended the hopes of the host nation; they beat the partnership formed by EKHOLM the no.2 seeds (11-4 11-6 9-11 11-8) to arrest the title. CHEN won struck Women’s Singles gold on a day when China captured all four titles on offer; FANG Bo and ZHOU Yu won the Men’s Doubles title whilst YAN An brought proceedings to a conclusion by being crowned the Men’s Singles champion. In an all Chinese Women’s Singles title deciding contest CHEN Xingtong the no.14 seed overcame WEN Jia the no.10 seed and twice winner on the ITTF World Tour to secure the top prize. A five game verdict was the outcome (13-11 8-11 11-9 11-9 11-9). FANG Bo and ZHOU Yu as they captured the Men’s Doubles title; the no.5 seeds at the final hurdle they accounted for the Brazilian partnership of Hugo CALDERANO and Gustavo TSUBOI the no.2 seeds (11-6 6-11 11-8 11-8). Three titles for China the fourth was guaranteed; just as in the Women’s Singles final it was an all-Chinese affair. YAN An beat SHANG Kun in six games (13-11 6-11 11-7 11-6 10-12 11-8) to secure his second ITTF World Tour Men’s Singles title in a unique final.
Croatian team ready for SAMSONOV`s side
“We have information that Belarus team will play with SAMSONOV” stated Croatian coach Neven KARKOVIC speaking about upcoming clash in Minsk Men`s national team of Croatia approaches upcoming clash with Belarus side in good shape as they traveled to Minsk with four players Andrej GACINA Tomislav PUCAR Frano KOJIC and Tomislav KOLAREK. Croatia won their first meeting in Varazdin 3:0 (9:2) when Belarus national team played without Vladimir SAMSONOV but KARKOVIC believes that triple European champion in Men`s Singles Event will lead his side this time. “We have information that SAMSONOV will play but we are not completely sure “ stated coach Neven KARKOVIC speaking for HSTS website. “Of course our line-up will depend on it. We have a big advantage but there is no advantage in sport which can guaranty success. Our first goal is to be better then Belarus in games between us because it will bring us a top spot and the ticket for the European Championships of course in case of victory against Israel”. Match in Minsk will be held this Tuesday January 24th. Group D standings are next: Belarus 2-1 Croatia 2-0 Israel 0-3.
Europeans halted in quarters
Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour Hungarian Open in Budapest The player who commenced the play in the Men’s Singles qualification tournament at the Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour Hungarian Open in Budapest China’s 26 year old SHANG Kun beat the top seeded Vladimir SAMSONOV of Belarus in the quarterfinal. Alsongside great European champion Korea’s Joo Saehyuk the no.4 seed also left the field beaten by the player who is unranked at the World’s list. SHANG Kun accounted for Vladimir SAMSONOV the top seed (7-11 11-8 11-9 11-8 8-11 12-10); LIN Gaoyuan ended the hopes of Korea’s JOO Saehyuk the no.4 seed (11-8 4-11 11-8 11-5 11-9). “We played a very close match open rallies. I could not really control the rotations on the ball from his backhand or forehand; he generated a lot of top spin. I had my chances tough but everyone comes her to win and there is only one winner” said Vladimir SAMSONOV after losing to SHANG Kun. FANG An overcame FANG Bo. Monaco’s YANG Xiaoxin required seven games before she eventually managed to inflict defeat upon her opponent Britt EERLAND from the Netherlands (2-11 11-8 12-10 9-11 12-10 9-11 11-7) to guarantee her spot in the semi-finals. Ukraine’s Tetyana BILENKO lost against WEN Jia (16-14 7-11 11-8 3-11 1-11 6-11) whilst LI Jiayi beat Georgina POTA of Hungary (11-6 9-11 4-11 9-11 3-11)
Russian players take preparations in Verkhanaya Pyshma
Next Tuesday Men`s national team of Russia will meet Spain in UMMC`s home Russia will host Spain in the Group I Round 3 of European Championships Team Qualification next Tuesday in Verkhnaya Pyshma. Spanish team won their first meeting 3:2 as Alvaro ROBLES secured two points for his side defeating both Alexander SHIBAEV and Mihkail PAYKOV. All Russian players are in good shape. Coach Sergey VLASOV stressed for UMMC`s website: “Our trainings are in full swing. We flew from Sochi where the team had physical preparation to the Sverdlovsk region. We watched the video games of Spanish national team analyzing their tactical features”. Coach Sergey VLASOV can combine six players. They are: Alexander SHIBAEV Grigory VLASOV Kirill SKACHKOV Mikhail PAYKOV Alexey LIVENTSOV and Vyacheslav BUROV.
Jean-Michel Saive announces ITTF President candidacy
Аt a Press Conference staged in his native Belgium on the morning of Thursday 19th January Jean-Michel SAIVE announced that in the forthcoming elections he will stand for President of the International Table Tennis Federation. ETTU President Ronald KRAMER was invited to and joined Jean-Michel Saive’s presentation in Brussels at the Belgian Olympic Committee (BOIC) on January 19th. KRAMER said: “Now we have two declared candidates from Europe for the ITTF Presidency. Although the capabilities experience and programmes of both candidates differ we will of course unbiasedly support both. I wish Jean-Michel and Thomas a good campaign that will lead to a ITTF President from our continent.” The election will be held at the Annual General Meeting staged in the German city of Düsseldorf on Wednesday 31st May on the occasion of the Liebherr 2017 World Championships. Jean-Michel Saive lines up alongside Germany’s Thomas WEIKERT and Qatar’s Khalil Al-MOHANNADI the current respective holders of the offices of President and Deputy President. Jean-Michel SAIVE reach the final of the World Championships in 1993 and the following year be anointed European champion. In addition among many other accolades as a player he gained the top spot on the World rankings and competed in seven consecutive Olympic Games. Currently he Chair of the Athletes Commission of European Olympic Committees. He is issued an 11 Point Programme 1 TABLE TENNIS FIRST ITTF FIRST My motto is Table Tennis First ITTF First. The ITTF is very ambitious in trying to make table tennis one of the top sports in the World and the ITTF one of the top federations in the World. We must create an atmosphere of “Excellence” in all ITTF activities. 2 CONSULTATION AND COMMUNICATION All major decisions will be made only after extensive consultation with the member national associations and all stakeholders this includes any major decisions affecting the World Table Tennis Championships. In particular we will increase “two-way” communications with our Continental Federations National Associations the Board of Directors and all groups that work on the development of our sport. 3 SPORT FOR ALL At the heart of my candidacy there is a desire that is fundamental to me: I want to pay more attention to the base of our sport the hundreds of millions of players who are in love with table tennis! The ITTF must be a federation for all and not just for the elite. I would also like to integrate the World Veteran Championships and the Veteran Circuit into the ITTF’s competition programme. 4 ITTF ROLE MODELS In consultation with the Continental Federations we will appoint Athlete Role Models one male and female from each Continent to promote our sport. 5 CLOSER RELATIONS WITH THE IOC AND THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT The ITTF could and should be much closer to the IOC. One of my major aims is to increase the number of events and medals at the Olympic Games. 6 DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION The ITTF has one of the best development programmes in the world of sport. The ITTF staff and volunteers work extremely hard on a daily basis with limited funds and resources to develop our sport worldwide. My intention is to double the development budget and to provide the necessary human resources to spread our sport throughout every part of the world. 7 EQUIPMENT AND QUALITY OF TABLE TENNIS BALLS Players at all levels especially at lower levels complain about the poor quality of table tennis balls. I will personally visit our manufacturer partners. 8 STABILITY My intention is to convince all levels of decision-makers within the ITTF not to make any more changes to our rules (Laws of Table Tennis) for a set period of time. Instead out of official competitions we can welcome experiments and tests to evaluate the impact changes would have. I believe that we need this period of stability.. 9 MARKETING AND PRESENTATION OF OUR SPORT The ITTF is revitalizing its marketing strategies. Our goal should be to introduce new sponsors and advertisers from different parts of the world and to provide them with a high return on their investment in terms of the promotion and visibility of their product. We must make table tennis more “fashionable.” 10 GOOD GOVERNANCE Good governance and good management is my number one priority. We will ensure that the ITTF follows all aspects of good management and respects all principles of good governance.. 11 LEADERSHIP AND TEAM CONCEPT Table tennis has the distinction of being both an individual and a team sport. It was a privilege to have competed not only as an individual but also as a very passionate team member. I intend to lead the ITTF as a team player.
Kirill GERASSIMENKO clinched the title in U21 in Hungary
Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour Hungarian Open Kazakhstan’s Kirill GERASSIMENKO and ZENG Jian of Singapore clinched the titles in their respective Men’s and Women’s Under 21 Events at the Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour Hungarian Open. In the final of the men’s event GERASSIMENKO beat Can AKKUZU of France in full five games duel (15-17 11-6 11-6 7-11 13-15). At the semi-final stage Can AKKUZU overcame Slovenia’s Darko JORGIC in straight games (11-3 11-5 12-10) whilst Martin ALLEGRO forced Kiril GERASSIMENKO to go full distance (16-14 10-12 6-11 12-10 9-11). In the final of the Women’s Singles event ZENG Jian overcame her compatriot LIN Ye 3:0 (11-8 11-8 11-7). Two leading names in the Women’s Singles Event at the forthcoming STAG European Under 21 Championships to be held at the beginning of February in Sochi Adina DIACONU of Romani and Nina MITTELHAM of Germany both concluded their journey in Hungary in the penultimate stage of the U21 Event. In the both semifinals Asian representatives proved too strong for the Europeans. Top seed Singapore’s ZENG Jian beat DIACONU in straight games (11-5 13- 11 11-1) whilst LIN Ye was stretched to full distance in the duel against MITTLEHAM 2-3 (4-11 13-11 8-11 1-9 10 -12) In the morning session in the quarter-finals Nina Mittelham progressed to the penultimate round in Budapest as she saw off Russian opponent Ekaterina GUSEVA in straight games (11-5 11-8 11-9). Adina DIACONU following her success over Serbia’s Izabela LUPULESKU (11-5 16-14 11-5) in the other quarter-finals match.
DIACONU and KALLBERG lead the elite in Sochi
STAG European Under 21 Championships will be held in the city of Sochi the capital of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Players will compete at modern Federal Center of Martial Arts which was built in 2015.The participants from 35 countries will play at the first-ever European U21 Championships which will be hosted from 2nd to 5th February of 2017. The new European rankings issued last week determined the seeding order. According the January’s rankings the top ranked players are Adina DIACONU of Romania and Anton KALLBERG of Sweden both listed in Sochi. Crowned junior singles champion at the European Youth Championships held last year in Zagreb as well as winner of the Singles Event at the EYC held in 2015 in Bratislava and cadet singles champion in 2014 in Riva del Garda DIACONU will travel to Sochi as a main contended to the crown. Earlier in December 2016 she set a milestone in her career by being the half of the first European partnership to win a Doubles title at a World Junior Championships. Adina and Andreea DRAGOMAN clinched the title at the Sun International 2016 World Junior Championships; previously Adina enriched her treasury with bronze medal in the Singles Event. Dragoman is no. 5 seed. Nina MITTELHAM of Germany and her compatriot Chantal MANTZ as well as Poland’s Natalia BAJOR are listed from position no. 2 to no. 4. The best ranked Russia’s player is Mariia TAILAKOVA ranked at position no. 12 this month at the European rankings. The top seed in Men’s Singles Event Swede Anton KALLBERG won gold medal at the Junior Boys` Singles Event at the 2015 European Youth Championships in Bratislava. He will face the challenge by the Croatia’s Tomislav PUCAR France’s Can AKKUZU Slovenia’s Darko JORGIC… The host nation main ace will be Sadi ISMAILOV currently ranked at the position no. 13 at the rankings. Russian national team will be also represented by the youngest player of the tournament 14-years old Vladimir Sidorenko and Konstantin CHERNOV. There are also 7 players in reserve waiting for their chance including Denis IVONIN.
