Benedek OLÁH claimed his second title at the Finlandia Open held at the Kisakallio Sports Institute in Lohja. In the final the Finnish ace triumphed over Switzerland’s Barish MOULLET 3-1 (11-3 9-11 11-9 11-6). “It was a nice weekend although the final got a bit intense and I had a little sweat and a bit of blood from my finger. The final could have been a bit easier but with worse focus it could have been much harder. It is always enjoyable to play in Finland ” OLÁH shared his thoughts after the successful tournament. The Rio de Janeiro Olympian is now facing a crucial six-month period to determine a spot for the Paris Olympics. OLÁH is heading straight to France from Helsinki where he has three Pro A League matches before the Christmas break. “My plans for spring are still a bit open but the Olympic spot is still possible through the ITTF rankings if I can play in more international tournaments and perform well. Another chance for Paris is the European Olympic Qualification Tournament in May ” explained OLÁH. Danish player Dominykas SAMUOLIS secured the third position at the Finlandia Open before Mattias MONGIUSTI of San Marino. In the women’s singles the trophy went across the Gulf of Finland as Estonian Airi AVAMERI prevailed over the Netherlands’ Emine ERNST in a five-set match 3-2 (8-11 11-3 7-11 11-3 11-6). “The weekend was successful for me. This was my fourth time at the Finlandia Open and I finally reached the title. So I am incredibly happy and can go home with positive emotions ” rejoiced the Estonian. Women’s third place went to the Netherlands’ Karlijn van LIEROP before Norwegian Martine TOFTAKER. In the U21 men’s final men’s runner-up MOULLET beat MONGIUSTI 3-1 (11-8 5-11 11-7 11-4). Swiss Noe KEUSCH and Latvian Daniels KOGANS shared the third place. Norway’s Martine TOFTAKER won the U21 women’s class defeating ERNST 3-0 (11-5 11-8 12-10). Third place went to Van LIEROP and Maja HANSEN from Denmark. The progressive knockout system together with the great facilities of the Kisakallio Sports Institute received positive feedback from the players and coaches. “These kinds of tournaments are important especially for younger players to take steps to the international level. They can play a lot of matches against more experienced players. I have been here five times and this has been well-organized every time. The entire ‘Finlandia Open package’ is excellent ” praised Marcus Gustafson the Estonian National Team head coach. A total of 64 players from 12 different countries participated in the Finlandia Open. For four days a total of 261 matches were played. You can find all the results on the Finnish Table Tennis website www.sptl.fi.
Europeans clinched 14 medals at the ITTF World Youth Championships 2023
Europeans clinched 14 medals at the ITTF World Youth Championships 2023 in Nova Gorica Slovenia. After both Romania’s teams in the Under 19 category clinched bronze and the French Under 15 Girls team did the same the continent’s aces continued with success. Eduard IONESCU of Romania won bronze in the singles Under 19; Elena ZAHARIA of Romania clinched silver in the same category as well as Annett KAUFMANN of Germany who won bronze. In Under 19 Doubles Poland’s Milosz REDZIMSKI and Japan’s Keishi HAGIHARA won a bronze medal Annett KAUFMANN of Germany and Anna HURSEY of Wales won silver and Anna BRZYSKA and Zuzanna WIELGOS of Poland won bronze. In Mixed Doubles Singapore’s QUEK Izaac and Annett KAUFMANN played in the final while Germany’s Andre ERTELSMEIER and Mia GRIESEL played in the semis. In the Under 15 Boys Event Tiago ABIODUN of Portugal won bronze and in doubles events Koharu ITAGAKI and Josephina NEUMANN of Germany as well as Leana HOCHART and Nina GUO ZHENG of France clinched bronze. In the Under 19 Boys Singles Event Eduardo IONESCU of Romania clinched bronze after WEN Ruibo of China halted his fantastic run (4-2). In the quarters IONESCU overcame Keishi HAGIHARA of Japan 3-4 in the Round of 16 GIL Minosek of Korea and in the Round of 32 Andre BERTELSMEIER of Germany 4-1. In the same event WEN Ruibo also beat Milosz REDZIMSKI of Poland in the quarters. Elena ZAHARIA overcame Slovenia’s Sara TOKIC 4-0 Japan’s Rin MENDE 4-3 Korea’s PARK Gahyeon and in the semis she prevailed against China’s XU Yi 4-2. At the final hurdle China’s KUAI Man proved too strong. Annett KAUFMANN of Germany clinched bronze in the Under 19 Girls event. On her way to the semis she beat Kazakhstan’s Sarvinoz MIRKADIROVA 4-0 YEH Yi Tan of Korea 4-2 and Sally MOYLAND of the USA before she lost to the finalist KUAI Man of China 1-4. In the Under 19 Boys Doubles Event Poland’s Milosz REDZIMSKI and Japan’s Keishi HAGIHARA won a bronze medal. In the quarters they overcame Hugo DESCHAMPS and Flavien COTON of France 3-0 before they lost to LIN Shidong and WEN Ruibo of China. LIN and WEN won the title in Slovenia. In the Under 19 Girls Doubles Event Annett KAUFMANN of Germany and Anna HURSEY of Wales reached the final and lost to KUAI Man and XU Yi of China 3-0. In the semis Annett and Anna beat Anna BRZYSKA and Zuzanna WIELGOS of Poland 3-0. Elena ZAHARIA of Romania and Hana GODA of Egypt reached the quarters. Germany also has bronze – Andre ERTELSMEIER and Mia GRIESEL lost in semis to QUEK and Annett 2-3. LIN Shidong and KUAI Man halted Singapore’s QUEK Izaac and Annett KAUFMANN on their quest for gold. After a great fight in the final the Chinese pairings won a five-game battle. In the Under 15 Boys Event Tiago ABIODUN of Portugal won bronze. In the opening round he beat Petr HONDA of Austria 4-0 KWON Hyuk of Korea 4-2 Wassim ESSID of Tunisia 4-0 before he lost to China’s SUN Yang 0-4 in the semis. In the Under 15 Girls Doubles Event Koharu ITAGAKI and Josephina NEUMANN of Germany and Leana HOCHART and Nina GUO ZHENG of France reached the semi-final. The winners of the event are Japan’s Mao TAKAMORI and Yuna OJIO.
KS DARTOM BOGORIA Grodzisk Mazowiecki Beats HB Ostrov z.s.
In Group B of the Champions League Men HB Ostrov z.s. concluded the Second Stage without a win. In Czechia they suffered a straight-match defeat against KS DARTOM BOGORIA Grodzisk Mazowiecki. The hosts exerted pressure on the Polish side in the opening match. Japan’s Takya JIN was stretched to the full distance in the duel against Tomas TREGLER. The real fight lasted until the decisive game when JIN sealed the match in a furious style. Another international player Greek Panagiotis GIONIS lost one game against David REITSPIES before Marek BADOWSKI beat Pavel SIRUCEK. “We knew even before the match that we could expect a tough encounter. We needed two match wins against Ostrov to qualify for the Europe Cup one duel before the end of the Group Stage. As the match commenced Takuya JIN was a little bit unlucky after 2-1 and 9-6; and he lost the fourth game against TREGLER. He was a little bit nervous but recovered his rhythm in the last game to win ” explained Panagiotis. The Greek top spin artist was on duty against REITSPIES. “On one hand it was easier to enter the game after JIN won but I still felt pressure because I know that REITSPIES is dangerous for players with a defensive style. Additionally I had never played against him. Everything was resolved by the time of the third match and for us it is important that Marek played very well in that encounter because he is still freshly recovered from the injury. He was very focused.” GIONIS stated that their primary goal is reached. “When we saw the draw our aim was to stay in the circuit as Europe Cup qualifiers. However we are yet to play against Neu Ulm this month so we can try to cause an upset and reach the Final Four. Anyway we have the time to prepare well and we will not be under stress because as I said our main target is achieved ” concluded GIONIS. In the previous three matches HB Ostrov z.s. failed to secure a victory while KS DARTOM BOGORIA Grodzisk Mazowiecki had one win and one defeat. TTC Neu-Ulm remains unbeaten in three matches with two wins against the club from Czechia. The last duel in Group B is scheduled for December 17th between KS DARTOM BOGORIA Grodzisk Mazowiecki and TTC Neu-Ulm. HB Ostrov z.s. – KS DARTOM BOGORIA Grodzisk Mazowiecki 0-3 Tomas TREGLER – Takuya JIN 2-3 (11-7 4-11 11-8 9-11 0-6) David REITSPIES – Panagiotis GIONIS 1-3 (6-11 14-16 11-7 7-11) Pavel SIRUCEK – Marek BADOWSKI 0-3 (4-11 8-11 9-11)
OULLET and TOFTAKER clinched title at Under 21 Finlandia Open
Swiss Barish MOULLET and Norwegian Martine TOFTAKER clinched the titles at the U21 event at the Finlandia Open held at Kisakallio Sports Institute in Lohja. In the men’s final of under 21 category MOULLET defeated San Marino’s Mattias MONGIUSTI 3-1 (11-8 5-11 11-7 11-4). Swiss Noe KEUSCH and Latvian Daniels KOGANS shared the third position. In the women’s under 21 the victory went to Norway’s Martine TOFTAKER who defeated the Netherlands’ Emine ERNST 3-0 (11-5 11-8 12-10) in the final. Taking the third place were the Netherlands’ Karlijn Van LIEROP and Denmark’s Maja HANSEN. The Finlandia Open continues from Friday to Sunday with men’s and women’s singles matches. All the info from the Finnish Table Tennis Association website www.sptl.fi
Two medals for Filip NAGY in Arena Gyor
For the second time Club Arena Gyor successfully organized the Hope Cup for boys in the U11 U12 and U13 age categories. The organisers of the event initiated it for the first time in April of this year with the main goal of providing the youngest male players in the country including members of the Future Hopes Program with international experience and enriching competition without participant limits. The objective remained unchanged for the current tournament. According to the plans the Hope Cup will be regularly held twice a year in the future. The invitation for the current 2nd tournament was accepted by 12 foreign teams from 7 countries (Austria Belgium Latvia Italy Romania Slovakia and Hungary) and 12 Hungarian clubs. From the field of 24 Hungarian and 29 foreign competitors a total of 104 participants competed for prestigious medals and trophies in the three age categories. Results U11 NAGY Filip SVK (STK Pezinok) ZSIGMOND Simon HUN (Cegledi VSE) BODON Attila HUN (KSI SE) GILICZ Bálint HUN (Turris SE Sopron) U12: NAGY Filip SVK (STK Pezinok) TORÓ Dávid ROU (Székelyudvarhelyi AK) ZSIGMOND Simon HUN (Cegledi VSE) KOSICKY Matus SVK (STK Pezinok) U13: TORÓ Dávid ROU (Székelyudvarhelyi AK) KRISZTL Péter HUN (BVSC-Zugló) KOSICKY Matus SVK (STK Pezinok) SEBŐK Márton ROU (Székelyudvarhelyi AK) Special Awards: Most successful Hungarian competitor: ZSIGMOND Simon (Cegledi VSE) Most successful foreign competitor: NAGY Filip SVK (STK Pezinok) Most successful team based on overall points: STK Pezinok (SVK) Székelyudvarhelyi AK (ROU) Cegledi VSE (HUN)
“Enhancing Governance in Sport” Webinar scheduled for December 13th at 16 CET
ETTU is delighted to extend an invitation to you for our upcoming webinar “Enhancing Governance in Sport” scheduled for December 13th at 16.00 CET. This virtual session will offer valuable insights into the governance frameworks that shape effective sports organizations. Date & Time: December 13th starting at 16:00 CET. Registration link Our speakers for this session will include the names of: Adrian CHRISTY the CEO of Table Tennis England with significant experience in sports administration; Gloria VISERAS a Project Manager at the IOC Safe Sport Unit and former Olympic gymnast advocating for athlete safety and mental health; and Nadia BONJOUR founder of NB Communication a decade-long sport industry expert and a former IOC communications leader specializing in the portrayal of sport. It’s essential to register in advance.
METZ TT Concludes Group Stage Undefeated
French METZ TT concluded the group stage of the Champions League Women unbeaten in Group D. They emerged victorious against both Hungarian SH-ITB Budaörsi Sport Club and Italian QUATTRO MORI CAGLIARI twice. The Italian club suffered a 1-3 defeat tonight. Elizabet ABRAAMIAN provided the hosts with a perfect start by securing a straight games win over Pauline CHASSELIN but Mariia TAILAKOVA showed no mercy tonight. She overcame Tania PLAIAN and ABRAAMIAN. Christina KALLBERG contributed to the triumph with a win over WU Xinxin. With only one match left in this group QUATTRO MORI CAGLIARI has secured one win so far while SH-ITB Budaörsi Sport Club is still without a victory. They will face each other again next Wednesday. QUATTRO MORI CAGLIARI – METZ TT 1-3 Elizabet ABRAAMIAN – Pauline CHASSELIN 3-0 (11-8 11-6 11-7) Tania PLAIAN – Mariia TAILAKOVA 2-3 (7-11 11-4 11-13 11-8 3-6) WU Xinxin – Christina KALLBERG 0-3 (8-11 11-13 9-11) Elizabet ABRAAMIAN – Mariia TAILAKOVA 0-3 (7-11 4-11 7-11)
UCAM CARTAGENA Secures First Victory in Group B
In their latest match in Group C of the Champions League Women UCAM CARTAGENA secured their first victory. The Spanish club overcame SAINT QUENTIN TT after five intense matches. The hosts in France had a perfect start with both Polina MIKHAILOVA and Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN claiming victories against Sofia-Xuan ZHANG and LIN Ye. In the third duel Maria XIAO changed the course of the match by beating Camille LUTZ in straight games. LIN Ye seized the opportunity pushing the match to a decider. Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN then stretched Sofia-Xuan ZHANG to the full distance but Sofia sealed the duel in favor of the guests. In the two previous encounters SAINT QUENTIN TT had overcome both UCAM CARTAGENA and SKST Plus Hodonín. The Spanish club had suffered at the hands of the Czech club twice. The last duel in Group B between SAINT QUENTIN TT and SKST Plus Hodonín is scheduled for Thursday 21st December. SAINT QUENTIN TT – UCAM CARTAGENA 2-3 Polina MIKHAILOVA – Sofia-Xuan ZHANG 3-0 (11-9 11-9 13-11) Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN – LIN Ye 3-1 (11-9 4-11 11-1 11-7) Camille LUTZ – Maria XIAO 0-3 (5-11 6-11 5-11) Polina MIKHAILOVA – LIN Ye 1-3 (7-11 11-6 2-11 6-11) Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN – Sofia-Xuan ZHANG 2-3 (13-11 5-11 8-11 11-9 2-6)
Romania secured two bronze medals, France claimed one at the World Youth Championships
In the Teams Event at the World Youth Championships both of Romania’s Under 19 teams clinched bronze medals. Additionally in the Under 15 Girls event France also reached the medal podium. In the Under 19 Boys event Team Romania consisting of Eduard IONESCU Darius MOVILEANU and Andrei ISTRATE defeated Taipei in five matches to secure a spot in the semifinals. Unfortunately they faced a defeat against China in the semifinals. The gold medal match will be contested between China and Japan. Following suit in the Under 19 Girls event Romania’s team advanced to the semifinals after a quarterfinal victory over Taipei (3-2). However they faced a loss to Japan in the semifinals. Elena ZAHARIA Ioana SINGEORZAN and Bianca MEI-ROSU lost 1-3. Similar to the Boys’ category the gold medal in the Girls’ category will be decided in a showdown between China and Japan. The French team composed of Nina GUO ZHENG Leana HOCHART and Gaetane BLED secured a 3-1 victory against Czechia but faced defeat at the hands of Chinese players. The final will feature a match between Japan and China.
16 players qualified for the final stage of the Virtual Table Tennis Challenge
The first stage of the European Virtual Table Tennis Challenge has concluded leading to the qualification of 16 players for the final stage. The ultimate stage is scheduled to take place in Düsseldorf Germany on 13th January. The players who have successfully reached the final stage represent a diverse mix of talent from across Europe: ANTO (World N1 FRA) Aiphaton (World N2 GER) NatPing (World N3 FRA) Seldon36 (World N4 FRA) Elessar (World N5 FRA) Grillon 03 (World N7 FRA) HuricaneTT (World N8 GBR) ProTTVR (World N10 GRE) Alexttbcn (World N12 BEL) Portu981 (World N13 ESP) Lapoctopus (World N15 GBR) CD94TT (World N16 FRA) YOYO69 (World N20 FRA) Goda49 (World N21 FRA) Paulo49 (World N22 FRA) Magnic (World N30 GER) The outcomes of the tournament largely reflected the current world rankings with most top-ranked players advancing as expected. A notable match in the 1/32nd final featured 11FR-paulo49 (World N22) against another French player N°17 Ribou85 highlighting the competitive nature of the event. As we move towards the final stage in Düsseldorf anticipation is building for what promises to be an engaging and competitive conclusion to the first-ever Virtual Table Tennis Challenge.
