In the Men’s Champions League the opening phase concluded today. The winners of four groups that will proceed to the next phase of the elite club competition in Europe are SolexConsult TT Wiener Neustadt from Austria SKST TESLA Batteries Havirov and HB Ostrov z.s. from Czechia and SPG Felbermayr Wels from Austria. In Group A which was played in Croatia’s Dubrovnik SolexConsult TT Wiener Neustadt recorded all three wins to conclude the opening phase unbeaten. Frane KOJIC Jin UEDA Aleksandr KHANIN and Ivor BAN were seriously challenged only in the match against Poland’s Polski Cukier Gwiazda. The Polish side lost in five matches and ended second in the group. STK Libertas Marinkolor was third and Hungary’s PTE PEAC Kalo-Meh was fourth. In Group C played in Havlíčková Brod host HB Ostrov prevailed against Romania’s CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc Austria’s UTTC Paneceo Stockerau and Italian Top Spin Messina EUCI. For HB Ostrov Pavel SIRUCEK David REITSPIES and Tomas TREGLER played crucial roles. In the Second Stage of Group A 1. FC Saarbrücken TT from Germany and AS Pontoise Cergy from France have secured direct placements. In Group B TTC Neu Ulm from Germany and KS Dartom Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki from Poland will compete. Group C features GV Hennebont TT from France and K.S. Dekorglass Dzialdowo from Poland. Group D includes Borussia Dusseldorf from Germany and Sporting Clube De Portugal from Portugal.
KRIVOKAPIC and SKERBINZ U15 Champions in Dimitrovgrad
The crowned champions in the singles event at the Europe Youth Series the 2023 Serbia Open in Dimitrovgrad are Montenegro’s Jaksa KRIVOKAPIC and Austria’s Nina SKERBINZ in the Under 15 Event and Kacper PIWOWAR of England and Lizett FAZEKAS of Hungary in the Under 13 event. In the Under 15 event KRIVOKAPIC defeated his teammate from Montenegro’s team Stefan RADONJIC to clinch the gold. In the semifinals RADONJIC prevailed against Pavol KOKAVEC of Slovakia. In the other semifinal Alexandru POP of Romania was halted in the match against KRIVOKAPIC. Austria’s Nina SKERBINZ overcame Sophie BARCSAI of Hungary in the ultimate stage of the Girls Under 15 Event. The bronze medals also went to Hungarian players. BARCSAI beat her teammate Rebeka NAGY while SKERBINZ prevailed against Johanna PETERY. SKERBINZ and BARCSAI also met in the final of the Mixed Doubles Event and once again Austria’s player was more successful. In the final SKERBINZ and Thao NOWAK prevailed against the Hungarian-Danish combination of BARCSAI and Marcus Ahrenholt JENSEN. Semifinalists are Johan Engberg HAVSTEEN and Sally LOU and Niksa VESOVIC and Emina CERIC of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the Under 13 event Kacper PIWOWAR added another gold to his record. In the final of the singles he beat Malik SEVERINSEN of Denmark. Bronze medalists are Peadar SHERIDAN of Ireland and David CAPANDA of Serbia. In the Girls category Lizett FAZEKAS also repeated her success from the team’s event. At the last hurdle she prevailed against Szonja SZOGI of Hungary. Swiss Akhyata PATRA and Hungary’s Szofia FEGYVER reached the semifinals. Malik SEVERINSEN of Denmark and Szonja SZOGI of Hungary clinched the title in the Mixed Doubles Event. In the final they overcame Kacper PIWOWAR of England and Lizett FAZEKAS of Hungary. Serbia’s David CAPANDA and Teodora SUDZUM as well as Peadar SHERIDAN of Ireland and Enya HU of Switzerland are semifinalists. The next Youth Series tournament is scheduled for October between the 11th and 15th in Plzen Czechia. After that in the same month Greece will welcome players in Loutraki between the 25th and 29th. The last tournament in the series will be played in Türkiye in Nevsehir in November.
Wins for SKST TESLA Batteries Havirov and SPG Felbermayr Wels
It was a very interesting finish in Group B of the Champions League Men in Havířov Czechia. The last match decided the standings and Havířov emerged as the winner of the group. The team SKST TESLA Batteries secured the first place in Group B and advanced to the second stage of the Champions League thanks to a better set ratio in mutual matches with El Niňo Prague and Belgian Sokan Hoboken. The decisive moment came in the last match which El Niňo Prague won over Sokan Hoboken with a score of 3:1. Havířov’s coach Kamil KOUTNÝ didn’t believe that his team would top the group. “We thought that only a 3-1 victory would secure our advancement but if it’s true that even a 3-2 win is enough for us then it’s simply unreal. Before the first match I didn’t believe that we could compete for victory in the group without Tomáš POLANSKÝ. However Adam ŠTALZER perfectly complemented the excellent pair of Jan VALENTA and Šimon BĚLÍK and the victory over El Niňo Prague in the very first match gave everyone confidence. It’s an incredible success for us. I don’t even know what kind of opponents we might face in the second phase but that doesn’t matter now.” Sokan Hoboken finished in second place in the group and El Niňo Prague came in third. In Group D in Wels SPG Felbermayr Wels remained unbeaten in all three rounds. Polish Global Pharma Orlicz managed to push them to go the full distance but failed to halt their progress to the next stage. The Polish club concluded this phase in the second position while TTC Club Ostrava 2016 from Czechia is third and Spanish CTT Les Borges is fourth. For SPG Felbermayr Wels Andreas LEVENKO Jiri MARTINKO Maciej KOLODZIEJCZYK and Felix WETZEL play.
The Hungarian girls dominated the tournament in Dimitrovgrad
The team events at the second tournament of the Europe Youth Series the 2023 Serbia Open concluded today. At the Sports Complex in Dimitrovgrad champions were crowned after three days of play: Montenegro 1 and England in the boys’ categories and Hungary in the girls’ categories. In the final of the Under 15 Boys’ Event Montenegro’s Stefan RADONJIC Milan VUCETIC and Jaksa KRIVOKAPIC overcame Denmark’s Erik HOEIER and Adam NOTTELMAN dominantly with a 3-0 score. Serbia 2 and Denmark 1 finished third. Under 15 Hungary’s first team composed of Sophie BARCSAI and Nora DOHOCZKI triumphed over the second team with Johanna PETERY and Rebeka NAGY after a closely contested five-match battle. In the Under 13 Boys’ Teams final Kacper PIWOWAR and Abraham SELLADO of England defeated Romania’s Alexandru POP and David TORO with a score of 3-1. POP secured one individual match victory. In the Under 13 Girls’ Team Event Hungary’s Lizett FAZEKAS and Szonja SZÖGI overcame the Swiss duo of Akhyata PATRA and Enya HU. They needed all five matches to secure their victory. FAZEKAS remained unbeaten in singles but she lost in doubles and PATRA overcame SZÖGI in singles.
A Good Start for England in Dimitrovgrad
The second tournament in the Europe Youth Series the 2023 Serbia Open commenced today at the Sports Complex in Dimitrovgrad. On the first day of play the Group stage was on the schedule. In the Under 15 Boys’ Event Montenegro’s Stefan RADONJIC Milan VUCETIC and Jaksa KRIVOKAPIC won Group 1 ahead of Denmark 2 and Serbia 2. In Group 2 the leaders are Serbia’s Borislav RAJIC and Nemanja MARKOVIC. In the Girls’ Under 15 category Hungary’s Sophie BARCSAI and Nora DOHOCZKI lead ahead of Serbia 1 and Hungary 2. In the Under 13 Team Event Kacper PIWOWAR and Abraham SELLADO of England remain unbeaten in four team matches and they are also undefeated in individual duels. After four rounds Romania 1 is in second place and Serbia 1 is third. In the Under 13 Girls’ Team Event Hungary’s Lizett FAZEKAS and Szonja SZÖGI share the top position with Swiss duo Akhyata PATRA and Enya HU. Serbia 1 is in third place after four rounds.
Matches in Wels marked the beginning of the 2023/2024 season in the Champions League.
The first phase of club competitions in the Champions League and Europe Cup is set to commence this week. Group D has already kicked off today. In Wels Austria SPG Felbermayr Wels is meeting TTC Club Ostrava 2016 from the Czech Republic Global Pharma Orlicz from Poland and CTT Les Borges from Spain both today and tomorrow. Group B in Havirov Czech Republic begins on Thursday. SF SKK El Nino Praha from Czechia will compete against the host team SKST Tesla Batteries Havirov TTC Sokah Hoboken from Belgium and Roskilde Bordtennis from Denmark. Groups A and C are scheduled to start on Saturday. In Group A in Dubrovnik Croatia Solex-Consult TTC Wiener Neustadt from Austria will play against Polski Cukier Gwiazda Bydgoszcz from Poland PTE Peac Kalo-Meh from Hungary and the host team STK Libertas Marinkolor. In Group C there are Italy’s Top Spin Messina EUCI the host team HB Ostrov Z.S from Czechia Austria’s Panaceo Stockerau and Romania’s CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc. The winners of the groups will advance to Stage Two where in Group A we have 1. FC Saarbrücken TT from Germany and AS Pontoise Cergy from France. In Group B TTC Neu Ulm from Germany and KS Dartom Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki from Poland will compete. In Group C it’s GV Hennebont TT from France and K.S. Dekorglass Dzialdowo from Poland. Group D features Borussia Dusseldorf from Germany and Sporting Clube De Portugal from Portugal. Women’s teams are divided into two groups and all matches commence tomorrow. In Group A in Spain we will see SKST Plus Hodonin from Czechia ALCL TT Grand-Quevilly from France Panathinaikos AC from Greece GIRBAU-VIC TT from Spain and Miró Ganxets Reus from Spain. In Group B we have SH-ITB Budaörsi Sport Club from Hungary TT Moravsky Krumlov from Czechia Tecnigen Linares from Spain TT Joué Les Tours from France and HB Ostrov Z.S from Czechia. The matches will take place in the Czech Republic. In Stage Two the winners and runners-up will progress. Already in Round Two we have the following teams in Group A: KTS Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg from Poland and TTC Novi Sad from Serbia. In Group B: UCAM Cartagena TM from Spain and TT Saint Quentin from France. In Group C: Linz AG Froschberg from Austria and Etival ASRTT from France. In Group D: Metz TT from France and ASD Quattro Mori from Italy.
Second Virtual Table Tennis webinar on Wednesday 27th September
ETTU is pleased to extend an invitation to our second informative webinar on Virtual Table Tennis with a focus on the technical aspects of the first European Virtual Table Tennis Challenge. Event Details Date: Wednesday 27th SeptemberTime: 15:00 CET To register for this informative webinar please click on the following link: Webinar Registration Link Please be aware that the registration deadline is Tuesday 26th September.We strongly recommend registering in advance to ensure your participation. If you missed our initial informative webinar or wish to revisit the content you can find it here. For additional information about Virtual Table Tennis please visit our dedicated page. We eagerly anticipate your active participation and engagement during this webinar.
Germany Maintains Dominance in European Table Tennis Team Event
Even without three of the strongest German male players Germany remains the leading nation in the European Championships team event. The Germans have continued their streak of having at least one team in the final which started in 1994 and was only interrupted in 2005 in Aarhus (DEN) when both the men’s and women’s teams were halted in the quarterfinals both defeated by Romania. Since 2013 Romania has been the only team to defeat the German women at a European team Championship. Having won the last three in a row the German women are one step closer to equaling the all-time record of four consecutive wins by a women’s team. This record is currently held by the Netherlands winners in 2008 2009 2010 and 2011. The record for the men is still held by Sweden who won six in a row from 1964 to 1972 and another four in a row from 1984 to 1992. In a team event it is challenging to determine who the best individual player is. At the 2023 STUPA European Table Tennis Championships in Malmö nine players remained unbeaten in at least three individual matches. The best record was achieved by Felix LEBRUN (France 7-0) followed by Nina MITTELHAM (Germany) Shan Xiaona (Germany) and Tamas LAKATOS (Hungary) all with 6-0 and Jonathan GROTH (Denmark 5-0). NI Xialian (Luxembourg) Martin ALLEGRO (Belgium) and HAN Ying (Germany) all had a 4-0 record. Remarkable results were also achieved by Truls MOREGAARD (Sweden 9-1) Bernadette SZOCS (Romania 8-1) and SHAO Jieni (Portugal 8-1).
Sweden Ends 21-Year Drought to Claim Men’s Team Table Tennis Gold at 2023 European Championships in Malmö
Sweden has been crowned the champion of the Men’s Team Event at the 2023 STUPA European Table Tennis Championships in Malmö. In an exciting final witnessed by 4 000 spectators at the Arena Sweden defeated Germany with a score of 3-1. France represented by Felix LEBRUN Alexis LEBRUN Can AKKUZU and Jules ROLLAND and Portugal with Marcos FREITAS Tiago APOLONIA Joao GERALDO and Joao MONTEIRO won bronze. Although Sweden (14 titles) and Germany (9 titles) have a combined total of 23 out of the 41 men’s team titles at the European Championships this final marked only their 6th encounter in a final match. Sweden had previously beaten Germany in 1980 1990 2000 and 2002 while Germany managed to defeat them in 2011. This victory added the 15th title to Sweden’s record after a 21-year title drought. The last time Sweden won the men’s team title before this triumph in 2002 and it was the second of the 13 team finals that Timo BOLL participated in. At that time the 11-year-old Kristian KARLSSON and Mathias FALCK were likely watching the match on TV while Truls MOREGAARD who defeated BOLL this time was just 6 weeks old. Jörgen PERSSON commented on their victory saying “We placed pressure on ourselves with the goal of winning European Championship gold. Now we are also prepared for the Olympics with the team which has significant implications for planning the remainder of the season. I must commend Timo BOLL for his hard work for his team. Truls MOREGARD was able to defeat him largely because Timo doesn’t handle Truls’s quick game and rebounds well.” Truls MOREGARD added “I had success with my serves against Timo BOLL. I play at a faster pace and ultimately that makes the difference. Timo BOLL is always a challenging opponent and you can never let your guard down. We’ve reached several finals and it feels great to be able to change that trend. We are now creating our own history. When I had a 10-5 lead in the decisive match it felt almost surreal with the crowd cheering my name my family and friends in the stands. I’ve never experienced anything like it with the crowd so close to the table. It’s a fantastic feeling.” Despite Timo BOLL turning his singles match in his favor after being 0-2 down in sets against double world champion and 2017 World Championship finalist Mattias FALCK the Germans had to concede defeat in the other three matches to the host team which fought tenaciously. In the opening match against Truls MÖREGARDH the 2021 World Championship singles finalist Benedikt DUDA missed his set point at 11-10 in the third game. In the fourth match against MÖREGARDH BOLL was leading 7-4 in the second set and managed to force a deciding game after being down 0-2 in sets again. However in that final game Möregardh increased the tempo and pressure combined with his seemingly boundless composure leaving the two-time World Cup winner BOLL with little room to maneuver after his exhausting first match. BOLL remains winless against the 21-year-old world number twelve. Kristian Karlsson remarked “It’s not easy when Kay Stumper attacks aggressively and swiftly. He becomes a formidable opponent when he gets into his groove. Winning gold right now feels almost unreal especially considering that we could have been eliminated in the quarterfinals when Hungary had three match points to win in the deciding match.” Lars HIELSCHER expressed his disappointment after losing the final but noted “In summary we had an excellent tournament and our players elevated their game as the competition progressed. In the final we performed well but the issue for us was that Sweden played even better. It’s also worth noting that there are now many more countries involved that can disrupt other teams.” Timo BOLL reflected on the final saying “It was a fantastic final and a great display of table tennis. I hope it can contribute to Sweden attracting more players. Truls MOREGARD is inventive he has challenging and diverse serves and he puts pressure on me to make mistakes. As for the future there is a match in the German League this Saturday and in two weeks I will be heading to China for another competition. I’m also looking forward to the Waldner Cup which will be held in Stockholm on the last weekend of November. It’s a unique competition and hopefully new audiences will come to watch. Sweden – Germany 3-1 Truls MOREGAARD – Benedikt DUDA 3-0 (11-4 11-8 14-12) Mattias FALCK – Timo BOLL 2-3 (11-8 12-10 8-11 7-11 10-12) Kristian KARLSSON – Kay STUMPER 3-2 (11-5 7-11 11-3 11-13 11-4) Truls MOREGAARD – Timo BOLL 3-2 (11-6 11-8 4-11 6-11 11-5)
Title no. 9 for Germany in the Women’s Teams event in Malmö
At the 2023 STUPA European Table Tennis Championships in Malmö Germany’s women’s team successfully defended their title securing a spot at the Olympic Games in Paris for the team. The trio of Ying HAN Nina MITTELHAM and Xiaona SHAN supported by Sabine Winter and Annett KAUFMANN defeated Romania in the final with an outstanding performance winning 3:0 and remaining undefeated in individual matches throughout the tournament. Andreea Dragoman Adina DIACONU and Elena ZAHARIA won silver while the bronze medals went to France with YUAN Jia Nan Prithika PAVADE Charlotte LUTZ and Audrey ZARIF and Portugal with YU Fu SHAIO Jieni Ines MATOS and Matilde PINTO. This victory marks the ninth team gold for a German women’s team at continental championships tying Germany with the previous record holder Hungary. It also represents the 51st gold in all European Championship competitions combined. For the team led by coaches Tamara Boros and Elke SCHALL-SÜSS it’s a successful revenge for their final loss to Romania at the European Games in Krakow just over two months ago. Since 2013 5 out of 7 European Championships Women’s team finals have featured Germany and Romania. Additionally at the European Games women’s team finals in 2019 and 2023 these two teams faced each other in the final. In 2014 Germany defeated Austria in the final and in 2019 Germany emerged victorious against Portugal. Bernadette SZOCS is the only player who has participated in all 7 finals since 2013 while Elisabeta SAMARA has played in 6 of them. Statistics may not secure titles but they increase the odds and provide comfort in the nerve-wracking game of table tennis. The coaching duo of Germany made the perfect lineup decision for the final. Xiaona SHAN placed at the top this time faced the European singles champion in 2015 Elizabeta SAMARA whom she had only lost to once in eight previous encounters back in 2015. The Munich EC bronze medalist once again defeated the singles semi-finalist of this year’s European Games in three games. Ying HAN placed second in the lineup had lost to the top player Bernadette Szocs in the team final at the European Games in Krakow. On Sunday afternoon it initially looked promising for the Romanian world number twelve. She patiently waited for the right defensive ball for her attack engaging in longer chop rallies. The first set ended in an extension for SZOCS and she led 8:4 in the second game before losing her momentum. Han the world’s best defensive player increasingly demonstrated her attacking capabilities. Even in the closely contested fourth set HAN’S courage paid off as she converted her second match point to secure a 12:10 victory sealing the deal with a 3:1 win. The 26-year-old silver medalist from 2022 Nina MITTELHAM closed the chapter in an exciting match against the three years younger and completely unburdened Andreea DRAGOMAN. The Romanian double finalist from Munich pushed the Germany’s player to her limits succumbing only in the extension of the fifth game after MITTELHAM had saved two match points at 8:10. “When I stepped into the box I realized I was incredibly nervous which is actually very unusual for me ” admitted MITTELHAM. “In the end I may not have played my best match in terms of gameplay but I was mentally very strong. I am overjoyed that I could win the game and we managed to beat Romania as a team. Our team’s performance throughout the entire European Championship was outstanding.” “I am overjoyed that we have such a team ” commented Ying HAN acknowledging those who weren’t nominated for Malmö. “This also includes our training group in Düsseldorf – it’s just fantastic.”
