The nine days of fierce battles and fantastic matches which kept us on the edge of our seats have come to an end. The table tennis tournament concluded with Germany’s Men’s team emerging as the winners making Germany the leading nation in the medal standings across the men’s and women’s team events as well as singles and mixed doubles events. Romania also secured two gold medals with the most successful player being Bernadette SZOCS who won gold in both singles and teams as well as a bronze in mixed doubles. Men’s Teams event Gold Germany Silver Sweden Bronze France Women’s Teams event Gold Romania Silver Germany Bronze Portugal Men’s Singles event Gold Felix LEBRUN of France Silver Marcos FREITAS of Portugal. Bronze Alexis LEBRUN of France Women’s Singles event Gold Bernadette SZOCS of Romania Silver YANG Xiaoxin of Monaco Bronze Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania Mixed Doubles Event Gold QIU Dang and Nina MITTELHAM of Germany Silver Nandor ECSEKI and Dora MADARASZ of Hungary Bronze Ovidiu IONESCU and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania.   European Games Table Tennis 2023   Medals table             Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 Germany 2 1   3 2 Romania 2   2 4 3 France 1   2 3 4 Portugal   1 1 2 5 Monaco   1   1 5 Hungary   1   1 5 Sweden   1   1  

Germany defended their title at the 2023 European Games Krakow. In the final they prevailed against Sweden. Bronze medalists are France. Sweden (2) – Germany (1) 1-3 Truls MOREGARDH Kristian KARLSSON – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV Patrick FRANZISKA 3-2 (3-11 11-9 15-13 11-8) Anton KALLBERG – QIU Dang 0-3 (5-11 9-11 9-11) Kristian KARLSSON – Patrick FRANZISKA 2-3 (11-6 5-11 13-11 8-11 9-11) Anton KALLBERG – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV 0-3 (7-11 8-11 8-11) After all the drama of the Women’s final the Men’s final commenced as a comparatively quiet affair with OVTCHAROV and FRANZISKA dominating the start in the doubles. However it did not take long before KARLSSON and MOREGARDH gained a grip on the match. In a tense five-game battle Sweden secured the first point in the match. QIU Dang faced Anton KALLBERG to assert his position as a leader of the German team. After a straight games duel he leveled the score. The clash between KARLSSON and FRANZISKA initially favored Kristian but the momentum shifted back and forth. In the end the match was resolved in a decisive game in favor of the German player. In a powerful display OVTCHAROV sealed the match. National coach Jörg ROSSKOPF commented “The doubles were very close. All the matches were at a very high level with great rallies. Franz’s match against Kristian was particularly important and Dang also played with great focus after the doubles. Dima certainly played his best match here in Krakow against Anton. It was a great final and it demonstrates that we are still the number one team in Europe.” Dang QIU remarked “It was the tough match we expected against Sweden. I believe Franz’s win was incredibly important and it was highly competitive. Sweden deserved to win as well. However in the end Dima did what he does best which is to close the game! We are very happy that we won. We are the number one team in Europe and we wanted to maintain our position!” Patrick FRANZISKA added “After the doubles where we played well but still made a few mistakes Dang’s win was crucial to get us back on track. Of course my own match was important as losing it would have put us 1-2 behind. Personally it’s always challenging for me to play against Kristian so I’m extremely happy to have won the match so closely in the end.” Dimitrij OVTCHAROV reflected “There is often talk about emerging nations in Europe and everyone was waiting for Germany to lose. But in the end it was also a statement that earns us respect once again. We went through the tournament with confidence and although we lost the doubles today our singles performances were really strong showcasing our overall strength as a team.” Sweden and Germany previously faced each other in the Teams event final in Minsk back in 2019 with Kristian KARLSSON being the only player on duty from today’s team. On the other side were Timo BOLL Patrick FRANZISKA and Dimitrij OVTCHAROV. KALLBERG expressed “We commenced the final with a win in doubles which was a huge victory. Unfortunately the match didn’t go our way. We couldn’t replicate the fantastic achievement like the win against France yesterday – Germany has an incredibly strong side. Individually I had a poor day today losing 0-3 twice. I couldn’t keep up with QIU’s and OVTCHAROV’s level of play. It’s not a good day for me. It’s a pity that Kristian KARLSSON couldn’t win the close match against Patrick FRANZISKA.” Truls MOREGARDH expressed his disappointment but promised “As a team we want to forget about this final as soon as possible. Germany is always a strong team and now they are stronger than us unfortunately. We will look forward to beating them in Malmo at the European Championships.” Bronze medal match France (3) – Portugal (4) 3-2 Simon GAUZY Aleis LEBRUN – Marcos FREITAS Tiago APOLONIA 0-3 (10-12 10-12 3-11) Felix LEBRUN – Joao GERALDO 3-0 (11-6 11-6 13-11) Alexis LEBRUN – Tiago APOLONIA 1-3 (8-11 11-4 9-11 11-13) Felix LEBRUN – Marcos FREITAS 3-1 (11-8 9-11 13-11 11-7) Simon GAUZY – Joao GERALDO 3-0 (11-8 11-9 11-6) It took five games before France claimed the bronze medal in a clash against Portugal. Portugal had a better start with the doubles but Felix LEBRUN proved too strong for Joao GERALDO and Marcos FREITAS. Eventually Simon GAUZY sealed the duel with a win over GERALDO. “The match was filled with tension and playing a duel that starts at 11 am is never easy. I sealed the match with a victory in the decisive encounter and that means the match could have gone either way. Everything was open and we could have left Krakow without a medal but we have an amazing player in our team who helped us come back after losing the doubles and win both matches today. Felix was the key to our victory ” stated GAUZY. GAUZY have a positive record against Geraldo. “I have beaten him three or four times but it created extra pressure for me today. I did not want to lose against Joao for the first time in a match for a medal. I played really well and he struggled with my service and receive ” said GAUZY. Felix concluded the European Games undefeated. As a gold medalist in singles he pushed France to the medal rostrum in the team event as well. “It is unbelievable for me that I won each and every match here ” said younger brother LEBRUN. “In both matches today against left-handers GERALDO and FREITAS my service game was the most important factor for success. I played well on the first ball and I was aggressive. Winning the third game against Marcos which I won 13-11 gave me extra confidence to win the match.” Alexis LEBRUN lost his match against Tiago Apolonia. “I wasn’t at the top of my game but Simon played very well and Felix played amazingly so that’s what matters in the end. We

Germany’s national coach Tamara BIOROS explained that the team failed to capitalize on all the opportunities they had in the two opening matches. “In the doubles we had a 7-4 lead in the last game but our opponents fought for every point. We gave it our all but it wasn’t enough today. Romania had a fantastic tournament. We need to take some time to recover and then focus on the European Championships. We have to perform better there to secure our spot in the Olympic Games.” HAN Yin expressed “I have been facing SZOCS quite often recently. Today she was always in the lead and had the belief to win. I had to stay ahead and play aggressively but in the end I lacked a bit of power. She played well and I didn’t have a good feeling about facing her throughout the week in Krakow.” Match for bronze Portugal (4) – France (3) 3-0 Matilde PINTO YU Fu – Camille LUTZ Prithika PAVADE 3-1 (11-4 9-11 11-7 11-4) SHAO Jieni – YUAN Jia Nan 3-2 (6-11 8-11 11-7 11-7 11-7) YU Fu – Prithika PAVADE 3-1 (11-8 7-11 11-7 11-9) YU Fu and Matilde PINTO paved the path to success for Portugal in their match against France. Camille LUTZ and Prithika PAVADE had a few opportunities but failed to put significant pressure on Portugal’s pairings. “They were very strong but I believe we approached the match with a much calmer mindset. It proved crucial during the decisive moments when we made fewer mistakes compared to our opponents ” said Matilde PINTO. Following their victory in the doubles SHAO Jieni made an impressive comeback from being down 0-2 to win the match against YUAN Jia Nan which opened the doors wide for the team’s triumph. “We have faced each other numerous times and every match has been closely contested. It could have gone either way ” said SHAO. YU Fu had previously defeated Prithika PAVADE in the Round of 16 in the singles event here in Krakow. “It provided me with a better starting position in the team’s event. Additionally since we had already secured a win in the doubles and SHAO secured the second point in singles it allowed me to play with less stress ” explained YU.   Romania clinched gold in the Women’s Teams Event at the 2023 Eurooean Games in Krakow. Afer more than 3 hours of play they overcome defending champions Germany in thrillig five matches clash. Portugal won bronze medal after the duel against France. Germany (1) – Romania (2) 2-3 Nina MITTELHAM SHAN Xiaona – Adina DIACONU Andreea DRAGOMAN 2-3 (11-8 17-19 7-11 11-8 5-11) HAN Ying – Bernadette SZOCS 2-3 (11-4 12-10 8-11 9-11 8-11) SHAN Xiaona – Andreea DRAGOMAN (9-11 11-6 11-6 8-11 15-13) HAN Ying – Adina DIACONU 3-0 (11-6 11-5 11-9) Nina MITTELHAM – Bernadette SZOCS 0-3 (9-11 9-11 4-11) Four years ago HAN Yang SHAN Xiaona and Nina MITTELHAM defeated Elizabeta SAMARA Daniela DODEAN and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania in the final claiming the title. In the 2023 Krakow tournament Germany retained the same team but Romania had a different lineup. Unfortunately they were without Elizabeta SAMARA who had won a bronze medal in singles but suffered an injury worsened by her clash with HAN few days earlier. DODEAN also stopped playing for the team allowing Adina DIACONU and Andreea DRAGOMAN to step in for the 2023 final. After a close game and a victory for DIACONU and DRAGOMAN in the doubles Bernadette SZOCS showed great patience to overcome HAN Ying’s fantastic defensive skills. In the first two games HAN Ying once again demonstrated her equaly lethal attacking skills against SZOCS. However the singles gold medalist from Krakow Bernadette raised her game in the second set and began an impressive comeback. She recovered from being down 0-2 to win the match in superb style. DRAGOMAN made her first appearance in the singles event at the tournament and had two match points that could have secured Romania’s place at the top of the medal podium. However SHAN narrowly survived and won the fourth match by the slimmest of margins. The decisive match was one way street for SZOCS. MITTELHAM could not find the game for Bernadette. “I feel like the queen of the tournament. It is the first time I have won three medals and haven’t lost a match in singles. I had dreamed of a tournament like this and it’s amazing to see my dreams come true ” said SZOCS before adding “I was trailing 2-0 against HAN Ying but I never stopped believing that I could win. I had never defeated this player before and had sometimes lost quite easily.” Reflecting on her gold medal in singles just three days prior Bernadette continued “Both gold medals are important to me. I love playing for the team being there for my colleagues and representing my country. I think I might cherish the individual medal a little bit more since it is my first singles medal. I am incredibly proud of my team. I asked my teammates to win one match and I knew I had to win both of my singles matches and that’s exactly what happened.” Andreea DRAGOMAN made her debut in Krakow 2023 in a very last match. “We learned yesterday that Elizabeta SAMARA was injured. I was prepared to play from the first day but naturally I was nervous. I had two match points but SHAN Xiaona being more experienced proved decisive in my 2-3 loss ” said DRAGOMAN.

The President of the European Olympic Committees Spyros CAPRALOS visited Hutnik Arena and stayed to watch the Women team’s final match between Germany and Romania. President CAPRALOS had a brief meeting with the ETTU Secretary General Pierre KASS ETTU Vice President for Finances Sandra DEATON and European Games technical delegate Richard SCRUTON. “I am delighted to have come here during such a close match. I was very excited ” said President CAPRALOS.

Portugal (4) – Germany (1) 1-3 Joao GERALDO Tiago APOLONIA – Patrick FRANZISKA Dimitrij OVTCHAROV 3-0 (11-7 11-6 11-9) Marcos FREITAS – QIU Dang 0-3 (4-11 6-11 2-11) Tiago APOLONIA – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV 0-3 (8-11 5-11 4-11) Marcos FREITAS – Patrick FRANZISKA 0-3 (5-11 5-11 5-11) Germany emerged victorious against Portugal despite losing in the doubles. “Despite the defeat in the doubles Dima and Franz played tactically well. Afterward we secured three confident wins in the singles. Dang displayed strong tactical play against FREITAS and showed a positive body language. Dima delivered a confident and impressive performance which we have witnessed in recent training sessions. Now he demonstrated it in the match. And Franz exceeded expectations. However we are aware that Sweden our opponents in tomorrow’s final possesses the ability to defeat us. They have a strong doubles team and players who exude confidence and hunger for titles. It has been a while since they last won a title ” said coach Jörg ROSSKOPF. Dimitrij OVTCHAROV added “It was a strong performance from all three of us in the singles today. Tomorrow’s adversaries are slightly stronger but today’s matches have given us confidence. Finals are meant to be won so we must give our all tomorrow.” Patrick FRANZISKA emphasized the importance of their reaction after the doubles stating “Dang was outstanding followed by Dima and me. The doubles event will be especially crucial tomorrow against Sweden.”   In the final of the Men’s Team’s event at the 2023 European Games in Krakow two top seeded teams will play for the title. The ultimate match at the tournament between Germany and Sweden is scheduled for Saturday at 6.15 PM. Portrugal and France will play for bronze at 11 AM. France (3) – Sweden (2) 2-3 Simon GAUZY Alexis LEBRUN – Kristian KARLSSON Truls MOREGARDH 2-3 (13-11 6-11 11-8 11-6 7-11) Felix LEBRUN – Anton KALLBERG 3-2 (11-8 2-11 5-11 11-8 11-7) Alexis LEBRUN – Truls MOREHARDH 0-3 (7-11 5-11 14-16) Felix LEBRUN – Kristian KARLSSON 3-1 (6-11 11-8 11-6 11-9) Simon GAUZY – Anton KALLBERG 1-3 (6-11 11-5 8-11 7-11) It took three hours for Team Sweden to halt France’s progress. Despite Felix LEBRUN’s individual match performance it was insufficient to propel his team into the final. Sweden emerged victorious in the doubles while Truls MOREGARDH and Anton KALLBERG prevailed against Alexi LEBRUN and Simon GAUZY. KALLBERG initially lost against Felix remarking “It was the first time we played against each other. He has been performing at the highest level here as evidenced by his gold in singles. The match had several back-and-forth moments. It happened two or three times but in the end he was better. He made better decisions and I made a few mistakes under his pressure. His service game is fantastic and you never know where the ball will go. You have to be constantly alert and quick in decision-making.” In the decisive match Anton faced GAUZY. “We have played against each other many times in leagues and internationally. You can’t give him any free points because he is very dangerous. You have to put every ball on the table when you play against him ” said KALLBERG. Truls MOREGARDH performed superbly against the older LEBRUN brother a bronze medalist in Krakow. “I had previously lost to Alexei twice in big matches. At 1-1 in such a crucial team duel my match was important. Tactically I played very well and I managed to deceive him a little. However the pressure was on him this time. Everyone thought he was the favorite today so I could enjoy my game and play my best table tennis ” said MOREGARDH. The first point in the match came from the doubles. “Kristian and I teamed up in doubles for the first time and I am satisfied with our play.”

The reigning champions Germany’s Women’s Team have never lost a match at the European Games. They claimed the title in Baku 2015 and Minsk 2019. In Krakow they have already secured their spot in the final of the 2023 European Games Krakow after a dominant performance against Portugal in the opening match of the day. In the second match of the day Romania beat France to join Germany in the final to be played on Saturday 2.30 PM. Match for bronze is scheduled for 11AM – Portugal will meet France. Romania (2) – France (3) 3-1 Adina DIACONU Elizabeta SAMARA – Prithika PAVADE Camille LUTZ 2-3 (9-11 11-8 11-9 4-11 9-11) Bernadette SZOCS – YUAN Jia Nan 3-0 (12-10 11-6 11-9) Elizabeta SAMARA – Camille LUTZ 3-0 (11-6 11-8 11-3) Bernadette SZOCS – Prithika PAVADE 3-1 (11-9 6-11 11-7 11-7) Romania defeated France to secure their place in the final of the European Games. After a shaky start in the doubles Romania regained control in the singles matches. “Adina and I didn’t have much chance to practice together but despite that we played a good match. It was close ” stated SAMARA. “Against LUTZ I remained very calm. My experience came forward.” Bernadette SZOCS displayed the same level of performance as she did in the first part of the tournament when she won gold in singles. Firstly against YUAN Jia Nan and then against Prithika PAVADE she led the team to success in the semifinals. “I’ve always had close matches against YUAN. At the beginning I was trailing 2-3 but then I managed to win 3-2… However this is the first time I’ve won in straight matches ” said SZOCS. The match against PAVADE proved to be a closer affair than the one against YUAN. “I’ve never played against PAVADE before so I needed some time to settle into the rhythm.” Next in line is Germany the team that defeated them four years ago in Minsk in the final. “I hope we can avenge our defeat from the last final. Both SAMARA and I have beaten their best players in singles. Eliza overcame HAN Ying and I prevailed against Nina MITTELHAM here. I hope we can replicate the success once again in the team event ” said SZOCS. Portugal (4) – Germany (1) 0-3 Ines MATOS SHAO Jieni – Nina MITTELHAM SHAN Xiaona 0-3 (5-11 6-11 7-11) YU Fu – HAN Ying 1-3 (6-11 4-11 11-6 7-11) SHAO Jieni – SHAN Xiaona 1-3 (7-11 12-10 13-15 12-14) In the semi final Germany dominated. “We performed better than yesterday against Sweden. SHAN Xiaona’s match was a bit closer but it was her first singles match here in Krakow. She should have another singles match before the final ” said coach Tamara BOROS. HAN initially had complete control in her match against YU Fu but the Portuguese player managed to put pressure in the later stages. “The first two games were not too challenging as FU Yu didn’t display a high level of play. However she improved as the match went on and I’m glad I was able to secure the victory ” said HAN Ying. Three out of the four games in the match between SHAN Xiaona and SHAO Jieni were decided by the narrowest of margins. “Jieni performs exceptionally well against me – I’ve won by a slim margin every time. I always have to engage in numerous rallies against her. From a tactical standpoint I should have focused more on ball placement rather than playing every shot too tightly ” stated SHAN.