Twenty-year-old Liam PITCHFORD will lead England’s push for promotion at the 32nd LIEBHERR European Championships as the new British No. 1. Chesterfield-born PITCHFORD, who last year reached the top position in the English rankings, finally became the bes, Twenty-year-old Liam PITCHFORD will lead England’s push for promotion at the 32nd LIEBHERR European Championships as the new British No. 1. Chesterfield-born PITCHFORD, who last year reached the top position in the English rankings, finally became the best-ranked British player in the world when he surpassed compatriot Paul DRINKHALL in the September world ranking list. Now, the current world no. 122, will lead the English men in their bid to reach the Championship Division when the prestigious event kicks-off in Schwechat, Austria (October 4-13, 2013). There will be added pressure on the youngster’s shoulders as fellow Olympian, DRINKHALL, will miss out on this year’s competition following surgery on a hip problem, which has prevented him from starting his campaign in the Bundesliga – Germany’s top division. PITCHFORD, who also plays in the Bundesliga, has shrugged off the attentions of being number one, but feels he is full of confidence ahead of the European campaign. The Ochsenhausen player said: “It’s just a number in my eyes but it is always nice to say you’re number 1, I hope now I can push on and break into the top 100. I have two more years at Ochsenhausen now so that has given me a lot of confidence. It’s been good to play the first few matches and get a feel for how I am playing now. I had an important win in our first match at 2-2, which was a great start to the season and I hope it can only improve.” He will be joined in the England team by 30-year-old Andrew BAGGALEY, 23-year-old Daniel REED and 18-year-old Sam WALKER, who was recently selected to play in the European Youth Top-10 that takes place this weekend in Italy. However, in recent history it has been the boy from Derbyshire who has taken the limelight with his incredible giant-killing performances at the European Championships. Back in Poland, 2011 he caused the biggest shock of the tournament by beating world no. 9 and three-time European Champion, Vladimir SAMSONOV, when ranked 269th in the world. He has since followed that victory up with further upsets against Alexey SMIRNOV (20), Robert GARDOS (32) and Dimitrij PROKOPCOV (51) in the same competition. Although he can’t pinpoint what makes him so destructive at this particular event, the current English National Champion has readied himself physically and mentally for his trip to Austria to be the most productive yet. “I guess I always prepare well for European Championships and after the last few years I now have something to build on. It’s massively important to be fresh for every match, these past few months now I have been back at my club in Germany where I have been working hard to be in top shape physically and mentally for the Europeans. My aim is to go further than last year, the last two years I have lost close in the last 32 so I hope this year I can go one better.” The 2013 LIEBHERR European Championships will involve both team and individual competitions as part of the biennial rotation of the tournament, which will also see the English women try and secure their own promotion to the top tier. Recently married Joanna DRINKHALL (26) will lead the side along with Kelly SIBLEY (25), Hannah HICKS (22) and Tin-Tin HO (15). The women, who were promoted in 2011 but have since dropped back to the second level, will begin their campaign against either Italy or Greece after being seeded for the first round. England squad for the European Championships Schwechat, Austria (October 4-13, 2013) Men: Liam PITCHFORD, Andrew BAGGALEY, Sam WALKER and Daniel REED Women: Joanna DRINKHALL, Kelly SIBLEY, Tin-Tin HO and Hannah HICKS Coaches: Jia Yi LIU and Alan COOKE.
ETTU helps develop more opportunities for athletes with intellectual disabilities
The Vice-President of the European Table Tennis Union Ronald KRAMER will attend a three day Sports Development Conference organized by Special Olympics. The Sports Conference commences today in Antwerp – the host city for the 2014 Special Olympics E, The Vice-President of the European Table Tennis Union Ronald KRAMER will attend a three day Sports Development Conference organized by Special Olympics. The Sports Conference commences today in Antwerp – the host city for the 2014 Special Olympics European Games. Former International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques ROGGE is serving as Honorary Chair of the 2014 European Games. The Sports Conference, hosted by Special Olympics Belgium, also brings together the Presidents of Tennis Europe Mr. Jacques DUPRÉ, European Golf Association (EGA) Mr Antti PELTONIEMI, Confédération Européenne de Volleyball (CEV) Mr. André MEYERAND IFAPA (International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity) Dr. Claire BOURSIER, with more than 80 Special Olympics leaders including Sports Directors, Heads of Delegation for 2014 Games and experts from 50 countries within the Europe Eurasia region. The Games Organizing Committee of the Special Olympics European Games 2014 will officially present their current plans and preparations which will include site visits to the Games venues. The Special Olympics European Games will take place in Antwerp from September 13th – September 20th 2014 involving 2000 athletes from 58 countries. http://www.so2014.com/ The European Sports Directors Conference will sanction the introduction of new sports to increase the number currently offered to Special Olympics athletes which stands at 32. The Conference will also consolidate existing partnerships between Special Olympics and European Sporting Federations. The Presidents in attendance, including ETTU Vice-President KRAMER, will formally visit sports venues across Antwerp that will host sports competitions at the 2014 European Games. “Building confidence, skill and fitness through sports training and competition for people with intellectual disabilities are the foundations of the Special Olympics sports experience and we know partnerships with sporting bodies such as the ETTU are an integral component of this. ETTU partners with Special Olympics for the benefit of athletes who enjoy professional training and practical guidance and support as we help them to reach their personal best on and off the table tennis court. The development of meaningful sports partnerships is important to the European Table Tennis Union and we are proud of our association with Special Olympics. I look forward to attending this Sports Conference,”said Ronald KRAMER, ETTU Vice-President. “The attendance at our conference by the Presidents of some of Europe’s leading Sports Federations is an endorsement of our work serving athletes with intellectual disabilities. Sports Federations partner with Special Olympics because they share our values, vision and commitment to develop the athletes’ experience ensuring better health, inclusion and acceptance of people with intellectual disabilities in our communities. The practical support they provide is invaluable,” concluded Mary Davis, Regional President Special Olympics Europe Eurasia. Special Olympics is an international organization that unleashes the human spirit through the transformative power and joy of sports every day around the world. Through work in sports, health, education and community building, Special Olympics addresses inactivity, injustice, intolerance and social isolation by encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities which leads to a more welcoming and inclusive society. Founded in 1968 by Eunice KENNEDY SHRIVER, the Special Olympics movement has grown from a few hundred athletes to more than 4.2 million athletes in 170 countries. With the support of more than one million coaches and volunteers, Special Olympics delivers 32 Olympic-type sports and more than 70,000 competitions throughout the year. Engage with us on: Twitter @specialolympics; fb.com/specialolympics; youtube.com/specialolympicshq, and specialolympics.org/blog.
Happy weekend for Werder
After unexpectedly poor start in Group C of Men’s European Champions League two weeks ago (3:1 home loss from newcomer Walter Wels), Werder Bremen is again drives to its goals. “The Greens” won two games in three days, from last Friday to Sunday, fi, After unexpectedly poor start in Group C of Men’s European Champions League two weeks ago (3:1 home loss from newcomer Walter Wels), Werder Bremen is again drives to its goals. “The Greens” won two games in three days, from last Friday to Sunday, first at Hennebont in MECL Round 2, and after that in Bundesliga against Hagen (3:0). The victory at France, in front of 1,000 host fans, was team success. Each player brought one point, as last one came from Chinese Taipei’s CHUANG Chih Yuan who beat his compatriot and double partner in national team CHEN Chien-An in straight games. They became together World champions at Paris last spring, defeating in gold medal game Chinese pair HAO Shuai, MA Lin 4:2. “We were in the cauldron of more than 1,000 spectators, showing great morale. This victory brought us back into competition”, said Werder`s coach Cristian TAMAS for club’s website. Just a day after return from France, actual German champion overcame at home TTC Hagen 3:0, so now lead in Bundesliga after three rounds (all three wins, 9:1 match ratio). “It was fantastic weekend. I’m glad that I could help the team as well”, summed Adrian CRISAN who won both his encounters in two matches (the same did Constantin COTI, while CHUANG has 2-1 score). Team manager Sascha GREBER sounds very satisfied: “Overall, it was excellent performance of our players. The win against Hagen after tough away game at France worth a lot. It was Werder`s weekend“.
World N.1 defends Women’s World Cup title in Kobe
LIU Shiwen (CHN) has proven why she is the world’s best table tennis player by claiming gold at the STARTS 2013 ITTF Women’s World Cup, which concluded 23 September 2013 in Kobe, Japan. The 22 year old beat fellow countrywomen WU Yang 11:3, 11, LIU Shiwen (CHN) has proven why she is the world’s best table tennis player by claiming gold at the STARTS 2013 ITTF Women’s World Cup, which concluded 23 September 2013 in Kobe, Japan. The 22 year old beat fellow countrywomen WU Yang 11:3, 11:7, 11:7, 11:2 to claim her third Women’s World Cups from three attempts, the youngest player in history to do so. “It is an honour for me to win the Women’s World Cup for the 3rd time” stated the world number one. “This has given me a lot of confidence, which will hopefully allow me to realize my dreams of becoming World and Olympic Champion.” “I am thrilled to be playing the Women’s World Cup in Japan, where the crowd is very supportive and knowledgeable about the sport. I hope that I will be able to carry this streak forward to next year for the Tokyo World Team Championships when China will be defending our title.“ Despite cruising through the finals 4:0, LIU stated that it was not as straightforward as it seemed: “Mine and WU’s levels are not that far apart. The main difference between us is that I have more experience, and WU was more nervous due to this being her first World Cup.” WU managed to take some positives out of her defeat in the final to LIU: “As this was my first World Cup, I was happy that I was able to show the world my level. I now need to go home and practice my tactics for these big matches, so next time I can win.” FENG Tianwei (SIN) repeated her heroics from London 2012 to claim bronze, outclassing JIANG Huajun (HGK) 11:6, 13:11, 12:10, 11:2. “Overall I am satisfied with my performance, and happy that despite the difficulties I faced in this high level event, I was able to overcome my opponent and bring home the bronze medal. I am looking forward to coming back to Japan next year for the World Team Table Tennis Championships, where I hope I can help Singapore win another medal.” The 17th edition of the Women’s World Cup featured players from every continent who qualified from their respective Continental Cups, making it truly a global affair. African Cup Champion Han Xing (CGO) caused the biggest upset of the tournament, defeating World number 18 Seok Hajung (KOR) in the group stages, which shows the development of the African nations. With 10,000 people turning up to cheer on the top 20 players, it builds the excitement leading up to the 2014 ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships being held in Tokyo, Japan on 28 April – 5 May 2014. Next up in 2013 on the ITTF calendar is the LIEBHERR Men’s World Cup in Verviers, Belgium on 25-27 October 2013, which follows the same playing format as the Women’s World Cup.
SHEN Yanfei’s progress halted in quarters
JIANG Huajun reached the semi final of the STARTS Women’s World Cup in the Japanese city of Kobe. She accounted for Spain’s SHEN Yanfei in five games (10:12, 11:8, 11:2, 11:7, 11:8) to book her place in the penultimate round. At the semi final stage, she , JIANG Huajun reached the semi final of the STARTS Women’s World Cup in the Japanese city of Kobe. She accounted for Spain’s SHEN Yanfei in five games (10:12, 11:8, 11:2, 11:7, 11:8) to book her place in the penultimate round. At the semi final stage, she meets China’s LIU Shiwen, the top seed, who overcame Singapore’s YU Mengyu in four straight games (11:6, 11:4, 11:2, 11:8), issuing a clear announcement that she has no intention of surrendering the title won one year earlier in Huangshi. JIANG Huajun grew in confidence; it was a far different performance from the straight games defeat she had suffered last year at the semi final stage of the Women’s Singles event at the GAC Group 2012 ITTF World Tour German Open, when beaten in four straight games by SHEN Yanfei. In the lower half of the draw Japan’s Kasumi ISHIKAWA was beaten by the attacking skills and consistent counter top spin play of Singapore’s FENG Tianwei (11:7, 9:11, 8:11, 11:9, 11:4, 9:11, 11:7); for Ai FUKUHARA it was a very different technique that brought about her downfall. She suffered against the patience and the backspin artistry of China’s WU Yang; a five games defeat was the end result (7:11, 11:7, 11:8,11:9,11:2).
Juniors’ titles for DYJAS and SZOCS
No. one seeds at the European Youth Top 10 in Terni in Junior Category, Jakub DYJAS of Poland and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania clinched the titles in their respective boys and girls category. DYJAS lost only one encounter. He suffered by the hands of Croat, No. one seeds at the European Youth Top 10 in Terni in Junior Category, Jakub DYJAS of Poland and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania clinched the titles in their respective boys and girls category. DYJAS lost only one encounter. He suffered by the hands of Croatia’s Filip ZELJKO on the second day of the tournament. Most important duel for young Polish player was the one against David REITSPIES of Czech Republic. The crucial moment of the match was the opening game, which Poland’s player won by narrow margin 12:10. REITSPIES finished the tournament at second position. Alexandre ROBINOT of France is third. Both ROBINOT and REITSPIES had 13 points. However, David beat French player in five games. Joao GERALDO of Portugal is fourth. He has the 12 points as well as Italian representative Leonardo MUTTI who is fifth and Can AKKUZU of France ranked at position no. six. Seventh is Sam WALKER of England and no. 8 and 9. are Filip ZELJKO and CHEN Diogo of Portugal. Bernadette SZOCS of Romania said goodbye to the European Youth Top 10 with another title on her record. She won it for a fifth time, second time as a junior. Following the footsteps of BADESCU, STUMPER, POTA, DODEAN, OVTCHAROV and FRANZISKA she became a most successful participant, but the comparison is not really fair, because until 2007 we only had a top 12 for juniors. In Italy SZOCS lost only one match – against Croatia’s Mateja JEGER. Her main adversary, Nina MITTELHAM was forced to withdraw after second day of the play. Nina hurt her elbow in the sixth duel so her results by that stage counted. Alina ARLOUSKAYA of Belarus is second, whilst Lea RAKOVAC of Croatia concluded the competition at the position no. three. Bernadette BALINT of Romania is fourth, Mateja JEGER is fifth, followed by Theresa KRAFT of Germany, Irina CIOBANY of Romania, Laura PFEFFER of France, Nina and Giorgia PICOLIN of Italy.
Cadets, POLANSKY and DIACONU on the throne
The most successful male young player at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava earlier this year, Tomas POLANSKY of Czech Republic added another title to his record. At the Youth Top 10 in Terni, Tomas clinched the title in Cadets category and made , The most successful male young player at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava earlier this year, Tomas POLANSKY of Czech Republic added another title to his record. At the Youth Top 10 in Terni, Tomas clinched the title in Cadets category and made fantastic season even greater. He already clinched the gold medals in Team’s Event and Doubles, silver in Mixed Doubles and gold in Singles from European championships. In Italy Tomas, born in Decin, succeeded against all adversaries, but one – he lost only one match against Slovenia’s Darko JORGIC. He stretched Darko to full distance before singles quarterfinalists from Ostrava won the match. Joe SEYFRIED of France is second. He had two defeats. The match against SEYFRIED was crucial for Tomas. “We both knew that whoever wins will be the winner of the tournament. SEYFRIED is a tough opponent” said POLANSKY. Andreas LEVENKO is third. Austria’s player was ranked only as seventh player at the tournament, but managed to put under pressure every player. He beat JORGIC in five games. Aliaksandr KHANIN of Belarus is fourth, followed by Alexandru MANOLE of Romania, JORGIC, Nils HOHMEIER of Germany, Nolan GIVONE of France and Daniele PINTO of Portugal. In cadet Girls category another European singles and doubles champion justified its rankings. Adina DIACONU of Romania succeeded in all nine matches at the tournament. She was not even stretched to full distance in any of her encounters. In the last duel at the tournament DIACONU beat main rivalry for gold, Maria MALANINA of Russia. She showed no mercy, by winning in straight games. It was MALANINA’s first defeat in Italy and she clinched second position. DIACONU’S teammate Andrea CLAPA is third, followed by Julia KAIM of Germany, Tin Tin HO of England, Anastasia KOLISH of Russia, Cristina DUMITRACHE of Italy, Lisa LUNG of Belgium, Karoline MISCHEK of Austria and Jennie WOLF of Germany. DUMITRACHE is ranked only at position no. 22 in Europe and came in terni as host nation representative with the wild card. With victories over KOLISH, LUNG and MISCHEK she exceeded the expectations.
Clean sheet for SZOCS, DIACONU and MALANINA
Leonardo MUTTI was not at the very top yesterday, but today he delighted home crowd with three victories today. Italian youngster emerged at the top of the standings in Junior Boys’ category at the Europe Top – 10 in Terni after six rounds of play. , Leonardo MUTTI was not at the very top yesterday, but today he delighted home crowd with three victories today. Italian youngster emerged at the top of the standings in Junior Boys’ category at the Europe Top – 10 in Terni after six rounds of play. On the second day of the tournament MUTTI Overcame Sam WALKER of England, David REITSPIES of Czech Republic and Can AKUZZU of France. Alexandre ROBINOT of France beat Filip ZELJKO of Croatia, Joao GERALDO of Portugal, but after defeat against MUTTI he moved down to spot no. two. Jakub DYJAS of Poland is third. Bernadett SZOCS of Romania has not felt the bitterness of defeat in Terni yet. Three rounds before the end of the tournament young champion, winner of the Top 10 in 2009, 2010 and 2012 is unbeaten this year. Today she overcame Laura PFEFFER of France, Theresa KRAFT of Germany and Giorgia PICCOLIN of Italy. At position no. two in Junior Girls category is Nina MITTELHAM of Germany. Princess of Ostrava European championships earlier this year overcame PFEFFER and Lea RAKOVAC of Croatia but lost against Bernadett BALINT of Romania. Alina ARLOUSKAYA of Belarus is third followed by BALINT and RAKOVAC. At 7 PM tomorrow SZOCS will play against MITTELHAM and that is only one of few very interesting duels we will see. In Cadet Boys Category, comparing previous day, we have new no. one at the standings. Darko JORGIC of Slovenia, quarterfinalist from the singles Event in Ostrava holds the top. Today he overcame Joe SEYFRIED of France and Tomas POLANSKY of Czech Republic, champion of Ostrava, after thrilling seven games duel. In Cadet Girls Category Adina DIACONU of Romania and Maria MALANINA of Russia are both undefeated after 6 rounds. DIACONU overcame Anastasi KOLISH of Russia, Lisa LUNG of Belgium and Karoline MISCHEK of Austria today, whilst MALANINA succeeded against LUNG, Andrea CLAPA of Romania and Cristina DUMITRACHE. Andrea CLAPA and Julia KAIM of Germany are both at position no. three. Unfortunately, two players were forced to withdraw due the injury. Lucas RIGAULT of France and Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia will not show up in the final standings, since they played less than five matches.
Top-10 favorites are warming up in Terni
At the end of day one at the 2013 Europe Top 10 in Italian City of Terni French Boys and Romanian girls has very good start as we already saw so many times before. After three rounds in Junior Boys’ category Alexandre ROBINOT of France is at the top, At the end of day one at the 2013 Europe Top 10 in Italian City of Terni French Boys and Romanian girls has very good start as we already saw so many times before. After three rounds in Junior Boys’ category Alexandre ROBINOT of France is at the top of the standings. Player who was placed at position no. three last year, had a good start today. ROBINOT beat Sam WALKER of England and compatriot Can AKKUZU, but suffered by the hands of David REISPIES of Czech Republic. David is second after another victory over WALKER. Best ranked player in this category, Poland’s Jakub DYJAS is at position no. 6 with only one defeat and victory over Leonardo MUTTI of Italy and Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia. Winner of Top 10 last year and European champion from 2010, MUTTI is seventh. In Junior Girls Category top seeded Bernadette SZOCS of Romania recorded three victories. Three times title holder at Top 10, SZOCS beat two compatriots, Bernadette BALINT and Irina CIOBANU as well as Alina ARLOUSKAYA of Belarus. European champion from Ostrava Nina MITTELHAM of Germany, also holds top position with three victories over Germany’s Theresa KRAFT, Croatia’s Mateja JEGER and Italian Giorgia PICCOLIN. KRAFT, ARLOUSKYA and Laura PFEFFER of France shared third position. Joe SEYFRIED of France left the hall unbeaten tonight, alongside European cadet champion Tomas POLANSKY of Czech Republic. Joe beat Alexandru MANOLE of Romania, Lucas RIGAULT of France and Nolan GIVONE of France. Tomas succeeded against Aliaksandr KHANIN of Belarus, Daniele PINTO of Italy and Andreas LEVENKO of Austria. Three players in cadet Girls category recorded all three victories. European champion Adina DIACONU of Romania beat Andrea CLAPA of Romania, Julia KAIM of Germany and Cristina DUMITRACHE of Italy. Maria MALANINA of Russia recorded victories over Anastasia KOLISH of Russia Karoline MISCHEK of Austria and KAIM. Tin Tin HO of England overcame Lisa LUNG of Belgium MISCHEK and DUMITRACHE.
New hard loss of Borussia at Chartres
Round 2 of Men`s European Champions League brought four out of five 3:0 wins and one of them is surprisingly hard Borussia`s loss at Chartres. The same victory belonged to reigning champion Orenburg at Biberach, UMMC at Saarbrucken and Pontoise at Eslov. , Round 2 of Men`s European Champions League brought four out of five 3:0 wins and one of them is surprisingly hard Borussia`s loss at Chartres. The same victory belonged to reigning champion Orenburg at Biberach, UMMC at Saarbrucken and Pontoise at Eslov. Werder Bremen took very important points playing away game against Hennebont. 2012/13 finalist Chartres is unique winning home team tonight. In the reprise of 2012/13 semis, Chartres AS TT again beat ten times European champion Borussia Dusseldorf, this time losing just three sets in Round 2 Group D. Last year at France, GAO Ning took two points with total set ratio 6:0 (against Timo BOLL and Patrick BAUM), but tonight he overcame Indian Kamal ACHANTA harder than he expected, playing five sets of opening encounter. After confident start (7:0, 11:3 in first set) Singaporean lost second 11:1. In third one he missed set ball (10:9, 10:12) as ACHANTA led 2:1 in sets. In next two sets world`s no. 17 managed to play his usual game and it was enough to provide the starting lead for Chartres. It was questions will six times European individual champion Timo BOLL play or not at Chartres, due to his injury at the beginning of the season. He decided to play and lost in four games from Par GERELL who was very concentrated in opening 32-points long set. German missed three set balls (last one he had on 15:14). Actual world`s no. 5 leveled in next set, but Swede took last two (in third 1:3, 6:3, 6:6, 9:6). Robert GARDOS concluded this clash, defeating two times European vice-champion Patrick BAUM in straight games. Austrian made decisive step in first set when he managed to recover after 5:1 lead of German. Guest also had 7:5 in second, but host answered with three consecutive points. Russian champion UMMC confirmed his big ambition in this season at Saarbrucken, where they lost just three sets against German side. These two teams played very exciting 2011/12 semis (SMIRNOV beat TOKIC in decisive game of rematch to secure final for UMMC), but tonight Saarbrucken had no chance to avoid the hard loss. Former European vice-champion TAN Ruiwu beat Slovenian Bojan TOKIC in opening clash, as UMMC`s newcomer Jun MIZUTANI did main job against Bastian STEGER in straight sets. German missed four set balls in total first, losing both long sets (16:14 first, 15:13 third). Tiago APOLONIA was twice one set up, but lost from Alexander SHIBAEV. In last, fifth set, Russian saved match ball (9:10, 12:10) to secure win for his side. Last season`s semi finalist AS Pontoise Cergy had successful trip to Sweden, beating Eslov in straight games. Eslov`s best player in first two rounds, Robert SVENSSON had close opening match against Marcos FREITAS, but Portuguese took crucial third set (14:12) and won in four games. Former Charleroi`s WANG Jian Jun had an easy job against Kasper STERNBERG, whilst Kristian KARLSSON secured victory for French side, defeating Mattias OVERSJO in five games Reigning champion Fakel Gazproma Orenburg showed his class at Biberach. Vladimir SAMSONOV & Company beat 2009 MECL finalists in superb style. “Mr. ECL” opened the game by confident win against Russian Kirill SKACHKOV, 2012 Olympic bronze medalist Dimitrij OVTCHAROV allowed to young Englishman Liam PITCHFORD just opening set, and, finally, the best no. 3 MECL player for years Alexey SMIRNOV overcame 2004 Olympic champion RYU Seung Min in four sets. Werder Bremen managed to recover after surprising loss from Walter Wels in Round 1 game at home. “The Greens” won away game at Hennebont, despite world`s no. 7 CHUANG Chih Yuan lost from Dmitrij PROKOPCOV in second match. CHEH Chien-An and Andrian CRISAN met in first very exciting encounter. After several upside-downs Romanian won fifth set 11:0! CIOTI brought new lead for Werder defeating promising ROBINOT in four sets. CHEH lost in straight games from CHUANG who saved two set balls in third set. It was last chance for Hennebont. GROUP A Ochsenhausen – Orenburg 0:3 Kirill SKACHKOV – Vladimir SAMSONOV 0:3 (7:11, 7:11, 8:11) Liam PITCHFORD – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV 1:3 (11:9, 6:11, 10:12, 7:11) RYU Seung Min – Alexey SMIRNOV 1:3 (9:11, 11:5, 7:11, 12:14) GROUP B Eslov AI – AS Pontoise Cergy 0:3 Robert SVENSSON – Marcos FREITAS 1:3 (8:11, 11:9, 12:14, 5:11) Kasper STERNBERG – WANG Jian Jun 0:3 (6:11, 5:11, 8:11) Mattias OVERSJO – Kristian KARLSSON 2:3 (11:4, 5:11, 10:12, 11:6, 2:11) Saarbrucken – UMMC 0:3 Bojan TOKIC – TAN Ruiwu 1:3 (7:11, 11:1, 9:11, 9:11) Bastian STEGER – Jun MIZUTANI 0:3 (14:16, 3:11, 13:15) Tiago APOLONIA – Alexander SHIBAEV 2:3 (11:6, 4:11, 13:11, 5:11, 9:11) GROUP C Hennebont – Werder Bremen 1:3 CHEH Chien-An – Adrian CRISAN 2:3 (14:16, 11:7, 11:7, 6:11, 0:11) Dmitrij PROKOPCOV – CHUANG Chih Yuan 3:2 (11:8, 11:7, 1:11, 8:11, 12:10) Quentin ROBINOT – Constantin CIOTI 2:3 (11:9, 6:11, 6:11, 11:7, 6:11) CHEH Chien-An – CHUANG Chih Yuan 0:3 (7:11, 4:11, 12:14) GROUP D Chartres – Borussia 3:0 GAO Ning – Kamal ACHANTA 3:2 (11:3, 1:11, 10:12, 11:8, 11:6) Par GERELL – Timo BOLL 3:1 (17:15, 7:11, 11:7, 11:8) Robert GARDOS – Patrick BAUM 3:0 (12:10, 11:9, 11:8)
