On the third day of play at the 2023 European Games in Krakow follow the matches of Round of 16 in Singles Men’s and Women’s Events as well as semi final clashes in mixed Doubles event. For the contesters in mixed doubles the importance of this event is even greater – the winners will book the place for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden (6) – Marcos FREITAS of Portugal (18) 3-4 (11-7 11-6 11-13 6-11 11-5 8-11 9-11) The conclusion of the morning session in Krakow brought an unforgettable clash – a true jewel among the experienced contenders. In a nail-biting battle it was Marcos FREITAS who secured a spot in the quarterfinals. “I had a very bad start. It’s hard to explain what happened but the truth is we know each other very well and we have even played together on the same team in France. He caught me by surprise. In the beginning I wasn’t able to keep the game short and low since the ball was bouncing high. Basically the first two games went by very quickly ” explained FREITAS. Even the third game began poorly for FREITAS. “I knew I had to take the third game so I called for a time-out when Kristian had a 9-8 advantage. I thought it was the last moment to stay in the match because if I had lost it I wouldn’t be able to make a comeback. Winning four games in a row against KARLSSON would be extremely difficult. I had to take a risk but I made it to 2-2. Then Kristian changed his tactics a bit; he started playing aggressively on the backhand. That secured him the fifth game but mentally I stayed focused ” explained Marcos. Then the pendulum swung for the last time. “I had a lot of ups and downs in the match; overall he won more points than me. However I showed a better game in close finishes and I had self-confidence that pushed me forward even when I was two games down. I am very happy with this victory ” said Marcos. In the quarterfinals Marcos will face JORGIC. “I lost against him on two previous occasions 2-3 in Macao and in the Champions League. He is very confident here; he plays very well in Germany and at tournaments… but despite him being the favorite I think it will be an open game.” HAN Ying of Germany (1) – Linda BERGSTROM of Sweden (13) 4-2 (8-11 11-5 8-11 11-9 11-3 11-3) Top-seeded HAN Ying overcame a very difficult hurdle on her way to the quarterfinals facing Linda BERGSTRÖM. “It’s good that I won. I expected it to be a tough game. BERGSTRÖM improves every time we play and against players with a defensive style of play it’s generally a 50-50 game for me. I felt like I was playing a bit better than her but she hit everything in the first game – topspins and shots – it was very difficult for me. In the third game I made a comeback after being down 0-4 but then I made some stupid mistakes. In the fourth set even after leading 9-3 it got close again ” explained HAN. Robert GARDOS of Austria (15) – Darko JORGIC of Slovenia (4) 2-4 (2-11 9-11 14-12 12-10 7-11 10-12) Robert GARDOS once again proved that he is capable of overcoming almost any difficult situation. Although he lost to Darko JORGIC he made JORGIC work hard for the victory. “I lost both games in which I had a 10-6 lead. You can never count GARDOS out when you play against him. I won the opening game easily before Robert increased the pressure. In the third and fourth games he made a comeback and won the games in which I had game points. I could feel that he really wanted to win this and he played very strongly. He has been in such big matches so many times and his vast experience is hard to deny. That’s why I had to force myself to calm down and be more cautious in the finishing stages ” said JORGIC. YU Fu of Portugal (7) – Prithika PAVADE of France (17) (4-2 11-6 8-11 11-4 7-11 11-6 12-10) YU Fu faced off against Prithika PAVADE in the Championship League and lost their encounter. However this time in Krakow Portugal’s star took control of the match. “PAVADE is very dangerous in the first two balls after the service and her service game was very good. However in dangerous situations I opted for longer rallies to solve the problem ” explained YU. Anders LIND of Denmark (seed no. 15) – Felix LEBRUN of France (8) 2-4 (11-13 10-12 11-6 7-11 14-12 5-11) The duel between Felix LEBRUN and Anders LIND was a closely contested match that ended in favor of the French player after a shaky start. “We both struggled with receiving the service in the opening games of the match. That’s why the first two games ended with a narrow margin. I managed to improve in the later stages of the match. The good thing is that we both had problems with receiving so I wasn’t worried that much ” said LEBRUN. “I had never played against LIND before but I watched him at the World Championships and I also studied some of his recorded matches so I expected a tough duel.” Hana MATELOVA of Czechia (11) – Bernadette SZOCS of Romania (6) 2-4 (9-11 10-12 11-8 12-10 3-11 13-15) Hana MATELOVA managed to put Bernadette SZOCS under pressure but the Romanian player remained calm and ended the close match in her favor. Her ability to change tactics and vary her game pushed her forward to the quarterfinals. “It was a very close duel but I did not lose my head in difficult situations. I remained calm despite the great pressure Hana put me under. That made the difference in the decisive moments of the match. When

Christian IBENFELDT will be a busy man during the European Veterans Championships in Sandefjord this week. As host of the tournament he will hold receptions and meetings from morning to night and welcome international leaders such as the ITTF President Petra SORLING and the Acting ETTU President Pedro Miguel MOURA. The Norwegian Table Tennis President is eager to show European table tennis players leaders and fans the best Norwegian TTA has to offer. He has worked very hard to bring about a tournament of high quality with corresponding social events. Saying that the Norwegian TT President is still a very good table tennis player so good in fact that he is the favourite to win the men’s doubles 45 years with Turkish friend Murat ERIS. Earlier this year at the Veterans World Championships in Oman the pair made it to the finals. IBENFELDT also has a silver medal from the European Veterans Championships in the Swedish town of Helsingborg in 2017 with former teammate Eric DURAND from France. Nothing would be sweeter for the hard-working left-handed player than to conclude with a gold medal when he finally has the chance to play a championship on home ground. IBENFELDT started his career in his hometown of Bergen which was the stronghold of Norwegian table tennis for decades. After many podium finishes in the National Youth Championship he made it to the national team and moved to Montpellier France to take the next step of his table tennis career. In Montpellier he teamd up with the aforementioned DURAND and also the father to the now famous LEBRUN-brothers. Back in Norway he got more involved in the administrative side of table tennis and in 2017 he was elected President of the Norwegian Table Tennis Association a position he has been reelected to twice without opposition. The President still plays and became National Champion in doubles just a few years ago. This season with his Norwegian club Laksevåg he won the Stiga League (first tier) in Norway for the ninth time.

The top seed in the Round of 32 in the Men’s Singles event QIU Dang of Germany was in the fast lane in his opening encounter at the European Games in Krakow. QIU prevailed against Paul DRINKHALL of England in straight games (9 7 8 9). “The opener is always difficult no matter who it is against. Paul is a familiar opponent for everyone. He can play at a beastly level although he didn’t reach that today. I was able to impose my game on him and I am very happy with the result. It was important that I won the fourth game and saved some energy. I didn’t come into this match 100 percent fresh. The long bus rides to the hall took a toll on my energy and I have the added burden of singles and mixed events. But I have to live with that ” said QIU. In the clash between the young star Alexis LEBRUN and experienced Greek Panagiotis GIONIS the French player prevailed 4-2 (5 -8 6 -9 4 8). “I enjoy playing against players with a defensive style but GIONIS put me to a severe test. It was a difficult match. I had to vary the pace of the game and make tactical adjustments to find the right approach ” explained LEBRUN. In the Round of 16 LEBRUN will play against Dane Jonathan GROTH who overcame Lubomir JANCARIK of Czechia (10 -7 8 9 4). “We played against each other last time in Oman and he was injured then. I will have to study his game again ” said LEBRUN.c Another young star emerged successfully in the Round of 32. Romania’s Eduard IONESCU overcame Alvaro ROBLES of Spain (8 16 -10 7 10). “Finally! I made it this time. In Durban at the World Championships I was up 3-1 against Simon GAUZY and ended up losing 3-4. This time I managed to maintain my advantage. It also helped that my teammate Ovidiu is his doubles partner so I have many valuable matches to study ” said IONESCU. Eduard already played in the Preliminary round and defeated Serbia’s Szolt PETE. “It gave me self-confidence both the win itself and the opportunity to get a feel for the venue and the ball here. I adapted to the conditions which gave me an advantage ” said IONESCU who is the European champion in youth categories. “This is my best result in seniors. I am so happy.” In the Round of 32 Andrej GACINA beat Deni KOZUL of Slovenia in six games (-9 7 -9 7 2 9). “Since this is the opening match of the tournament for me I am satisfied. We both struggled with each other’s services but after 2-2 I changed the pace. I played a bit slower kept my patience to see where the service would go and it paid off ” said GACINA. Marcos FREITAS of Portugal overcame Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia (9 7 7 -7 -9 1). “Tomislav did not start well. I felt that he was not very confident with his game and I took advantage of it. His service game improved and the match became much closer. After he won the fourth and fifth games I talked with my coach and decided to play more aggressively. I took the sixth game in a furious style and I am proud of myself for elevating my game to the next level when it was most needed ” explained FREITAS.  

n the afternoon session at the European Games in Krakow we witnessed the departure of another favorite in the Women’s Singles event. No. 11 seed NI Xia Lian of Luxembourg lost to Prithika PAVADE of France in the Round of 32. The young French player defeated the experienced NI in six games (10 -8 10 -3 7 9). “She beat me at the European Championships 4:3 and even then it was a close match where I had a chance. That’s why I wanted to beat her so badly here. NI is an amazing player with so much experience. She has been in the game for a long time and I can learn so much from her ” said PAVADE. Surprisingly it was PAVADE who showed more patience in this match. “In the third game NI had the lead but I kept persisting. Then she called for a time-out and I thought that she is not as self-confident as she looks. It could be that she is under stress as well. So I took my chance and seized the opportunity ” explained PAVADE. Linda BERGSTROM of Sweden defeated Sabina SURJAN of Serbia (6 11 10 -6 10). “Each game was close but I put her under pressure. Sabina was forced to make difficult decisions ” said BERGSTROM. The last time they played against each other was a year ago in Bulgaria. “That is a very long period so I didn’t want to rely too much on that experience. You never know what she could have learned from that defeat.” Portugal’s YU Fu showed no mercy against Sofia ZHANG XU winning 4-0 (8 4 6 5). “For me it is always difficult to play the first match at the tournament and it had been a long time since I played against Sofia ” said YU. Romania’s Elizabeta SAMARA also concluded her Round of 32 duel in straight games defeating Zdena BLASKOVA 4-0 (4 8 7 7). “For me it is not easy to play against a player whom I have never played before. It was difficult to have such an adversary in the opening match. The good thing is that I feel very well I am in good shape and I am moving very well. So when my body listens to me I am happy ” said SAMARA.  

In the semifinal of the Mixed Doubles event at the European Games Krakow tomorrow will feature a match between QIU Dang and Nina MITTELHAM of Germany against Alvaro ROBLES and Maria XIAO of Spain. In another penultimate stage duel Nandor ECSEKI and Dora MADARASZ of Hungary will meet Ovidiu IONESCU and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania. The top-seeded pair Ovidiu IONESCU and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania defeated Robert GARDOS and Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria in four games (-12 7 3 4). “It was a very difficult match for me. Firstly we faced very dangerous opponents. It was a rematch of our semifinal duel at the European Championships. Secondly this match came just a few hours after my defeat in singles against Darko JORGIC. I won the opening game against Darko and had an advantage in the next one before he made a comeback. Unfortunately in mixed doubles we encountered a big problem right from the beginning. We lost the opening game by a close margin. Thankfully Bernadette and our coach knew how to handle this situation well. They helped me to regain focus and stay on the right path ” said IONESCU. SZOCS had no doubts about their victory even during the tough moments. “We lost the opening game but I felt that we were playing well. At no point did I think we could lose ” said SZOCS. Bernadette emphasized their strong partnership with IONESCU. “We have been playing together for a long time and I know how to reach and calm him in tough situations. Ovidiu is a very sensitive person so our friendship is a crucial part of our success. Last time we won silver in Minsk and now I hope for gold ” stated SZOCS. No. four seeds European mixed doubles champions from 2020 in Warsaw QIU Dang and Nina MITTELHAM proved too strong for Türkiye’s pair Ibrahim GÜNDÜZ and Sibel ALTNIKAYA 3-1 (-9 6 3 9). Nina MITTELHAM: “We started well in the first game and led 6:2. At 8:7 for us from our point of view GÜNDÜZ makes a serve on the wrong side I stopped playing but the referee didn’t see it. There was a discussion and afterwards I was very very angry. We lost the set unfortunately but then we managed to focus and play better won more rallies. I made a few simple mistakes at the beginning. It was important that we stayed calm and didn’t let the guy get to us. I’m glad we won the match.” Dang QIU: “On paper we were the clear favourites. In the first game there were a few arguments that cost us the game. We were actually well prepared and started well. In the last game we were 0:4 behind and still turned it around. I still know GÜNDÜZ’s very good serves from the European Championships in Munich. In the best-of-five mode everything happens very quickly. So we were already in the fifth set with one leg in between.” The second-seeded duo of Alvaro ROBLES and Maria XIAO of Spain managed to overcome Serbia’s Dimitrije LEVAJAC and Izabela LUPULESKU in a close five-game contest (-6 10 3 -9 7). “LEVAJAC and LUPULESKU played at their highest level until the very last point. It was not easy for us to find our rhythm against them. That’s why I believe the key to our success was maintaining a positive spirit after losing the opening game. We were in a difficult position in the first game and throughout the second but we never gave up. We stayed focused and fought for every ball ” said ROBLES. Nandor ECSEKI and Dora MADARASZ of Hungary defeated the 3rd-seeded pair Lubomir PISTEJ and Barbora BALAZOVA of Slovakia in straight games (7 5 8). “The match was much closer than the results predicted. It was our best performance since we teamed up together at the World Championships a year and a half ago ” said Nandor ECSEKI. MADARASZ added “I believe the key to our success was our ability to read their receiving game.” Nandor also mentioned that they learned from their victory over Samuel KULCZYCKI and Katarzyna WEGRZYN of Poland the previous day. “We were up by two games before they made a comeback to level the match. We managed to withstand their comeback but today we were determined not to let our opponents create a similar scenario. We remained focused and played our best on every point.”    

On the first day of the 2023 European Games spectators in Krakow and all across Europe witnessed an extraordinary match that resulted in a staggering total of 172 points. In a historic feat Mercedes NAGYVARADY of Hungary emerged victorious against Christina KÄLLBERG of Sweden with a thrilling 12-10 13-15 11-9 10-12 9-11 13-11 19-17 scoreline. Since the introduction of 11-point games this match is likely to be the longest ever recorded in terms of points played.

In Women’s Singles Event at the 2023 European games in Krakow top seeded HAN Yang of Germany moved to the Round of 16 without due alarm. In the Round of 32 match HAN prevailed against Italy’s Giorgia PICCOLIN 4-0 (2 3 1 7). “I am glad that I could play in the main hall now. The conditions in the training hall are completely different it’s even more humid than here. I am satisfied I played relatively relaxed. I manage to do that much more often than before. In past I was often very tense. I expect a defence-versus-defence match against Linda BERGSTRÖM in the round of 16. That’s not easy but I’m very confident.” No. 14 seed Natalia BAJOR made homecrowd proud by progressing to the Round of 16 after victory over Sarah DE NUTTE of Luxembourg 4-2 (9 7 -12 -3 6 7). After yesterday’s defeats in women’s and men’s singles as well as mixed double Natalia BAJOR remained the only Poland’s representative. “The fourth game lasted something like 2 minutes. It was hard for me to regain the focus and rhythm but I managed to come back and emerged victorious in the end. I work with psychologist on daily basis and knew how to come back” said BAJOR who will face European champion Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria in the next round. In the bottom half of the draw the second seed in Women’s Singles Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria also had a trouble-free match against the 33rd seed Aikaterini TOLIOU of Greece winning 4-0 (5 5 6 7). “It wasn’t as easy as the result might suggest but I managed to maintain my focus on the game. I hope to continue on the same positive path in the upcoming matches ” stated POLCANOVA. However not all matches went according to the seedings in the morning session. The 31st seed Solomiya BRATEYKO of Ukraine emerged victorious against the 15th seed Tatiana KUKULKOVA of Slovakia with a score of 4-1 (7 6 10 -7 7). “I was quite worried coming into this tournament. I couldn’t feel the ball or get used to the table. Everything felt strange to me. Fortunately everything fell into place after yesterday’s matches. I feel comfortable in this venue and I have adjusted well to the conditions. The two matches from yesterday a victory in singles over Charlotte CAREY and a defeat in mixed doubles helped me prepare for today’s match ” said BRATEYKO. BRATEYKO pointed out a few key moments in the match. “I expected a much tougher match. Her pimples are very dangerous and I am not very comfortable playing against her style. However everything went smoothly in the first three games. That’s why I started to get a bit worried that they came too easily. Consequently I lost the fourth game but managed to remain calm and focused on the next ball rather than the result ” explained BRATEYKO. One of the favorites who cruised through the Round of 32 was Bernadette SZOCS of Romania. She defeated Ana TOFANT of Slovenia 3-0 (6 7 7 7). “I came here with a positive mindset and the outcome of this match proves it. I hope to maintain this mentality because my aim is always to be at the top ” said SZOCS.

On the second day of play at the 2023 European Games Krakow big guns enter the stage in Hutnik Arena. The upsets commenced from the very first round of the competrition today. In the Round of 32 the morning session was highlighted by the departure of the 10th seed Joao GERALDO of Portugal. Geraldo was defeated by the 30th seed Cedric NUYTINCK of Belgium who managed to come back from a three-game deficit to win four consecutive games (-8 -10 -4 8 9 4 7). “In the first three games I struggled with my service and return game. It was only in the fourth game when I found my rhythm and managed to improve my service game. I also reduced my mistakes ” said NUYTINCK. In the next round NUYTINCK will face either Andrej GACINA of Croatia or Deni KOZUL of Slovenia. “We are at a stage where every opponent is very difficult to beat. The only certainty is that it will be a close match no matter who is on the other side of the net.” The first person to approach NUYTINCK to celebrate his victory was Dane Anders LIND. LIND defeated Yaroslav ZHMUDENKO of Ukraine 4-2 (-10 6 9 6 -10 8). “I lost the opening game very closely 10-12 but then I managed to settle into a rhythm. Actually in the fifth game I was on a good path to finish the match but in a very close contest Yaroslav won. I must praise his counter spin; it is one of the best I have ever played against. He really put me to the test ” explained LIND. Despite recent health issues he faced LIND emerged victorious in the Round of 32 match. “I came from the WTT Contender in Nigeria with a Salmonella infection. I had a fever of 40 degrees Celsius for one day and it remained at 39 degrees for the following three days. I also lost some weight. So physically I am far from being in good shape but mentally I am determined and that was the key to my success today ” added LIND. The fourth seed Darko JORGIC of Slovenia faced a challenging start against Ovidiu IONESCU of Romania but managed to come out victorious in six closely contested games each concluding with a narrow margin 4-2 (-8 10 10 -9 9 10). “It is always difficult for me to play against IONESCU. In the Champions League our matches are always closely contested. Since not having the rankings to match his quality we encountered each other too early in this tournament. It once again proved how tough it is to play against him. Ovidiu won the opening game and he had a 9-4 advantage in the second. I have to admit that I also made mistakes on two service points which gave him an extra advantage. However I managed to recover and win the second game which I believe was the key moment. Mentally it was challenging for him to overcome that ” explained JORGIC. The duel between the 22nd seed Liam PITCHFORD of England and the 26th seed Daniel HABESOHN ended in favor of the lower-ranked Austrian after a thrilling seven-game match (-6 8 -6 -10 8 5 5). “Although I lost the fourth set it was during that part of the match that I adjusted my tactics and began to build my game. I read his game and managed to find the answer to his parallel shots which he initially used to surprise me ” explained HABESOHN. Germany’s Dimitrij OVTCHAROV needed only four games to preaviled against Borgar HAUG of Norway (7 8 5 8). “I had already seen him a few times during training in Düsseldorf but didn’t really know him yet. That’s why I watched his preliminary round match against Bence MAJOROS yesterday on the livestream. He has a lot of quality in his serve and first ball a bit like Michael MAZE but of course he is still far away from his level as a young upcoming player. He played good balls at times but not consistently throughout the set. I myself played well and brought a good feeling for the game and competitive experience from Lagos. I feel good so far and I am happy with this win. I am cautiously assuming that I will meet Alvaro ROBLES in the next round. I have played him twice in the last few months. Once I won narrowly 4:2 at the Feeder Düsseldorf once 3:1 at the Contender in Aman. He always brings a lot back. You have to be really fit and concentrated. But if I bring my game I have to win the match.”  

The table tennis tournament at the European Games in Krakow commenced today at the Hutnik Arena. Alongside the preliminary rounds in singles the main draw for mixed doubles was also played. The opening round featuring the best of 16 pairs was not immune to upsets. The tenth-seeded Türkiye’s pair Ibrahim GÜNDÜZ and Sibel ALTNIKAYA defeated the sixth-seeded Swedish duo of Truls MOREGARD and Christina KALLBERG in a grueling five-game match (7 5 -3 -8 11). The quarterfinals will bring an even greater challenge for the Türkiye’s pairings. They will face the European mixed doubles champions from 2020 in Warsaw QIU Dang and Nina MITTELHAM of Germany. The German team overcame Luka MLADENOVIC and NI Xia Lian of Luxembourg in the Round of 16 (-6 4 9 7). The top-seeded pair Ovidiu IONESCU and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania also had to battle through a grueling five-game match to defeat Deni KOZUL and Katarina STRAZAR of Slovenia (7 5 -5 -9 4). In the next round they will face Robert GARDOS and Sofia POLCANOVA. The Austrian pair proved too strong for John OYEBODE and Gaia MONFARDINI of Italy (6 7 8). The second-seeded duo Alvaro ROBLES and Maria XIAO of Spain secured a 3-1 victory (-8 4 8 3) against Anton LIMONOV and Solomiya BRATENKO of Ukraine. In the quarterfinals they will meet Serbia’s Dimitrije LEVAJAC and Izabela LUPULESKU who defeated Tomas POLANSKY and Hana MATELOVA of Czechia in another closely contested match (1 -9 -9 9 2). The 3rd-seeded pair Lubomir PISTEJ and Barbora BALAZOVA of Slovakia emerged victorious against Liam PITCHFORD and Tin Tin HO of England (6 -5 5 8). In the next round they will play against Nandor ECSEKI and Dora MADARASZ. The Hungarian pair defeated Samuel KULCZYCKI and Katarzyna WEGRZYN of Poland (5 6 -7 -9 7).