In a thrilling display of skill and determination Andreea DRAGOMAN of Romania and Joao GERALDO of Portugal pulled off remarkable upsets in the opening Round of the 2023 ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals in Durban. DRAGOMAN defeated CHEN Szu-Yu of Taipei in a straight games while GERALDO emerged victorious over Liam PITCHFORD of England in a thrilling seven-game battle. Facing heavy odds Andreea DRAGOMAN ranked No. 86 showcased her immense talent and tenacity against the favored CHEN Szu-Yu ranked No. 29. Despite trailing early in the match DRAGOMAN mounted an impressive comeback in the first game eventually securing a game on the scoreboard. Maintaining her momentum the 22-year-old Romanian never relinquished control and closed out the match in style winning in straight games (13-11 12-10 11-2 11-6). Her dominant performance was marked by her ability to control the receive game winning 50% of Chen’s serves while also winning over 65% of her own serves. This significant difference in service effectiveness allowed Dragoman to claim victory amassing 47 points to Chen’s 29. With this extraordinary win Andreea DRAGOMAN now looks ahead to the next round where she will face Ozge YILMAZ in the round of 64. A victory in this match would equal her impressive performance in 2021 where she caused an upset by defeating Petrissa SOLJA en route to the round of 32. Meanwhile in another enthralling match Joao GERALDO secured a stunning upset victory over World No. 23 Liam PITCHFORD. PITCHFORD who reached the Men’s Singles round of 16 at the 2021 World Championships Finals aimed to surpass his previous performance in Durban. However Geraldo had different plans delivering a nail-biting contest that ended with a 4-3 scoreline in his favor (12-10 6-11 11-9 7-11 11-5 5-11 13-11). Right from the outset both players fought tooth and nail for the upper hand. GERALDO gained the early advantage saving a game point at 9-10 to claim the first game. PITCHFORD swiftly responded with a composed display in the second game. However luck seemed to evade PITCHFORD in the third game as he failed to capitalize on a 6-9 lead allowing GERALDO to regain control. The tense battle continued with neither player able to establish a significant advantage leading to a thrilling deciding seventh game. Deep into the seventh game PITCHFORD held a slim 8-9 lead and required just two more points for victory. However GERALDO summoned the energy for a final surge and clinched a dramatic 13-11 win sealing his place in the last 64 and leaving PITCHFORD disappointed with his day’s performance.

The highly anticipated ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals 2023 has commenced marking a historic moment as the tournament returns to African soil after 84 years. Over the next week Durban amidst its vibrant soul and culture becomes the stage for showcasing table tennis excellence and igniting excitement among players fans and organizers. To mark the beginning of this highly anticipated event a spectacular opening ceremony was on display in the presence of ITTF President Petra SÖRLING South African Table Tennis Board President Joe CARRIM and the Premier of the KwaZulu-Natal Province Nomusa DUBE-NCUBE with vibrant dance acrobatic performances stunning costumes celebrating the heritage and diversity of the city. The official theme song of the World Championships “Durban is the place to be ” was also unveiled with a live performance by Kyle DESAI and King LICIOUS setting the tone for the tournament. President SÖRLING said in her opening speech “Africa boasts the youngest population among continents and it is increasingly important to empower the younger generation to shape the future of sports. Starting right here celebrating the diversity of Durban.” “It has not always been this way. While in 1956 the ITTF recognized the non-discriminatory South African Table Tennis Board as the governing body in South Africa paving the way for other sports organizations to take similar initiatives the South African Table Tennis Board could not send teams to any international events for decades. Today I am immensely proud to open the World Championships in South Africa.” The event started with a symbolic African duel as South Africa’s youngest player Dean LEVY faced Senegal’s Ibrahima DIAW setting the stage for the Men’s Singles round of 128 signifying the triumphant return of the World Championships to Africa. In the Women’s Singles at 49 years old Olufunke OSHONAIKE a mother of two and the oldest African player in the tournament expressed her joy in participating in this unique event. She shared “Hosting this event in a beautiful African city is a source of happiness. I congratulate the achievements of fellow Africans like Omar Assar and Quadri Aruna and I hope the women players excel as well!” Held at the Durban International Convention Centre from 20 to 28 May the World Championships will not only exhibit thrilling matches but also provide an exciting fan experience. Spectators and the people of Durban will have the opportunity to actively participate in table tennis themselves with many tables spread around the venue to engage in casual matches with family and friends.

The draw for the ITTF World Table Tennis Championships Finals Durban 2023 took place yesterday marking a historic moment as the event returns to African soil for the first time in 84 years. The stage is set for an extraordinary tournament showcasing the best table tennis talents from around the globe and cementing the growth of the sport in Africa. The draw held at the Coastlands Musgrave Hotel unveiled the paths that 128 players in Men’s and Women’s singles along with 64 pairs in each of the doubles categories will navigate in their pursuit of glory. The straight knockout format also promises exciting match ups from the opening day on 20 May till 28 May. For the Men’s singles there could an early rematch of the 2021 final as defending champion FAN Zhendong of China and Truls MOREGARD of Sweden were seeded in the same side of the draw. Continental hopes for Africa will rest on top players Quadri Aruna (NGR) and Omar Assad (EGY). Best ranked European player in Women’s singles Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria could meet Europe’s no. 2 HAN Ying of Germany in the Round of 16. Full draw you can see here

A total of seven men and women players will represent the Czechia at the World Individual Championship in South Africa which is three more than the previous Championship in Houston two years ago. The coaches for the team are Josef PLACHÝ and XU Kai. In the singles category Lubomír JANČAŘÍK Tomáš POLANSKÝ Hana MATELOVÁ and Kateřina TOMANOVSKÁ have secured their spots in the competition. Additionally there will be four doubles pairs competing. In the men’s doubles Pavel ŠIRUČEK will partner with Jiří MARTINKO who will be making his first appearance at the World Championship. Tomáš POLANSKÝ will team up with Slovenian player Darko JORGIC. In the women’s doubles the experienced duo of Hana MATELOVÁ and Barbora BALÁŽOVÁ of Slovakia will participate along with Kateřina TOMANOVSKÁ and Zdena BLAŠKOVÁ. Zdena BLAŠKOVÁ is the second newcomer from the Czechia team to compete in the World Championship.

The Polish men’s and women’s table tennis teams have concluded their preparations for the Individual World Championships which will take place in Durban South Africa from May 20th to 28th. Seven Polish table tennis players (three female and four male) will compete in the tournament. In recent days the Polish female players trained at the PZTS Training Center in Gdansk with Natalia BAJOR preparing individually while the male players had a joint camp with the Croatian team. After their victory in Osijek in the European Championship playoff tournament the Polish team spent a few days in Zagreb. In the coming days the national team members will continue training at their respective clubs and on Wednesday May 17th they will fly via Dubai to Durban South Africa. Natalia BAJOR competed in the World Table Tennis series there earlier this year. Seven Polish players secured their spots in the Individual World Championships based on their world rankings. In the singles events Natalia BAJOR Anna WĘGRZYN Jakub DYJAS and Maciej KUBIK will represent Poland. In doubles the Polish pairs are: Anna WĘGRZYN/Katarzyna WĘGRZYN Jakub DYJAS/Cedric NUYTINCK (Belgium) and Maciej KUBIK/Samuel KULCZYCKI. In mixed doubles Samuel KULCZYCKI/Katarzyna WĘGRZYN and Marek BADOWSKI/Natalia BAJOR will represent Poland. Katarzyna WĘGRZYN Samuel KULCZYCKI and Maciej KUBIK will make their debuts in the senior Individual World Championships.

The 2023 Individual World Table Tennis Championships are scheduled to take place in Durban South Africa from May 20th to 28th. Supported by national team coaches and staff nine Romanian athletes will represent Romania in this major competition competing in the singles and doubles events for both men and women. In the previous edition held in Houston United States the women’s doubles pair of Elizabeta SAMARA and Andreea DRAGOMAN finished in fifth place narrowly missing out on a medal after the quarterfinal match. The most recent medal for Romania was achieved by Ovidiu IONESCU who became the vice-world champion in the men’s doubles event in Budapest in 2019 partnering with Spain’s Alvaro ROBLES. The Romanian delegation :     Men’s Singles: Ovidiu IONESCU Eduard IONESCU Cristian PLETEA Rares SIPOS     Women’s Singles: Bernadette SZOCS Elizabeta SAMARA Adina DIACONU Andreea DRAGOMAN     Men’s Doubles: Ovidiu IONESCU/Alvaro ROBLES (Spain) Darius MOVILEANU/Eduard IONESCU     Women’s Doubles: Bernadette SZOCS/Sofia POLCANOVA (Austria) Andreea DRAGOMAN/Elizabeta SAMARA Adina DIACONU/Maria XIAO (Spain)     Mixed Doubles: Ovidiu IONESCU/Bernadette SZOCS Cristian PLETEA/Adina DIACONU     Coaches: Viorel FILIMON Mihaela STEFF Andrei FILIMON Ionut SENI     Physiotherapists: Adrian MÎRZA Petruț GHIȚĂ     Psychologist: Mioara ȘINCAN     Doctor: Costin DUMITRU The trip to South Africa is preceded by a training period and preparation at a training camp held from May 11th to 17th at the Romsilva Complex in Bucharest. During this time the athletes and their partners along with the coaches and staff members will finalize the last details before the 2023 Individual World Table Tennis Championships in Durban.

From May 20th to May 28th 2023 all eyes will be on Durban South Africa for the Table Tennis World Championships. It’s a major competition where 10 French players will fearlessly strive to shine. The French team selection has been revealed. After the 2021 edition held in Houston where France achieved good results: quarter-finals in Mixed Doubles for Emmanuel LEBESSON and Jianan YUAN round of 16 for YUAN and round of 32 for CASSIN GAUZY and LEBESSON 10 French players will travel to Durban to participate in the 2023 World Championships. Among the delegation for 2023 five young players will be making their debut in the senior Individual World Championships. Accompanied by the technical and medical staff including coaches Patrick CHILA Nathanaël MOLIN Aurélien PUEL and Ludovic RÉMY a unified French delegation arrives in Durban with great enthusiasm to continue their progress building on their early-year results. This is highlighted by the National Technical Director Jean-Nicolas BARELIER who stated “With only 14 months until the Paris Olympics our delegation is determined to leave a mark on the international table tennis scene continue our rise in the world rankings (with four players in the top 40 including two in the top 20) and who knows perhaps achieve something extraordinary!” Following individualized preparations the female players regrouped at INSEP while the male players gathered in Ochsenhausen Germany. The players will depart for Durban on May 17th to begin the competition between May 20th and 23rd depending on the draw. Team France Singles Camille LUTZ Charlotte LUTZ Prithika PAVADE Jianan YUAN and Audrey ZARIF Can AKKUZU Simon GAUZY Alexis LEBRUN and Félix LEBRUN Doubles Camille LUT Prithika PAVADE Charlotte LUTZ Audrey ZARIF Can AKKUZU Emmanuel LEBESSON Alexis LEBRUN Félix LEBRUN Mixed Doubles Simon Gauzy Prithika PAVADE Emmanuel LEBESSON Jianan YUAN