For a first time 1 FC Saarbrücken TT clinched the title in the Champions League Men. They halted Borussia Düsseldorf in the final and denied them of winning seventh title. In the re-run of the ultimate stage of the last completed season two German clubs switched roles. It took five grueling duels and golden match to decide the winner. The medals were presented by ETTU Acting President Pedro MOURA. The “regular” second leg of the final ended in favor of 1 FC Saarbrücken TT. Guests recovered from being 1:2 in reverse to win the match. In the opening duel QIU Dang proved that he did not lose the steam from the Friday’s 3:2 win. He overcame Darko Jorgic in four games. Anton KÄLLBERG proceeded with the same power and with 1:0 and 2:0 in second match Borussia Düsseldorf was in driving seat. However Patrick FRANZISKA had different plans. He managed to recover; Patrick levelled before eventually won the second match by death point. Kay STUMPER beat Takuya JIN to give advantage to hosts once again before Patrick FRANZISKA won his second duel tonight against QIU. In last duel JORGIC was in control and he beat KÄLLBERG to push to the golden match. In the golden match QIU Dang opened the duel with the game against Takuya JIN. Without due alarm he won it but it was reverse scenario for Anton KÄLLBERG and Kay STUMPER. Patrick FRANZISKA beat Anton for a second time tonight and JORGIC justified his rankings against STUMPER. “The whole team is very proud of this victory. We lost the opening match but we came here believing in ourselves and our team. This is the huge success for the whole club and the whole Region. The match could not been closer. It took a lot of courage and luck to win such close match. It is hard to talk now but I hope in day or two we will realize how huge victory we achieved ” said Patrick FRANZISKA. JORGIC also was struggling to find the words. “After four and the half hours of thrilling matches it is hard to find the words. We lost at home 2:3 but we kept believing that we could win. We showed amazing performance already in Saarbrücken three days ago but Borussia Düsseldorf was too strong then. Today I had a good start but then Dang proved once again how strong he is especially mentally. He played with so many variations. He played superbly also against Patrick but FRANZISKA showed why he is the captain of this team and he led us to the victory. He won all his duels today.” said JORGIC. Tactics prevailed in golden match. “We knew Dang will play first game and that is why JIN was the starter for Saarbrücken. Last time he beat Dang but tonight he did not created much chances. FRANZISKA was at the top of his game and he did not make any mistake. Against STUMPER at the end I played with little bit more spin very bravely to finish the match ” added JORGIC.”This is our first title in Champions League and we looking forward next challenges.” Tonight the team will celebrate. “This was amazing final. We were fighting like crazy. It was unbelievable atmosphere with so many spectators and this is unbelievable result ” said Saarbrücken spokesman Nicolas BARRIOS. Borussia Düsseldorf’s headcoach Danny HEISTER stated: “The sticking point today was the three match balls we had. If one of them had been put on the table we would be here differently now. It was a very close game. It’s nice to see that Kay delivered very well. Unfortunately Dang gave away the three match balls and Anton was always close. He improved a bit after the game in Saarbrücken but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. Of course it is bitter when you lose but life goes on. We gave it our all.” Borussia Düsseldorf – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 2:3 QIU Dang – Darko JORGIC 3:1 (9:11 11:9 11:7 11:7) Anton KÄLLBERG – Patrick FRANZISKA 2:3 (11:8 11:9 7:11 8:11 5:6) Kay STUMPER – Takuya JIN 3:0 (11:6 11:9 11:9) QIU Dang – Patrick FRANZISKA 2:3 (9:11 8:11 11:8 12:10 5:6) Anton KÄLLBERG – Darko JORGIC 1:3 (9:11 6:11 11:6 11:13) Golden match Borussia Düsseldorf – 1. FC Saarbrücken 1:2 QIU Dang – Takuya JIN 11:7 Anton KÄLLBERG – Patrick FRANZISKA 6:11 Kay STUMPER – Darko JORGIC 9:11
ASD Quattro Mori Cagliari SH won the opening leg of the final
In the Final of the Europe Cup Women ASD Quattro Mori Cagliari overcome SH ITB Budaörsi Sport Club and secured opening leg victory. Georgina POTA gave guests two points but Italian side proved they have stronger team. Both Andreea DRAGOMAN and Tania Maria PLAIAN lost to POTA but they both accounted for Helga DARI. Edem OFFIONG beat Maria FAZEKAS to give club from Cagliari third point. “I am so proud of my team and for the result that we have reached this night. Even if we had some difficulties we managed to win in the end. I am also very happy for my game I played unbelievable matches with strong players and now we are focusing to win also in Hungary. We will do our best to win this final ” promised Tania PLAIAN. ASD Quattro Mori Cagliari- SH ITB Budaörsi Sport Club 3:2 Andreea DRAGOMAN – Adel Helga DARI 3:1 (10:12 13:11 11:4 11:8) Tania Maria PLAIAN – Georgina POTA 3:0 (11:9 11:5 11:8) Edem OFFIONG – Maria FAZEKAS 0:3 (6:11 6:11 8:11) Andreea DRAGOMAN – Georgina POTA 1:3 (12:10 8:11 8:11 7:11) Tania Maria PLAIAN- Adel Helga DARI 3:0 (11:8 11:9 11:2)
Second Italian Supercup in a row for Apuania Carrara
The Men’s Italian Supercup was a very tough challenge. In the Villa Dante gym the Italian champions Top Spin Messina WatchesTogether and the winners of the Italian Cup of Apuania Carrara fought on an equal footing. In the end the Tuscans prevailed 5-3 (the rewards were presented by the federal vice president Paolo PUGLISI) and they raised the trophy for the second time in a row equalling their opponents’ record (they won in 2019 and 2020). “We are very happy with this victory ” coach Claudio VOLPI explained “which came at the end of a very exciting challenge. The matches between us and Top Spin Messina are always close and this time the result could have been different. It’s hard to win and it doesn’t take much to lose. Even a little luck is important. There have been many ups and downs on both sides and you always have to pay attention to the details which are crucial to win. GACINA scored three points but the matches against MONTEIRO and Matteo MUTTI were on the razor’s edge. The games often started in one way and then took a different turn. PUCAR and BOBOCICA lost to Matteo despite having been ahead for a long time in the games and Tomislav in the last match suffered the comeback of RECH DALDOSSO and in the fifth game had to recover and prevailed narrowly. Top Spin was a point short of going to the ninth singles. It was really a great battle”. TABLE 1 Leonardo MUTTI – Andrej GACINA 1-3 (6-11 6-11 14-12 9-11) Matteo MUTTI – Tomislav PUCAR 3-1 (11-9 6-11 12-10 12-10) Leonardo MUTTI – Tomislav PUCAR 0-3 (8-11 9-11 7-11) Marco RECH DALDOSSO- Tomislav PUCAR 2-3 (8-11 5-11 12-10 11-4 5-6) TABLE 2 João MONTEIRO – Mihai BOBOCICA 3-0 (11-7 11-8 14-12) João MONTEIRO – Andrej GACINA 1-3 (15-17 11-8 8-11 6-11) Matteo MUTTI – Mihai BOBOCICA 3-1 (13-11 11-9 6-11 13-11) Matteo MUTTI – Andrej GACINA 0-3 (8-11 9-11 9-11)
K.S. Dekorglass Dzialdowo won the opening leg in Europe Cup final
Today’s five matches duel between Poland’s K.S. Dekorglass Dzialdowo and GV Hennebont ended in favor of hosts. Polish side prevailed in the opening leg of the Europe Cup final. Second leg will be played on Tuesday. Jakub DYJAS gave his club perfect start with the straight games win over CHUANG Chih-Yuan. However Kristian KARLSSON was equally effective and he beat Jonathan GROTH to level the match. Swede also prevailed against DYJAS in forth match but he was only to score for GV Hennebont TT. Kaii KONISHI beat Ioannis SGOUROPOULOS and in the last match GROTH accounted for CHUANG. “We are very happy that we managed to win this opening leg in front of our spectators. We showed today how strong we are as a team. We fought hard for each point. Only in that way we can beat club like Hennebont. The coach’s strategy was equally important. He gave us right advices at right moment. We are aware it will be very difficult to play against Hennebont in France and to repeat the success. We have only few days to prepare for second leg ” said DYJAS Dekorglass won the European Cup for the first time in 2018 and now they have a chance to add a second trophy to the collection. “We know that we have the opportunity to do something above average in table tennis. Getting to the final is a great result but the goal is a fantastic result which is trophy – summed up coach Michał DZIUBAŃSKI. K.S. Dekorglass Dzialdowo – GV Hennebont TT 3:2 Jakub DYJAS – CHUANG Chih-Yuan 3:0 (11:3 11:6 11:3) Jonathan GROTH – Kristian KARLSSON 0:3 (7:11 10:12 4:11) Kaii KONISHI – Ioannis SGOUROPOULOS 3:0 (12:10 11:6 12;10) Jakub DYJAS – Kristian KARLSSON 2:3 (11:4 11:13 11:7 6:11 5:6) Jonathan GROTH – CHUANG Chih-Yuan 3:1 (11:6 11:13 12:10 11:7)
Borussia Düsseldorf won first battle against 1. FC Saarbrücken TT
Borussia Düsseldorf overcame 1. FC Saarbrücken TT in the opening leg of the Champions League Men in away match in Joachim Deckarm Halle. In full five matches thriller the hero of the duel was QIU Dang who overcame both Darko JORGIC and Patrick FRANZISKA. Dang won two titles at the German Championships last weekend and he stayed in same rhythm tonight. With safe 3:0 win over JORGIC World’s no. 9 gave dream start to guests and he justified his rankings by beating FRANZISKA in the decisive match. Both FRANZISKA and JORGIC accounted for Anton KÄLLBERG but Cedric NUYTINCK could not find the game for Kay STUMPER. The guests went home with great advantage before the Monday’s second leg in Düsseldorf’s ARAG CenterCourt. “In was very intense match. Luckily we had a better end. It could have gone both ways. Both teams gave their best. It is always very difficult to play against Saarbrücken. They have amazing players and I am happy we managed to get through. Now we are tired but we will be ready for the second match on Monday ” said QIU. Coach Danny HEISTER commented: “We are happy to win and to do it in front of so many spectators and Borussia’s fans. Four matches went in three games but the last one was my time classic with 19:21 at the end. We saw strong performance from Dang and Kay but Anton did not have his day today. Nothing is over yet. We have to justified this on Monday.” It was not easy for Darko to talk after the match. “ It was great atmosphere. So many people came tonight and that meant a lot to us. It helped us to come back each time when we were down but at the end Düsseldorf was better. We pushed the match into the decider and that was the best we could do tonight. Dang played superbly. He opened the duel in big style and avenged his defeat in Top 16 Cup. Patrick leveled and won 3:0 despite he was down in each game. Cedric failed to find the right rhythm. Kay did not make easy mistakes. Anton was under great pressure. I am happy I managed to come back and to beat him after I suffered 0:3 in the opening match. In the last match Dang had 2:0 and 4:0. Patrick managed to come back but not for long. Dang was very strong tonight. However this is not the end. We are at the halfway and there is still a chance to clinch the first ever trophy in Champions League ” said Darko JORGIC. Timo BOLL was unavailable tonight due to persistent shoulder problems which recently led to the cancellation of the WTT Smash tournament in Singapore. This is the third year in the row that Borussia Düsseldorf meet 1. FC Saarbrücken TT in the final and in two previous occasion Borussia Düsseldorf won. FC Saarbrücken TT – Borussia Düsseldorf 2:3 Darko JORGIC – QIU Dang 0:3 (7:11 5:11 8:11) Patrick FRANZISKA – Anton KÄLLBERG 3:0 (11:8 12:10 11:7) Cedric NUYTINCK – Kay STUMPER 0:3 (7:11 4:11 9:11) Darko JORGIC – Anton KÄLLBERG 3:0 (11:7 11:8 13:11) Patrick FRANZISKA – QIU Dang 1:3 (10:12 1:11 11:5 19:21)
Brunetti Castel Goffredo clinched the title in Italian Supercup for a fifth time
There is always the same team on the throne of the Women’s Italian Supercup. In their home of PalaTennistavolo “Elia Mazzi” Brunetti Castel Goffredo raised the trophy for the fifth time in as many editions of the event after beating 5-3 Polisportiva Bagnolese Panino LAB. Deputy vice-president of Italian Table Tennis Federation Carlo BORELLA presented the awards. The match was played at two table in best of nine singles. At the end of the first six matches the result was in perfect balance. At table 1 Bagnolese dominated thanks to Romania’s Roxana ISTRATE who defeated Taipei’s CHEN Szu-Yu and to Canada’s ZHANG Mo who overcame Nicole ARLIA and CHEN while at table 2 Castel Goffredo was carried away by Romania’s Bernadette SZOCS who accounted for TIAN Jing and the compatriot ISTRATE and by ARLIA who forced TIAN Jing to surrender. The fourth round of matches marked the turning point with two thrilling endings. In both Bagnolese was leading 1-0 and then 2-1 with ZHANG over SZOCS and with ISTRATE over ARLIA but the two players of Castel Goffredo came back and triumphed in the fifth and decisive set on the distance of the six point with “sudden death” at 5-5. “It went well for us ” said coach Alfonso LAGHEZZA who led the team together with Robert STAMENKOVSKI” It was one of those times when Bagnolese put us in serious trouble. Bernadette has confirmed to be a champion and in Europe there are not many players who are able to beat her. However she also had her problems because Zhang played really well. Nicole won two points and lost against Zhang perhaps playing better than against ISRATE. In the last match she showed mental strength. Unfortunately Chen did not manage to play at her best level. We are happy to win this Supercup after Italian Cup. Now we are going to focus on the championship playoffs”. TABLE 1 CHEN Szu-Yu – Roxana ISTRATE 1-3 (11-9 9-11 6-11 9-11) Nicole ARLIA – ZHANG Mo 1-3 (10-12 11-7 7-11 8-11) CHEN Szu-Yu – ZHANG Mo 1-3 (11-4 11-13 7-11 10-12) Bernadette SZOCS – ZHANG Mo 3-2 (9-11 11-8 10-12 11-6 6-3) TABLE 2 Bernadette SZOCS – TIAN Jing 3-0 (11-4 11-5 11-9) Bernadette SZOCS – Roxana ISTRATE 3-0 (11-6 11-7 11-9) Nicole ARLIA – TIAN Jing 3-1 (11-9 11-7 12-14 13-11) Nicole ARLIA – Roxana ISTRATE 3-2 (7-11 11-9 7-11 11-7 6-3)
KTS Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg in fast lane
In the opening leg of the European Champions league final Poland’s KTS Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg overcame Metz TT in France. They needed only three matches to secure the win. Reigning champions represented by HAN Ying YANG Xiaoxin and YU Fu overcame Adina DIACONU Mariia TAILAKOVA and Pauline CHASSELIN. It was only Mariia TAILAKOVA who put extra pressure on YANG Xiaoxin and forced her to go full distance. Metz TT – KTS Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg 0:3 Adina DIACONU – HAN Ying 0:3 (7:11 9:11 6:11) Mariia TAILAKOVA – YANG Xiaoxin 2:3 (6:11 11;8 11:13 5:6) Pauline CHASSELIN – YU Fu 0:3 (5:11 13:15 4:11)
ETTU letter to member Associations – National Leagues clash with the European Team Championships Stage 2
Luxembourg 30th March 2023 To the ETTU Member Associations Subject: National Leagues clash with the European Team Championships Stage 2 Dear European table tennis friends We hope this letter finds you well and healthy. We reach out to you as we noted that some national Associations scheduled their national league matches on the same period as the European Team Championships Stage 2. As more Associations are concerned by this issue we address our letter to all our Member Associations. ETTU urges its member Associations to avoid clashing in general with European Championships or other major competitions but stressing the imminent need for European Championships Stage 2 which will be qualification to the European Championships Final Stage which will be qualification for the 2024 Team World Championships which will be qualification for 2024 Olympic Games. National team players should be free of obligation to compete in the period 1 day before until 1 day after European Championships Stage 2 (4-8.5.2023). On behalf of the European Table Tennis Union we thank you for your understanding and co-operation. ETTU Acting President Pedro Moura ETTU Secretary GeneralPierre Kass
The Hennebont Ping Center has launched the application process for joining its Academy
Hennebont Ping Center which is identified as an “ETTU network training center ” and later this year will be hosting an ETTU u-15/u-17 Development Camp from 10th till 16th December has launched the application process for joining its Academy a 10 months training program open to athletes from 11 to 18 years old starting in September 2023. Located in the west part of France close to the Atlantic Ocean coast the Academy benefits from unique infrastructures in Europe thanks to the Hennebont Ping Center (30 tables in training set up fitness and medical center…) and its dedicated accommodation center of 32 rooms. Based on 20 years of expertise from the French professional club of Hennebont each athlete is followed academically and sportingly by a team of specialists (doctor physiotherapist podiatrist physical trainer…) all through an individualized program leaded by Adrian CRISAN officiating as Head of Performance. Under the motto “Excellence for all” the training group will be composed by 35 players starting from intermediate players to top youth athletes such as Iulian CHIRITA (ROM). Academy members have the opportunity to compete mostly every WE in the French Championship for individual and team events. When entering the Academy 2 schooling options are available: keep following your own national education program by taking e-learning courses or joining the French school system thanks to our partnership with renowned private schools. Being part of this Academy alongside more than 15 different nationalities offer a unique multicultural environment. This diversity is a wonderful opportunity for children to discover new languages to enrich themselves culturally and to open up to the world. For more info please visit https://pingcenter-gvhtt.com/en/academy or contact Nicolas PETIT Head of International Development to npetit.gvhtt@gmail.com. You can watch video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLq1g4lTH98é
27 teams confirmed for Malmo after European Championships First stage
The European Championships Stage one concluded last night. The list of 13 Men’s and 14 Women’s teams qualified for the Final stage in Malmo (from 10th to 17th September) is completed as well as the list of teams which will play in Stage 2 in Osijek between 5th and 7th May. In Men’s European Championships final will play: Germany as a reigning champion Sweden as a host as well as Belgium Denmark France Austria Croatia Czechia Romania Portugal England Slovakia and Slovenia. The list of Women’s European Championships final starts with the reigning champion Germany host Sweden and goes on with Romania Portugal France Luxembourg Hungary Czechia Slovakia Serbia Ukraine Slovenia Poland and Spain. For the 11 tickets for Malmo in Men’s Event in Osijek will play: Poland Serbia Spain Italy and Ukraine as the teams finished at the position 3 in A Groups. Winners and runners up qualified for Second stage are: Greece Netherlands Turkey Finland Hungary Luxembourg Lithuania Norway Estonia Montenegro Switzerland and Israel. In Women’s Event 14 teams will play for 10 positions in Malmo. Coming from A groups are: Turkiye Italy Netherlands and Austria. From B will play: Croatia Belgium England Greece Bulgaria Finland Israel Estonia Wales and Lithuania.
