Ying HAN of Germany and Alexis LEBRUN of France claimed the titles at the 2025 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux, emerging victorious after two thrilling finals. HAN overcame Romania’s Elizabeta SAMARA in the women’s event, while LEBRUN dethroned Slovenia’s Darko JORGIC in the men’s final. This victory marks HAN’s third title at the prestigious event, while LEBRUN secured his first. In the women’s event, semifinalists were Germany’s Xiaona SHAN and Sabine WINTER. In the men’s competition, Truls MOREGARD of Sweden and Patrick FRANZISKA of Germany were halted at the penultimate stage. FINAL Alexis LEBRUN of France – Darko JORGIC of Slovenia 3-1 (11-8, 10-12, 11-9, 11-9) Alexis LEBRUN ended Darko JORGIC’s impressive reign after three consecutive titles, though the Slovenian champion didn’t give up his crown easily. In a fiercely contested match, both players pushed each other to the limit, showing the very best of table tennis to a fully packed Omnisports venue in Montreux. For his victory, alongside the silver trophy, LEBRUN received a standing ovation from the 1,800-strong crowd, who celebrated his triumph by singing La Marseillaise after the match. “Playing against Darko in Montreux is incredibly tough. He has delivered outstanding performances here year after year, so I knew I had to beat the king,” LEBRUN said after the match. “I had a tough draw, but I played a great tournament, and I’m really happy I succeeded.” The final was packed with electrifying rallies and lightning-fast exchanges, keeping spectators on the edge of their seats. “His service was exceptional today. He also managed to block my topspin on several occasions, forcing me to adjust my positioning and forehand placement to break through his defense,” LEBRUN explained. Reflecting on his journey in Montreux, LEBRUN acknowledged the tournament’s challenges: “It’s not easy to maintain the same level throughout. There are no easy rounds here—you face the best in every match. Winning one game is tough, but winning four in a row is incredibly hard. I managed it once at the European Championships in Linz, and now I’ve done it again here. I’m so happy.” Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania – Ying HAN of Germany 2-3 (6-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 4-11) Ying HAN retained her unbeaten status in Montreux, capturing the crown after a breathtaking final in the women’s event against Elizabeta SAMARA. HAN, who was unable to defend her title in 2024 (from 2022 and 2023) due to a torn Achilles tendon, made a remarkable comeback at the 2025 edition. The world-class defensive specialist returned to Montreux in outstanding form, marking her return to competition after a one-year hiatus with a truly dominant performance. After impressive victories over Portugal’s Fu YU and Jieni SHAO, HAN carried her confidence into the semifinals, where she defeated fellow German Sabine WINTER. In the final, she faced a fierce challenge from SAMARA. The first two games went in HAN’s favor, showing her trademark defensive brilliance. However, SAMARA remained patient and fought back, leveling the match at 2-2 with her relentless attacks. In the decisive fifth game, HAN withstood the pressure, demonstrating her resilience and sealing the victory in spectacular style. Overjoyed after her victory, HAN reflected: “It was an incredibly tough match. SAMARA kept getting better and played very cleverly tactically. I attacked well early on, but in the third and fourth games, she turned that into her own points. I tried to stay calm and focus more on my defense—and it worked. Now, I’m just overjoyed.” SEMIFINALS Xiaona SHAN of Germany – Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania 1-3 (11-9, 10-12, 8-11, 3-11) Elizabeta SAMARA’s 15th appearance at the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup turned out to be her most successful yet. After securing third place in 2018, the Romanian star surpassed her previous best and reached the final today. Xiaona SHAN, who impressively defeated top seed Bernadette SZOCS in the previous round, struggled to find answers against SAMARA’s sharp and consistent play. “It’s always difficult to play against Nana. She’s strong against left-handers, but I remember the last match we played—she was leading 7-0, but I still managed to win. Last year at the WTT Champions, I was down 0-2 and trailing 6-10 in the fifth game, but I came back to win 13-11. That’s why I expected a long match today, and I wasn’t shaken after losing the opening game. I was leading most of that game, so I still felt in control,” SAMARA explained. “I’m really happy with my performance. Honestly, when I arrived here, my main goal was just to avoid losing in the opening round and take it match by match. Everyone wants to win here, but I don’t feel any extra pressure,” she added. Despite defeat Xiaona SHAN maintained high spirits. “That was a big opportunity for me in the second game. The missed serve cost me the 2-0 lead and probably the entire match. But I also have to admit that SAMARA played very well today, using a lot of clever tempo changes that caused me problems. On the bright side, I take home third place and, more importantly, the realization that after my long injury, I was finally able to play a really strong tournament again.” Ying HAN of Germany – Sabine WINTER of Germany 3-1 (8-11, 11-4, 11-7, 11-9) The duel between two German player went according to seedings. Ying HAN halted Sabine WINTER’s brave run from the qualifications to book her place in the final. “I just wanted to enjoy the match and the atmosphere today, no matter the outcome. Winning, of course, makes it even better. But Sabine also played a very strong tournament,” stated Ying HAN. Sabine WINTER said: “I usually perform well against defensive players, so I believed I had a good chance today. But Ying played exceptionally well and adjusted her tactics compared to our previous encounters. In the end, it was a good tournament for me. It also confirmed that my decision to try the anti-topspin rubber wasn’t completely wrong—though I still have a lot to learn.

At the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup, on the final day of play in Montreux, three German players have secured spots in the women’s semifinals. Xiaona SHAN will face Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania, while Ying HAN is set to take on fellow German Sabine WINTER. In the men’s category, the competition is just as fierce. Patrick FRANZISKA of Germany will face Alexis LEBRUN of France, while Darko JORGIC of Slovenia will clash with Truls MOREGAARD of Sweden for a place in the final. In addition to securing a place in the semifinals, all players have also booked their tickets to Macao today. The semifinalists in both events have qualified for the World Cup, which will be held from 14th to 22nd May. You can follow the live stream and results at ETTU TV and the ETTU website. Pictures are available here on Flickr. Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania – Linda BERGSTRÖM of Sweden 3-1 (11-13, 12-10, 11-2, 11-8) Elizabeta SAMARA reached the semifinals of the 2025 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup by overcoming Linda BERGSTRÖM. In her 15th appearance, the Romanian, seeded 5th, who had her best result in 2018 (third place), delivered a superb performance to defeat the 12th-seeded Swede. “I knew I had chances against Linda. The last time we met was in December last year, and I had a 2-0 lead in games, then 6-1 in the third. At 2-1, I had a 7-2 lead and everything was under control, but somehow I lost my focus and lost that Champions League match. Here, I felt a bit of a scare when I led 10-6 in the opening game, and then she won it. I didn’t want to lose my focus again and repeat that mistake. Linda was undoubtedly playing well, especially tactically, and it’s a different thing when it’s a team match versus a tournament where you’re on your own at the table,” said SAMARA. Elizabeta explained what also worked in her favor: “For me, this best-of-five system works just fine. You have to show your best from the beginning. There’s no time for being 0-2 or 0-3 down if you still want to stay in the match. It’s also more exciting for the audience. I didn’t want to put pressure on myself before the start, I just wanted to enjoy the game. Of course, when I saw the draw, I knew I had good chances, even better after Linda beat Nina MITTELHAM, but from now on, I’ll enjoy it even more in the semifinals.” Ying HAN of Germany – Jieni SHAO of Portugal 3-0 (11-7, 11-4, 11-6) Ying HAN dominated in her duel against Jieni SHAO. The German player had been long injured and is playing in Montreux with a protected ranking, but it seems that HAN is fully recovered and in great shape now. “I’m absolutely thrilled to be in the semifinals. The draw was quite favorable for me. My opponent generally plays well against defensive players, but she struggles to bring her qualities to the table consistently over an entire match. Now, I’m looking forward to the semifinals. I’ll calmly watch Sabine WINTER’s match against POLCANOVA and keep my fingers crossed for my national teammate,” said HAN. Alexis LEBRUN of France – Dang QIU of Germany 3-0 (13-11, 12-10, 11-7) The crowd favorite in Montreux, Alexis LEBRUN, beat Dang QIU in a tight match. The game was much closer than the 3-0 result suggests, and for sure, Alexis gave spectators great joy and excitement. “I have had many matches recently with Dang, and each one was difficult. The result today does not reflect the game. It wasn’t an easy 3-0. It could have been 3-2, or 3-0 for him. So I am very happy with my performance. This game shows an evolution in my game because I was able to reverse the score against a top player. I’m not used to that,” explained LEBRUN. The opening two games were on a knife’s edge; it could have gone either way. “Sometimes it turns well, sometimes not. I made good decisions at the right times. I won important points, tactical points. I’m very happy because I managed my game well, and it paid off in the end.” Alexis stressed that the support from the crowd made a big impact. “We are not in France, but I’m still playing at home. That’s great. I hope it will be the same tomorrow.” Asked about potentially meeting Félix in the semifinals, he joked, “I will go and watch his game to analyze him… because I don’t know him very well. Obviously, I’m his number 1 fan. If we both stand on the podium, it would be amazing. The winner of this game will qualify for the final. I hope I will be the winner. Reaching the semifinals is great, but I’m here to win the title. There are still four games to win, two big games.” QIU regretted his actions in the second game, where QIU was 6-0 up before losing 10-12. “Even though I didn’t make any really easy mistakes, I should have won that set. There’s absolutely no excuse. That cost me the match,” said QIU. Jonathan GROTH of Denmark – Darko JORGIC of Slovenia 1-3 (8-11, 4-11, 11-9, 5-11) Reigning champion Darko JORGIC seemed less worried than yesterday. A back injury kept him out of the training hall for almost three weeks, and after a shaky start yesterday against Eduardo IONESCU, his performance was much better today as he overcame Jonathan GROTH. “I’m happy that I reached the semifinals; it was the first goal. At least it takes some pressure off me. However, I am still true to my tradition. I always start the tournament with great difficulties, but later everything falls into place,” explained JORGIC. Darko continued to talk about the match: “From the first ball today, I was the old Darko, the one who attacks and plays aggressively. In the third game, I lost a little bit of focus. I played more passively, and

Day two of the 2025 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux brought the highly anticipated Round of 16 matches. You can follow the live stream and results at ETTU TV and the ETTU website. Pictures are available here on Flickr. Jonathan GROTH – Andres LIND 3-1 (12-10, 14-12, 11-13, 11-2) For anyone struggling to wake up, the fierce action from the very beginning of the day was sure to shake them awake. In the all-Danish clash in the opening game, Jonathan GROTH, seeded 12th, overcame Anders LIND, the 8th seed. LIND had three match points at 10-7 in the opening game before eventually losing 10-12. The tight, point-by-point battle continued throughout the second game, with GROTH keeping his nerves steadier in the tense finish. In a powerful exchange of rallies, the match entered the third game with LIND managing to convert his advantage and narrow the gap to 1-2. “It’s always very difficult to play against your friend and teammate. I wasn’t 100 percent comfortable. In the opening game, I was down 10-7 before I won it. I didn’t start very well. In the second game, I played better, led, had many game points, and somehow won it. He also had some service mistakes, which helped. It’s always tough against him – he has a very tricky service game. He risks a lot, and sometimes those risks lead to mistakes on his serve. In the third game, it was up and down. I led 3-0, but then he came back, and I did too. On match point, I had a high ball, and maybe I hesitated a bit. However, I lost that game, but the most important thing was I came back strong in the fourth. As I said, we know each other very well, and I think playing in this venue is not always easy. It’s fast and spinny, but as the match progressed, we both started to play some good rallies. I’m happy to win, but I would have preferred to win against someone else,” explained GROTH. Marcos FREITAS – Andrej GACINA 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-4) Marcos FREITAS overcame Andrej GACINA in a less dramatic fashion. The Portuguese player defeated his doubles partner, with whom he won the gold medal at the European Championships in Gdansk, Sopot, in 2011. “It was a good match, and I’m very pleased with my performance. In the last two international events, In Qatar in January, I didn’t play very well. I struggled to get into the match, so I’m happy with how I played here. GACINA is a good player. We’re friends and know each other very well. We won the European Championships in doubles some years ago. It’s always a tricky game because he knows my game, and I know his. I’m also aware of his strong service. However, I can be satisfied with the level of my consistency today. In the end, I kept putting more balls on the table and played it safe. I did not miss many balls. On the other hand, he was not as comfortable. It was our first match, so it took some time for him to adjust. My service and receive game were good, and that was important,” said FREITAS. Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania – Georgina POTA of Hungary 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-6) In superb style, Eliza SAMARA defeated Georgina POTA without losing a single game. “I was very well prepared for this match. I was confident with my serve and knew exactly where the ball would land. I controlled the match and forced POTA to change her approach in the end. She had to do that because I didn’t give her many options. I was everywhere on the table. I don’t remember the last time I felt this good at the start of a match. Usually, I get into the match more slowly, but I’m glad it happened this way here in Montreux. With this format of best-of-five games, there’s no time for a slow start. If you’re 0-2 down, it’s very hard to come back,” said SAMARA. Fu YU of Portugal – Ying HAN of Germany 0-3 (6-11, 12-14, 4-11) Ying HAN was at the top of her game against Fu Yu. After a long break due to injury, HAN returned to the European scene on 14th February to help the reigning champions, KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL Tarnobrzeg from Poland, secure their place in the Women’s Champions League semifinals.“After the victory, I felt a huge sense of relief that everything went well. I was really nervous before the match. There were a couple of her short balls, where I had to rush forward, and I thought, ‘Oh dear…’ But once I managed to reach those balls, I gained more confidence, and then everything just flowed. I’m really happy about the win and about being part of the Europe Top 16,” said HAN. Darko JORGIC of Slovenia – Eduaro IONESCU of Romania 3-2 (18-20, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 11-6) Two clubmates from 1. FC Saarbrücken TT, Darko JORGIC and Eduaro IONESCU, pushed each other to their limits in an intense clash from the very beginning. The reigning champion faced a great challenge on his way to setting an absolute record with four consecutive titles at the Top 16. Coming back from a back injury didn’t help JORGIC, although the Slovenian player is no stranger to drama in the opening rounds of the event in previous years. “I had a problem with my back muscle two weeks before the Top 16 and all the important upcoming tournaments. I didn’t train for those two weeks, and you can tell from my performance. I did not feel the table nor the balls. My body is not in the right shape, but I hope it will get better. The physio is doing his job well, and I believe my body will be ready for the challenges,” explained JORGIC. Speaking about his clash with IONESCU, Darko added: “For me, it’s always difficult to play the opening matches in

After a full day of qualification matches, all spots were filled in Montreux, and the draw for the Round of 16 at the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup was held at the Omnisports Montreux. On Friday, the Round of 16 matches will be played for both men and women. Saturday is reserved for the Quarterfinals for both categories, and Sunday for the Semifinals and finals of the men’s and women’s singles.

The lineup for the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup Round of 16 is complete. On the opening day of the competition in Montreux, after two wins in the qualification stage, Solomiya BRATEYKO of Ukraine, Sabine WINTER of Germany, her compatriot Benedikt DUDA, and Daniel HABESOHN of Austria secured their places in the main draw. On her debut in Montreux, 20-year-old BRATEYKO reached the main draw after wins over Giorgia PICCOLIN of Italy and Ivana MALOBABIC of Croatia. “I was so nervous before my match. Firstly, when I saw the draw, I thought I had to win the opening match and play well… and then I was mentally prepared for the clash against Xia Lian NI. But then Giorgia won, and my chances rose. Unfortunately, even that didn’t help me; I was so stressed. I wanted to get into the main draw, and now I am so happy,” said BRATEYKO. HABESOHN overcame Joao GERALDO of Portugal in the second round, having previously beaten Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia. Both matches saw the momentum swing back and forth in dramatic turns. “It cost me some years of life, matches like this,” said HABESOHN, laughing. “After the GERALDO match, it was quite strange, especially in the last game. I was up 5-1 and had the game completely under control in the fifth. Then, I started to play a little bit passively, and he seized the opportunity and didn’t miss. I realized my mistake.” Recording eight points in a row or losing it, you can never predict Daniel’s game. “My game is generally very risky. I am very focused on the balls, and I am trying to make sure it will work. In these two matches, I managed to hit more than I missed. Against Joao, I had a good tactic in the decisive game. At 7-7, I switched to my backhand serve, and it was perfect because he misread it twice, so I got direct points.” In 2019, HABESOHN had his best result in Montreux. In the semifinals, he lost to Timo BOLL after prevailing against Simon GAUZY and Marcos FREITAS. Sabine WINTER inflicted pain on the host nation supporters by beating Rachel MORET of Switzerland. “This was my first international match since switching to the anti-topspin rubber, and I was very satisfied with it. Today, you could see how different matches with the anti can be, depending on the opponent,” said WINTER. Runner-up at the European Championships in Linz last year, Benedikt DUDA overcame Liam PITCHFORD to secure his place among the top 16 players tomorrow. “This was a solid performance from me. It was my first international match against him ever—we had only played once in the Bundesliga a few years ago. But I handled him well in the serve-and-return game and am very satisfied with my performance. Now I have reached my first milestone, and from here, we’ll take it one round at a time.” See the pictures here. Match for the place in the Top 16

After six years, Rachel MORET of Switzerland finally rewarded herself with the long-awaited victory at the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup. There have always been no adversaries who could underestimate Rachel, but when it came to the final step, the Swiss player was often on the wrong side of the result. Today, in the opening stage of the qualifications, MORET, ranked No. 39 in Europe, overcame Hana MATELOVA of Czechia, who is ranked No. 16, after a thrilling five-game match that went back and forth. “Three times I lost 3-4, I had match ball against Sofia POLCANOVA…I was so close so many times,” reflected MORET, who had faced POLCANOVA of Austria four times, had a match ball once, and also lost to Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania and Nina MITTELHAM. However, MORET has never gone down without a great fight, and all players know how competitive she is. “I am so happy. It was important for me to win one match here after so many tries. I was so nervous as we approached the end. The whole duel went up and down. It was 1-2, 2-7 for MATELOVA in the fourth game, then in the decisive game, I was up 9-5 before Hana leveled. It was so stressful,” said MORET. Hana MATELOVA of Czechia – Rachel MORET of Switzerland 2-3 (13-15, 11-8, 11-9, 8-11, 9-11)

The CCB Europe Top 16 Cup commenced today in Montreux, nestled on the shores of the serene Lake Geneva, a picturesque town that captures the essence of Swiss beauty. This year’s edition of the tournament is extended to include qualification rounds, which took place today. Eight players are fighting for the two positions in the main draw, which will begin tomorrow. In the morning session, the highest-ranked players in the qualification rounds, Xia Lian NI of Luxembourg and Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia, faced early exits. In the Women’s event, Giorgia PICCOLIN of Italy triumphed over NI. PICCOLIN played a flawless game and maintained her focus while handling NI’s constant changes in tactics and rhythm. Despite a momentary lapse in focus that cost her the second game, PICCOLIN regained control and secured the win. In the Men’s event, Daniel HABESOHN overcame PUCAR. HABESOHN was down 4-8 but fought back to beat PUCAR 11-9 in the decisive game, once again highlighting his unpredictability. The opening round of the qualifications See the pictures here.