One year after ending one of the most dominant recent reigns in the history of the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup, defending champion Alexis LEBRUN of France returns to Montreux with renewed confidence, greater experience, and the same hunger to compete at the very top. With the main draw commencing tomorrow, Europe’s elite once again gather for one of the season’s most prestigious stages. After reaching the semi-finals in 2024, the French star produced a breakthrough performance in 2025, defeating Darko JORGIC in the final to stop the Slovenian’s run of three consecutive titles and claim his first CCB Europe Top 16 Cup crown. Now, ahead of his third appearance at the iconic event from 5 to 8 February, he embraces the challenge of coming back as the player everyone wants to beat. “It always feels very nice to come back after winning a title. I am very happy to play again in Montreux and I hope I will have a great tournament this year,” said LEBRUN. The past twelve months have been a period of steady success. European champion in singles and doubles in 2024, he also added the team crown to his growing list of achievements. “A lot of things have happened, but I think I learned a lot during the last year. I tried to improve some aspects of my game, so I hope it will work.” That growth has been reflected in his recent results, but he remains cautious, aware that form can shift quickly at an event as intense as the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup. “I feel good, but every tournament is different, so I will try my best to make a good tournament.” Few events in European table tennis offer the same atmosphere as Montreux. The unique format, the full stands, and the proximity of the crowd create a pressure cooker that leaves no room for mistakes. “It’s always perfect conditions in a beautiful place with a full crowd, so it’s always a pleasure to play this tournament.” With only Europe’s elite invited, every round feels like a final. “It’s just the top European players, so of course it’s very strong. It’s very exciting to fight with so many strong players for the title and I will take a lot of pleasure.” Despite the growing expectations that follow him, the reigning champion remains focused on his own path, refusing to be distracted by labels or predictions. “I am just focused on myself and I want to continue my way.” That mindset also extends to his approach to the season ahead. “This tournament is one of the important ones in my season, so I will prepare and practice a lot to be able to play my best. It’s a special place for table tennis and for the Top 16, so I am very happy to play here.” As the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup returns, the story comes full circle. The champion is back, no longer the challenger, but the reference point. And once again, Europe will be watching. Men’s event In the Men’s event will play Truls MOREGARD of Sweden, Alexis LEBRUN of France, Felix LEBRUN of France, Darko JORGIC of Slovenia, Benedikt DUDA of Germany, Patrick FRANZISKA of Germany, Dang QIU of Germany, Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany, Anton KALLBERG of Sweden, Anders LIND of Denmark, Simon GAUZY of France, Jonathan GROTH of Denmark, Marcos FREITAS of Portugal, Eduard IONESCU of Romania. Qualification Stage – Men Alvaro ROBLES of Spain, Andrej GACINA of Croatia, Milosz REDZIMSKI of Poland, Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia, Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden, Daniel HABESOHN of Austria, Joao GERALDO of Portugal and Pedro OSIRO of Switzerland. Reserve players Iulian CHIRITA of Romania, Thibault PORET of France, Andre BERTELSMEIER of Germany, Martin ALLEGRO of Belgium, Adrien RASSENFOSSE of Belgium, Luka MLADENOVIC of Luxembourg, and Ovidiu IONESCU of Romania. Women’s event In the Women’s event will play Sabine WINTER of Germany, Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria, Bernadette SZOCS of Romania, Ying HAN of Germany, Jia Nan YUAN of France, Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania, Prithika PAVADE of France, Jieni SHAO of Portugal, Nina MITTELHAM of Germany, Linda BERGSTROM of Sweden, Fu YU of Portugal, Maria XIAO of Spain, Natalia BAJOR of Poland, Xiaona SHAN of Germany. Qualification Stage Anna HURSEY of Wales, Annett KAUFMANN of Germany, CharlotteLUTZ of France, Andreea DRAGOMAN of Romania, Izabela LUPULESKU of Serbia, Lea RAKOVAC of Croatia, Georgina POTA of Hungary, Rachel MORET of Switzerland. Reserve players Christina KALLBERG of Sweden, Giorgia PICCOLIN of Italy, Britt EERLAND of the Netherlands, Yuan WAN of Germany, Gaia MONFARDINI of Italy, Adina DIACONU of Romania, and Ivana MALOBABIC of Croatia.

The draw for the qualification stage of the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup was held today at the Omnisports venue in Montreux. On Thursday, eight players in both the Men’s and Women’s events will compete for the final two places available in the Round of 16. The qualification stage will be played over two rounds, with the winners of the second round securing their spots in the main draw.

The wait is over as Europe’s table tennis elite take to the tables from tomorrow, 5 to 8 February, at the prestigious CCB Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux, where the continent’s best athletes will battle for a total prize money of 125,000 euros. Ahead of the main draws, which begin on Friday with 16 women and 16 men, a qualification tournament will be held on Thursday, where the final two places in each field will be decided. The draw for the qualification takes place tonight at 19:00, while the Round of 16 pairings will be determined on Thursday at 20:00. The men’s event will see the return of Alexis LEBRUN, the reigning champion, who ended Darko JORGIC’s three-year reign last season. The French star arrives in Montreux full of confidence, joined by his brother Félix LEBRUN, who enters the tournament as the third seed and continues his steady rise among Europe’s elite. They will be challenged by a powerful German squad, led by Benedikt DUDA, Patrick FRANZISKA, Dang QIU and five-time winner Dimitrij OVTCHAROV, as well as by no. one seed Truls MÖREGÅRDH of Sweden, the Olympic silver medallist. In the women’s event, the spotlight is once again on Germany. Ying HAN, the reigning champion and three-time winner of the event, returns after her remarkable comeback season, while Sabine WINTER, seeded number one, arrives as one of the main favourites for the title. They are joined by Nina MITTELHAM, the 2021 champion, and Xiaona SHAN, bronze medallist in 2025. Among their toughest challengers are Jia Nan YUAN, 2024 winner, Bernadette SZÖCS, European Games champion and 2018 Top 16 winer, Sofia POLCANOVA, two-time European champion, and Elizabeta SAMARA, finalist of the previous edition. With only Europe’s best players invited and every match played in a knockout format, the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup remains one of the most demanding and prestigious individual events on the European calendar. In addition to prize money and ranking points, the stakes are even higher, as the semi-finalists will also secure direct qualification for the World Cup in Macau, to be held from 30 March to 5 April.

Felix LEBRUN will return to Montreux from 5 to 8 February as the third seed of the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup, aiming to build on his previous performances and take another step forward among Europe’s elite. The young French star finished fifth at the last edition, reaching the quarter-finals, and now sees that experience as an important milestone in his development. “For the moment my best result at the Europe Top 16 is the quarter-final, so I take these results as a boost to do better this year, learn from the experiences and hopefully have a great run this year.” Over the past months, LEBRUN feels his level has continued to rise, following an intense preparation period and a focused build-up towards Montreux. “Yes, I’m playing well lately. Since September my level has grown. We had a really intense five weeks of training before September and it helped my game improve in many aspects. We also prepared the Top 16 with two weeks of training camp, so I feel good and I hope my game will be ready for this weekend.” With only the top European players invited, the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup remains one of the most demanding events on the calendar, where every match is a battle from the very first round. “The Top 16 is really demanding because there are only the best players in Europe, so every round is tough to pass and each match has its own difficulties. I think now with the best-of-five format and three days it is a little less demanding than before with best-of-seven in two days, but it is still a tough and enjoyable tournament to play for sure.” Despite being one of the most talked-about young players in Europe, LEBRUN remains grounded and focused primarily on his own expectations. “I think expectations are high because I already put high expectations on myself. I don’t think so much about other people’s expectations because I know I always try my best and most of the time I have no regrets about my matches. If you lose, you just have to go back to practice and try to win next time.” Montreux holds a special place for the French players, with strong fan support and a unique atmosphere. “It gives extra motivation, especially because Montreux is close to France and a lot of French fans come to support us. My family is always here, and I really love playing this event in this city.” With ambition and confidence growing, Lebrun does not hide his desire to fight for the biggest titles. “It would be amazing to win a title like the Top 16. A lot of players are aiming for it and I will try to do my best to take the trophy at the end. My goal for 2026 is to continuously develop my game and have success in the big events like the World Championships, World Cup, Europe Top 16 and more.” Men’s event In the Men’s event will play Truls MOREGARD of Sweden, Alexis LEBRUN of France, Felix LEBRUN of France, Darko JORGIC of Slovenia, Benedikt DUDA of Germany, Patrick FRANZISKA of Germany, Dang QIU of Germany, Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany, Anton KALLBERG of Sweden, Anders LIND of Denmark, Simon GAUZY of France, Jonathan GROTH of Denmark, Marcos FREITAS of Portugal, Eduard IONESCU of Romania. Qualification Stage – Men Alvaro ROBLES of Spain, Andrej GACINA of Croatia, Milosz REDZIMSKI of Poland, Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia, Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden, Daniel HABESOHN of Austria, Joao GERALDO of Portugal and Pedro OSIRO of Switzerland. Reserve players Iulian CHIRITA of Romania, Thibault PORET of France, Andre BERTELSMEIER of Germany, Martin ALLEGRO of Belgium, Adrien RASSENFOSSE of Belgium, Luka MLADENOVIC of Luxembourg, and Ovidiu IONESCU of Romania. Women’s event In the Women’s event will play Sabine WINTER of Germany, Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria, Bernadette SZOCS of Romania, Ying HAN of Germany, Jia Nan YUAN of France, Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania, Prithika PAVADE of France, Jieni SHAO of Portugal, Nina MITTELHAM of Germany, Linda BERGSTROM of Sweden, Fu YU of Portugal, Maria XIAO of Spain, Natalia BAJOR of Poland, Xiaona SHAN of Germany. Qualification Stage Anna HURSEY of Wales, Annett KAUFMANN of Germany, CharlotteLUTZ of France, Andreea DRAGOMAN of Romania, Izabela LUPULESKU of Serbia, Lea RAKOVAC of Croatia, Georgina POTA of Hungary, Rachel MORET of Switzerland. Reserve players Christina KALLBERG of Sweden, Giorgia PICCOLIN of Italy, Britt EERLAND of the Netherlands, Yuan WAN of Germany, Gaia MONFARDINI of Italy, Adina DIACONU of Romania, and Ivana MALOBABIC of Croatia.

Germany will once again be strongly represented in the women’s event at the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux from 5 to 8 February, with an experienced group ready to challenge Europe’s best. Leading the German challenge is Ying HAN, the fourth seed and reigning champion, who returns to Montreux after a remarkable comeback. The world-class defensive specialist was unable to defend her titles in 2024 after winning three consecutive crowns in 2022 and 2023, due to a torn Achilles tendon. However, she returned in style at the 2025 edition, reclaiming the trophy and once again proving her class. “Of course, I would be happy to win the title for a fourth time. But I am going into the Europe Top 16 in a very relaxed way, will give my best round by round and simply enjoy the tournament. We are represented by five German players, and these four are also the most difficult opponents for me,” said Han. At the top of the field stands Sabine WINTER, the number one seed in Montreux and a player who has consistently delivered strong performances on the big stage. The 2026 edition marks WINTER’S fourth appearance at the Europe Top 16, and she arrives as one of the main contenders. “I would have liked to set winning the title as my goal. However, several muscular problems came together in recent weeks, which meant I was not able to train as much as I would have liked. My goal now is to be fit by the start of the tournament and to offer the fans top-level table tennis,” said WINTER. Also in the German squad is Nina MITTELHAM, the 2021 champion, who knows exactly what it takes to lift the trophy. With her style and big-match experience, MITTELHAM remains one of the most dangerous players in the field and a key part of Germany’s strong presence in Montreux. Germany’s main draw strength is further boosted by Xiaona SHAN, seeded 14th and making her third appearance in Montreux. Shan was a semi-finalist in 2025, alongside WINTER, and is once again determined to push deep into the tournament. “Winning the first round, the round of 16, is the most important thing. If I clear that hurdle, it might be possible to go even further. I will fight for every ball so that I have nothing to reproach myself for in the end,” said SHAN. Germany will also be represented in the qualification stage by Annett KAUFMANN, one of Europe’s most promising young talents, who will be aiming to earn her place in the main draw. “I am really looking forward to the tournament and will take it step by step. My first goal is to make it out of the qualification. In the main draw, a lot will then depend on the draw, some players suit me better than others,” said KAUFMANN. With WINTER, HAN, MITTELHAM and SHAN in the main draw and KAUFMANN in the qualification phase, Germany once again fields the strongest national contingents in Montreux. Men’s event In the Men’s event will play Truls MOREGARD of Sweden, Alexis LEBRUN of France, Felix LEBRUN of France, Darko JORGIC of Slovenia, Benedikt DUDA of Germany, Patrick FRANZISKA of Germany, Dang QIU of Germany, Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany, Anton KALLBERG of Sweden, Anders LIND of Denmark, Simon GAUZY of France, Jonathan GROTH of Denmark, Marcos FREITAS of Portugal, Eduard IONESCU of Romania. Qualification Stage – Men Alvaro ROBLES of Spain, Andrej GACINA of Croatia, Milosz REDZIMSKI of Poland, Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia, Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden, Daniel HABESOHN of Austria, Joao GERALDO of Portugal and Pedro OSIRO of Switzerland. Reserve players Iulian CHIRITA of Romania, Thibault PORET of France, Andre BERTELSMEIER of Germany, Martin ALLEGRO of Belgium, Adrien RASSENFOSSE of Belgium, Luka MLADENOVIC of Luxembourg, and Ovidiu IONESCU of Romania. Women’s event In the Women’s event will play Sabine WINTER of Germany, Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria, Bernadette SZOCS of Romania, Ying HAN of Germany, Jia Nan YUAN of France, Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania, Prithika PAVADE of France, Jieni SHAO of Portugal, Nina MITTELHAM of Germany, Linda BERGSTROM of Sweden, Fu YU of Portugal, Maria XIAO of Spain, Natalia BAJOR of Poland, Xiaona SHAN of Germany. Qualification Stage Anna HURSEY of Wales, Annett KAUFMANN of Germany, CharlotteLUTZ of France, Andreea DRAGOMAN of Romania, Izabela LUPULESKU of Serbia, Lea RAKOVAC of Croatia, Georgina POTA of Hungary, Rachel MORET of Switzerland. Reserve players Christina KALLBERG of Sweden, Giorgia PICCOLIN of Italy, Britt EERLAND of the Netherlands, Yuan WAN of Germany, Gaia MONFARDINI of Italy, Adina DIACONU of Romania, and Ivana MALOBABIC of Croatia.

As he prepares for his 12th appearance at the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup, Marcos FREITAS remains one of the most experienced and respected figures on the European stage. For the Portuguese star, the tournament has never lost its significance quite the opposite. “It’s always a big honour and I really enjoy coming back to play the Top 16. It’s a competitive and historical event, and for European players it has always been very important. It’s the only tournament where you can gather all the best players in one place.” One moment stands above all others in FREITAS’ long relationship with the event: his title in 2014 in Lausanne, when the competition was still known as the Top 12. “I still remember very well when I won in 2014. It was one of the highlights of my career, and I still have very good memories from that victory.” That triumph was not an isolated success. Over the years, FREITAS has built an impressive record at the tournament. “I’ve also had other good performances. I finished third once, and I reached the final twice, losing once to OVTCHAROV and once to FRANZISKA. So it’s really a tournament that I always enjoy playing.” Even in recent editions, FREITAS has remained a constant presence near the top. After finishing fifth last year, he reached the semi-finals in 2024, confirming his ability to compete with the very best. “It’s a short tournament, but very intense. Every match is high level, and you need to be ready from the very first round. There are no easy opponents.” Returning to Montreux once again, the feeling remains familiar, yet special. “Every edition feels different, but Montreux is always a great place to play. The atmosphere is special, and you feel the importance of the event as soon as you step into the hall.” The Europe Top 16 is known for its unforgiving format, where one loss can mean the end of the journey. “Every match is difficult. All the players are very strong and at a very high level. From the first round, you already have to play your best. My goal is to stay focused and try to win the first match, which is always the hardest step.” Now one of the most experienced players in the field, FREITAS draws his motivation from constant self-improvement and adaptation to a changing sport. “My motivation is to keep working and improving my game. Table tennis is faster now than before, and there are many young players coming up and playing very well. So I try to adapt, change small things in my game, and stay at the top level.” After dealing with some physical issues that limited his competition schedule recently, FREITAS feels ready to push again. “I haven’t played many events lately because of some physical problems, but now I’m feeling better. This year I want to play more tournaments and improve my world ranking.” Looking ahead, his biggest objective remains clear. “The Olympic Games are my biggest goal for the coming years. Of course, I also want to perform well at the Europeans, the Top 16, and the World Championships. These are the events that motivate me to keep traveling, practicing every day, and trying to reach strong results.” Men’s event In the Men’s event will play Truls MOREGARD of Sweden, Alexis LEBRUN of France, Felix LEBRUN of France, Darko JORGIC of Slovenia, Benedikt DUDA of Germany, Patrick FRANZISKA of Germany, Dang QIU of Germany, Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany, Anton KALLBERG of Sweden, Anders LIND of Denmark, Simon GAUZY of France, Jonathan GROTH of Denmark, Marcos FREITAS of Portugal, Eduard IONESCU of Romania. Qualification Stage – Men Alvaro ROBLES of Spain, Andrej GACINA of Croatia, Milosz REDZIMSKI of Poland, Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia, Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden, Daniel HABESOHN of Austria, Joao GERALDO of Portugal and Pedro OSIRO of Switzerland. Reserve players Iulian CHIRITA of Romania, Thibault PORET of France, Andre BERTELSMEIER of Germany, Martin ALLEGRO of Belgium, Adrien RASSENFOSSE of Belgium, Luka MLADENOVIC of Luxembourg, and Ovidiu IONESCU of Romania. Women’s event In the Women’s event will play Sabine WINTER of Germany, Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria, Bernadette SZOCS of Romania, Ying HAN of Germany, Jia Nan YUAN of France, Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania, Prithika PAVADE of France, Jieni SHAO of Portugal, Nina MITTELHAM of Germany, Linda BERGSTROM of Sweden, Fu YU of Portugal, Maria XIAO of Spain, Natalia BAJOR of Poland, Xiaona SHAN of Germany. Qualification Stage Anna HURSEY of Wales, Annett KAUFMANN of Germany, CharlotteLUTZ of France, Andreea DRAGOMAN of Romania, Izabela LUPULESKU of Serbia, Lea RAKOVAC of Croatia, Georgina POTA of Hungary, Rachel MORET of Switzerland. Reserve players Christina KALLBERG of Sweden, Giorgia PICCOLIN of Italy, Britt EERLAND of the Netherlands, Yuan WAN of Germany, Gaia MONFARDINI of Italy, Adina DIACONU of Romania, and Ivana MALOBABIC of Croatia.