The 2026/27 HYLO ETTU Champions League Men continued in Lille on Saturday, with the second day of Stage 1 beginning to shape the race for the eight places available in Stage 2. See the pictures by Remy GROS here. After Friday’s opening round, two clubs in each of the four groups had one victory. In Group A, HB Ostrov z.s. defeated ASD TT Santa Tecla Nulvi 3-1, while STK Vyhne started with a 3-0 win over STK Starr Croatia. Saturday therefore opened with Ostrov and Vyhne meeting with perfect records, while Starr Croatia and Santa Tecla were both looking for their first victory. HB Ostrov emerged from the meeting of Friday’s winners with an impressive 3-0 victory over STK Vyhne, making it two wins from two for the Czech side. Pavel SIRUCEK opened with a straight-games victory over Adam KLAJBER, winning 11-5, 11-8, 11-9. Vladislav URSU followed against Jakub GOLDIR and also needed only three games. GOLDIR pushed him hardest in the third, but URSU closed it 12-10. Tomas POLANSKY completed Ostrov’s victory against Dmitrij PROKOPCOV. After POLANSKY won the opening two games, PROKOPCOV responded by taking the third 11-9. The Czech player regained control in the fourth, winning 11-7 to complete the 3-0 team success. The other Group A match could hardly have been closer, with ASD TT Santa Tecla Nulvi edging STK Starr Croatia 3-2 to claim its first victory. Liang QIU gave Starr Croatia the opening point after a remarkable comeback against Gabrielius CAMARA. Two games down, QIU fought back to force a decider and eventually won it 6-5. Jia ZENG then extended the Croatian side’s lead with a 3-1 victory over Jordy PICCOLIN, leaving Santa Tecla facing a difficult task. Tomas KOLDAS started the comeback. He overcame Ronald REDJEP in straight games, although all three were closely fought, before PICCOLIN returned to the table against QIU. That contest developed into another five-game battle. QIU twice moved ahead, but PICCOLIN twice responded before taking the deciding game 6-5 to level the team score at 2-2. The decision was left to Tommaso GIOVANNETTI and ZENG. GIOVANNETTI won the opening two games before ZENG kept Starr’s hopes alive by taking the third. The Italian responded in the fourth, winning 11-8 to complete Santa Tecla’s comeback and secure the 3-2 victory. After two rounds, HB Ostrov leads Group A with two victories, while STK Vyhne and ASD TT Santa Tecla Nulvi have one win each. STK Starr Croatia remains without a victory ahead of Sunday’s final round. In Group B, SF SKK El Nino Praha remained unbeaten after overcoming Roskilde Bordtennis BTK 61 3-1, while CTT Olot collected its first victory with a 3-0 success against CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc. Olot’s victory began with the closest contest of the match. Miguel PANTOJA won the opening two games against Szilard GYORGY, but the Romanian club’s player fought back to force a decider. PANTOJA eventually prevailed 6-4 to put the Spanish side ahead. Rafael DE LAS HERAS followed with a 3-1 victory over Sebastian LOSO, before Dylan Bienvendido Jacques CHAPERON completed the job in straight games against Szabolcs TAMAS for a 3-0 Olot win. The meeting between Friday’s two winners, Roskilde and El Nino Praha, brought considerably more drama. Anders ERIKSSON gave Roskilde a perfect start, beating Tomas KONECNY in straight games. David REITSPIES responded for El Nino with a 3-0 victory over Tobias RASMUSSEN, with the opening two games decided by narrow margins. The third match between Dominykas SAMUOLIS and Yevhen PRYSHCHEPA proved crucial. SAMUOLIS twice moved ahead, but PRYSHCHEPA twice fought back before edging the deciding game 6-5 to put El Nino in front. REITSPIES then returned against ERIKSSON. After they shared the opening two games, the Czech club’s player took a tight third 12-10 and followed it with an 11-4 fourth game to secure the 3-1 victory for El Nino Praha. After two rounds, El Nino Praha leads Group B with two victories, while Roskilde and CTT Olot have one win each. CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc remains without a victory ahead of the final round. In Group C, hosts Lille Metropole TT and TTC Sokah Hoboken continued their perfect starts on Saturday, both recording 3-0 victories to move to two wins from two matches. Playing in front of the home crowd, Lille Metropole TT overcame SKST Havirov 3-0, although all three encounters required four games. Amir Hossein HODAEI recovered from losing the opening game against Stepan BRHEL 7-11. He responded with three consecutive games, 11-6, 11-6 and 11-7, to put Lille ahead. Romain BRARD followed a similar path against Mykhailo LOVHA. After dropping the first game, BRARD took the next three, including a tight third at 12-10. Fabio RAKOTOARIMANANA then completed the victory against Matyas KOLECKAR. Once again Havirov won the opening game, but RAKOTOARIMANANA responded strongly to take the next three and secure Lille’s second victory of the weekend. TTC Sokah Hoboken matched the hosts with a 3-0 win over CTT Les Borges Vall. Benjamin BROSSIER opened with a 3-1 victory over Francesc CARRERA, before Quentin ROBINOT and Marc DURAN produced the closest encounter of the tie. ROBINOT moved two games ahead, only for DURAN to fight back and force a deciding game. There, ROBINOT left no room for another comeback, winning 6-0. Olav KOSOLOSKY completed Hoboken’s victory with a commanding straight-games win over Jair JIMENEZ, 11-5, 11-3, 11-5. In Group D, KS Dojlidy Białystok remained unbeaten after another five-match battle, while AS Pontoise Cergy TT bounced back from Friday’s narrow defeat with a 3-1 victory over SPG Felbermayr Wels. Pontoise had to come from behind against Wels. Maciej KOLODZIEJCZYK gave the Austrian side the opening point after overcoming Jules CAVAILLE in five games. The contest went back and forth before KOLODZIEJCZYK dominated the decider 6-1. Kai ZHOU brought Pontoise level with a straight-games victory over Felix WETZEL, before Mihai BOBOCICA put the French club ahead. He beat Patryk ZATOWKA 3-1, with the Wels player taking only the third game. ZHOU then returned against KOLODZIEJCZYK and secured his second
Day 2 Underway in ETTU Champions League Women in Budaörs (VIDEO)
Photo: Szilvi Hoffer
ETTU Champions League Women Gets Underway in Budaörs
The 2026/27 ETTU Champions League Women is underway in Budaörs, with eight clubs beginning their battle for the two available places in Stage 2. From 28 to 30 August, the teams are competing at the BVUSS, with only the winner of each four-team group progressing. See the pictures here. This season also brings a distinctive scoring system to the competition. Each individual match is played over three games, with every game won counting as one point towards the team’s overall score, placing added importance on every game throughout the tie. MIRÓ Ganxets recorded a narrow 8-7 victory over PGE Fibrain KU AZS Politechnika Rzeszow in the opening match of Group A. The Polish side made the stronger start. Ilona SZTWIERTNIA took two games against Olga VOROBEVA, before Zuzanna WIELGOS also secured two against Anastasia KOLISH. MIRÓ responded through Olga BLIZNET, who took two games against Paula KRYSINSKA. VOROBEVA then added two more against WIELGOS to bring the Spanish side back into contention. The outcome was eventually decided in the final encounter between KOLISH and SZTWIERTNIA. KOLISH took the opening game 12-10 before SZTWIERTNIA responded 11-8, leaving everything to the last game. KOLISH prevailed 11-9, giving MIRÓ Ganxets the decisive point and an 8-7 victory in a thrilling opening contest in Budaörs. The second match in Group A produced exactly the same score, as Linz AG Froschberg edged STK Dr. Časl Zagreb 8-7. Yurika NAMBA gave the Austrian side a perfect start, taking all three games against Yun-En TSAI, including a tight opener at 12-10. Dr. Časl responded through Miu HIRANO, who took two games against Emiko TAGUCHI, before Margaryta PESOTSKA also collected two against Sara TOKIC. NAMBA proved crucial again in her second appearance, taking the opening two games against HIRANO 11-9 and 11-4. HIRANO responded in the third, but Linz had moved closer to the winning mark. Once again, everything came down to the final encounter. Kotomi OMODA took the opening two games against TAGUCHI, including a marathon first game at 19-17, but TAGUCHI responded by taking the last game 12-10. That point proved decisive, completing another 8-7 thriller and giving reigning Europe Cup champions Linz AG Froschberg a winning start in Budaörs. In Group B, SKST Plus Hodonin made an impressive start with an 8-2 victory over hosts SH-ITB Budaörsi Sport Club, bringing the contest to an early conclusion. Vlada VORONINA was dominant in the opening encounter against Leila IMRE, taking all three games 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 to give the Czech side an immediate advantage. Binyue ZHANG added two more points against Dora MADARASZ. The Hungarian player responded strongly in the second game, winning it 11-3, but ZHANG took the third 11-6. Nora DOHOCZKI gave Budaörs another point by winning the opening game against Marketa SEVCIKOVA, but the Hodonin player turned things around with 11-2 and 11-7 wins in the next two. VORONINA then returned to the table against MADARASZ and needed only one game to bring the contest to an end. She won it convincingly 11-3, securing the eighth point and an 8-2 victory for Hodonin. The final match of the opening day in Group B went right to the wire, with ASD Quattro Mori Cagliari edging Son Cladera TTC – Mallorca 8-7. Son Cladera enjoyed the better start thanks to Adina DIACONU, who collected all three points against Pauline CHASSELIN. The opening two games were close at 11-9 and 12-10 before DIACONU took the third 11-6. Quattro Mori responded through Elizabet ABRAAMIAN and Tania PLAIAN. ABRAAMIAN took two games against Paulina VEGA, while PLAIAN did the same against Eugenia SASTRE to bring the Italian side back into the contest. DIACONU continued her excellent performance in her second appearance. She recovered after losing the opening game to ABRAAMIAN and won the next two, including a tight third game 12-10. That left Quattro Mori needing a strong finish, and CHASSELIN delivered it. Facing VEGA in the final encounter, she won all three games, taking a close opener 12-10 before pulling away 11-3 and 11-4. Those three points turned the match in Quattro Mori’s favour and completed a dramatic 8-7 victory, giving last season’s Europe Cup runners-up a winning start in Budaörs.
Lille Welcomes the Start of the HYLO ETTU Champions League Men
The 2026/27 HYLO ETTU Champions League Men is underway in Lille, where 16 clubs are competing in Stage 1 from 28 to 30 August. Divided into four groups of four, the teams are battling at the Complexe sportif Micheline Ostermeyer for eight available places in Stage 2, with the top two clubs from each group progressing. See the pictures here. The opening matches in Group A saw HB Ostrov z.s. and STK Vyhne make successful starts, overcoming ASD TT Santa Tecla Nulvi and STK Starr Croatia respectively. Czech side HB Ostrov z.s. opened with a 3-1 victory over ASD TT Santa Tecla Nulvi. Pavel SIRUCEK set the tone with a straight-games win over Gabrielius CAMARA, before Vladislav URSU also recorded a 3-0 success against Tommaso GIOVANNETTI. Jordy PICCOLIN kept the Italian side in contention by overcoming Tomas POLANSKY in five games, but URSU returned to the table to seal the victory for Ostrov. He defeated CAMARA 3-0 to complete a strong opening performance for the Czech club. STK Vyhne was even more convincing, starting with a 3-0 victory over STK Starr Croatia. The closest contest came in the opening match as Croatia’s Liang QIU took the first two games against Dmitrij PROKOPCOV. The experienced PROKOPCOV fought his way back, taking the next two games before prevailing in the deciding game to put Vyhne ahead. Adam KLAJBER then overcame Jia ZENG in straight games, before Jakub GOLDIR completed the victory with a 3-1 success against Ronald REDJEP. In Group B, last season’s Europe Cup runners-up SF SKK El Nino Praha opened with a 3-1 victory over CTT Olot, while Roskilde Bordtennis BTK 61 made an impressive start with a 3-0 win over CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc. El Nino had to work hard from the very beginning. Tomas KONECNY found himself two games down against Damien Rolland PROVOST, but turned the match around to win 3-2. David REITSPIES was also pushed to the limit by Dylan Bienvendido Jacques CHAPERON. After taking the opening two games, REITSPIES saw his opponent level the contest before edging the deciding game 6-5. Rafael DE LAS HERAS kept Olot alive with a 3-1 victory over Yevhen PRYSHCHEPA, but KONECNY returned to secure the overall win for the Czech side. He overcame CHAPERON 3-1, taking the crucial third game 12-10 before closing out the match 11-4. Roskilde Bordtennis BTK 61, semi-finalists in last season’s Europe Cup, made a perfect start against CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc. Jens LUNDQVIST gave the Danish club the lead with a straight-games victory over Szilard GYORGY. Anders ERIKSSON recovered after losing the opening game against Sebastian LOSO to win the next three and extend Roskilde’s advantage. Tobias RASMUSSEN then completed the 3-0 victory, although Szabolcs TAMAS pushed him all the way. Their contest went to a deciding game before RASMUSSEN prevailed 6-5. In Group C, TTC Sokah Hoboken and hosts Lille Metropole TT both made winning starts, although their paths to victory were quite different. Hoboken had a smooth opening against SKST Havirov, recording a 3-0 win. Quentin ROBINOT gave the Belgian side the first point with a convincing straight-games victory over Daniel KOSTAL. Olav KOSOLOSKY followed against Mykhailo LOVHA, winning the opening two games before the Havirov player responded in the third. KOSOLOSKY kept control, however, and closed the match in four. Benjamin BROSSIER completed the victory against Matyas KOLECKAR. After the Czech player levelled at 1-1, BROSSIER pulled away, taking the next two games 11-5 and 11-4. For Lille Metropole TT, the opening match in front of the home crowd brought considerably more drama. CTT Les Borges Vall took the lead through Marc DURAN, who edged Romain BRARD in five games. There was almost nothing between them in the decider, with DURAN eventually taking it 6-5. Lille responded immediately. Amir Hossein HODAEI beat Francesc CARRERA in straight games, while Fabio RAKOTOARIMANANA came from a game down against Jair JIMENEZ to win 3-1 and put the hosts ahead. That brought BRARD back to the table, this time against CARRERA. It was another five-game contest for the Frenchman, but with a very different ending. Twice behind, BRARD twice fought back before racing through the deciding game 6-0 to secure a 3-1 victory for Lille. In Group D, SPG Felbermayr Wels opened with a 3-0 victory over TTC Ostrava 2016, while KS Dojlidy Białystok came through a five-match battle against AS Pontoise Cergy TT, winning 3-2. Wels had to work harder than the final score might suggest. Maciej KOLODZIEJCZYK beat Ondrej KVETON in straight games, but all three were decided by narrow margins, 13-11, 11-9 and 12-10. Patryk ZATOWKA followed with a 3-1 victory over Simon BELIK. The Czech player kept himself in the match by taking the third game, but ZATOWKA closed it out 12-10 in the fourth. Felix WETZEL then recovered from losing the opening game against Adam STALZER to win the next three and complete the 3-0 victory for Wels. There was much more drama between Dojlidy and Pontoise. Aleksandr KHANIN put the Polish club ahead with a straight-games victory over Mihai BOBOCICA, before Kai ZHOU responded in the same fashion against Amirezza ABBASI MONJEZI. Piotr CHODORSKI then won a crucial five-game contest against Jules CAVAILLE. The match swung back and forth before CHODORSKI prevailed 6-4 in the decider to restore Dojlidy’s lead. ZHOU kept Pontoise alive with his second victory of the match, beating KHANIN 3-0 and sending the team contest into a decisive fifth encounter. ABBASI MONJEZI made sure there would be no late disappointment for Dojlidy. He produced a convincing performance against BOBOCICA, winning 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 to secure a 3-2 victory for KS Dojlidy Białystok.
HYLO ETTU Champions League Men Stage 1 Set for Three Days of Action in Lille
The 2026/27 HYLO ETTU Champions League Men gets underway in Lille this week, where 16 clubs will battle for eight places in Stage 2 from 28 to 30 August. Three days of group-stage action at the Complexe sportif Micheline Ostermeyer will open the road towards the HYLO Final Four, with the teams divided into four groups of four and the top two from each group continuing their Champions League journey. Stage 1 will feature three days of group action, with matches starting at 10:00, 13:00, 16:00 and 19:00 each day. Group A brings together Czech club HB Ostrov z.s., Slovakia’s STK Vyhne, Italy’s ASD TT Santa Tecla Nulvi and STK Starr Croatia. Both HB Ostrov and STK Vyhne have recent experience of the latter stages of European competition. The two clubs reached the quarter-finals of last season’s Europe Cup. HB Ostrov faced eventual champions Real Club Cajasur Priego TM, while STK Vyhne met this week’s Stage 1 host Lille Metropole TT. The competition opens on Friday morning with HB Ostrov facing Santa Tecla Nulvi, while STK Vyhne meets STK Starr Croatia. Group B features two of the most successful teams from last season’s Europe Cup. SF SKK El Nino Praha is joined by Denmark’s Roskilde Bordtennis BTK 61, Spain’s CTT Olot and Romania’s CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc. El Nino Praha enjoyed an outstanding 2025/26 Europe Cup campaign. The Czech side overcame TTC Sokah Hoboken in the quarter-finals before beating Roskilde in the semi-finals to book its place in the title contest. El Nino’s run eventually ended in the final against Real Club Cajasur Priego TM, who lifted the trophy. Roskilde also arrives in Lille with impressive credentials. The Danish club reached the semi-finals after overcoming AS Pontoise Cergy TT in the quarter-finals, before El Nino Praha ended its challenge. That makes Saturday’s meeting between El Nino Praha and Roskilde particularly attractive – a repeat of last season’s Europe Cup semi-final. The two sides meet at 13:00. Host club Lille Metropole TT leads the challenge in Group C, alongside Czech side SKST Havirov, Belgium’s TTC Sokah Hoboken and Spain’s CTT Les Borges Vall. Lille was another of the standout teams in last season’s Europe Cup. The French club overcame STK Vyhne in the quarter-finals to reach the last four, where eventual champions Real Club Cajasur Priego TM stopped their run. TTC Sokah Hoboken also reached the quarter-finals of the Europe Cup, where the Belgian side faced eventual runners-up SF SKK El Nino Praha. Lille starts its Champions League campaign on Friday at 16:00 against CTT Les Borges Vall. The hosts then meet SKST Havirov on Saturday before completing the group against TTC Sokah Hoboken on Sunday. Group D brings together AS Pontoise Cergy TT, Austria’s SPG Felbermayr Wels, Poland’s Dojlidy Białystok and Czech club TTC Ostrava 2016. Pontoise also knows what it takes to reach the closing stages of the Europe Cup. The French side advanced to the quarter-finals last season, where its campaign was ended by Roskilde. Pontoise opens against Dojlidy Białystok on Friday evening, while SPG Felbermayr Wels faces TTC Ostrava 2016. All four groups will be played through three rounds from Friday to Sunday, making every match in Lille crucial in the battle for progression. The final group matches are scheduled for Sunday, with Group A at 10:00, Group B at 13:00, Group C at 16:00 and Group D at 19:00. The event is organised by Lille Metropole TT, with matches played on two competition tables at the Complexe sportif Micheline Ostermeyer. The top two clubs from each group advance. Those eight qualifiers will then join the top eight seeded clubs in Stage 2, when the competition switches to the knockout format. Both the Round of 16 and the quarter-finals will be contested over home-and-away legs. The four quarter-final winners will secure their places at the prestigious HYLO Final Four, where the semi-finals and final will be decided over one weekend to crown the 2026/27 European club champions.
Budaörs Ready to Turn Champions League Weekend into a Celebration of Table Tennis
For Budaörsi Sport Club, hosting Stage 1 of the ETTU Champions League Women 2026/27 will mean much more than three days of top-level European competition. From 28 to 30 August, the event will bring together the club’s European ambitions, its home supporters and the celebration of the 50th anniversary of its Table Tennis Department. Eight teams will gather at the Budaörs City Sports Hall, with 12 matches played over three days. The teams are divided into two groups of four, with the two group winners progressing to the next stage of the Champions League, while the remaining clubs will continue their European season in the Europe Cup. For the hosts, it will be the biggest international table tennis event they have staged in terms of both the number of participating teams and the level of competition. The home supporters will have the opportunity to see Budaörsi Sport Club at 16:30 on each of the three competition days. The nine-time Hungarian champions and 2024 Europe Cup winners will be represented by Dóra MADARÁSZ, Leila IMRE, Nóra DOHOCZKI, Emma SZOSZNYÁK, Liza MUSKÓ and Emma VÁRADI, with Péter BACHMAN leading the team as coach. There is another significant milestone behind Budaörs’ appearance this season. The club is entering its 24th consecutive season in European club competitions, a remarkable run achieved throughout that period with Hungarian players. “For Budaörsi Sport Club, hosting the Champions League is both a major sporting occasion and a celebration. We want to make the most of playing at home, enjoy the support from the stands and turn the last weekend of August into a real table tennis celebration together with our supporters,” the organisers said. The timing makes the occasion particularly special. The Champions League weekend coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Budaörsi Sport Club Table Tennis Department, adding another dimension to an already important week for the club. The anniversary will be marked on 27 August, on the eve of the Champions League action, with a special event celebrating five decades of the department’s history, achievements and community. A jubilee publication is also being prepared, while commemorative plaques will be presented to people who have played significant roles in the department over the years. “This is a special chapter in the history of our club. Alongside welcoming some of Europe’s leading teams to Budaörs, we have the opportunity to celebrate 50 years of our Table Tennis Department and the people who have helped build it,” the organisers highlighted. The club also wants the occasion to reach beyond the competition tables. Activities are planned to give local residents an opportunity to try table tennis themselves, bringing the sport closer to the Budaörs community while the Champions League is taking place.
Strong Europe Cup Contenders Set for Champions League Women Stage 1 in Budaörs
The road to the 2026/27 ETTU Champions League Women title begins in Budaörs this week, with eight clubs ready to start their journey in Stage 1 from 28 to 30 August. Over three days of competition, the teams will battle for the two available places in Stage 2, with host Budaörsi Sport Club looking to make home advantage count in a strong and competitive field. The two Stage 1 group winners will progress to Stage 2, where they will join the six directly qualified clubs to form one group of eight teams. Stage 2 will be played as a single round-robin over seven rounds, with each club facing every other team once. The three-day competition will be played at the BVUSS (Budaörs Városi Sportcsarnok Uszoda és Strand), with four matches scheduled each day at 11:00, 13:30, 16:30 and 19:00. Group A features Austria’s Linz AG Froschberg the Champions League winners in 2013, Poland’s PGE Fibrain KU AZS Politechnika Rzeszow, Spain’s MIRÓ Ganxets and Croatia’s STK Dr. Časl. Linz arrives in Budaörs with particularly strong memories of last season’s European campaign. The Austrian side went all the way to the Europe Cup title, overcoming Son Cladera TTC – Mallorca in the quarter-finals and MIRÓ Ganxets in the semi-finals before defeating ASD Quattro Mori Cagliari in the final. MIRÓ Ganxets also enjoyed an impressive run, reaching the semi-finals. The Spanish side overcame STK Dr. Časl in the quarter-finals before their campaign was stopped by eventual champions Linz. That recent history adds extra interest to Group A, with three of its four teams having featured in the closing stages of last season’s Europe Cup. Linz and MIRÓ Ganxets will meet again on Saturday in a repeat of last season’s semi-final, while the opening day will also bring Linz and STK Dr. Časl together after both were part of the Europe Cup quarter-final line-up. The group opens on Friday with PGE Fibrain KU AZS Politechnika Rzeszow facing MIRÓ Ganxets at 11:00, followed by Linz AG Froschberg against STK Dr. Časl at 13:30. Group B brings together Italy’s ASD Quattro Mori Cagliari, Czech club SKST Plus Hodonin, host Budaörsi Sport Club and Spain’s Son Cladera TTC – Mallorca. Quattro Mori was one of the standout teams in last season’s Europe Cup. The Italian club overcame Fenerbahce Sports Club in the quarter-finals before beating SKST Plus Hodonin in the semi-finals. Their run ended only in the title contest, where Linz AG Froschberg claimed the trophy. Hodonin therefore arrives with a Europe Cup semi-final appearance behind it, having reached the last four after overcoming TTC Novi Sad in the quarter-finals. Son Cladera also reached the quarter-finals, where the Spanish side was stopped by eventual champions Linz AG Froschberg. That means Quattro Mori, Hodonin and Son Cladera all return to European action after reaching at least the last eight of the Europe Cup, promising a demanding challenge for host Budaörsi Sport Club. The group will also feature a rematch of last season’s Europe Cup semi-final between Quattro Mori and Hodonin on Sunday. The hosts begin their campaign on Friday at 16:30 against SKST Plus Hodonin, before Quattro Mori and Son Cladera meet at 19:00. Budaörs then faces Quattro Mori on Saturday before closing the group against Son Cladera on Sunday. The final day will begin with STK Dr. Časl against MIRÓ Ganxets at 11:00, followed by Linz against PGE Fibrain KU AZS Politechnika Rzeszow at 13:30. Budaörs and Son Cladera will meet at 16:30 before Quattro Mori and Hodonin bring the Stage 1 programme to a close at 19:00. With the reigning Europe Cup champions, last season’s runners-up and both other semi-finalists all present in Budaörs, the opening stage of the 2026/27 ETTU Champions League Women promises three days of high-level European club action.
Montreux to Host Europe Top 16 Cup in 2028
The ETTU Executive Board has awarded the 2028 Europe Top 16 Cup to Swiss Table Tennis, with the event set to be staged in Montreux, Switzerland. “We are delighted to be back to Montreux for another edition of the Top 16 Europe Cup. Swiss Table Tennis has proved they are a very reliable organiser for several years. ETTU is looking forward for another unforgettable edition of the Top 16 Cup,” said ETTU President Pedro MOURA. By now, Montreux and the Europe Top 16 have built a special relationship. The Swiss city first welcomed the competition in 2018 and has since hosted it in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. The only break came in 2021. „STT and LOC are delighted to have once again been entrusted by the ETTU Executive Board to organise the Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux. We will do our utmost to meet the expectations of the ETTU, the players and the spectators once again, and to raise the 10th edition of this prestigious table tennis event to an even higher standard“, said STT President Freddy OSWALD. „Montreux on the beautiful Lake Geneva will host the event between mid-February and early March 2028. The definitive date will be announced no earlier than the end of 2026. The LOC will do everything in its power to enhance the event through various measures, including a change of venue to the recently refurbished 2m2c”. With Montreux already confirmed as host for 2027, the latest allocation ensures that the familiar setting on the shores of Lake Geneva will welcome Europe’s leading players once again in 2028. It will be the tenth time Montreux has hosted the event. The competition itself has more than half a century of history. It was first staged in Zadar in 1971, initially as the Europe Top 12, before later expanding into the Europe Top 16 and becoming one of the highlights of the European table tennis calendar.
Young Umpires Project Makes Its Mark at EYC in Gondomar
The Young Umpires Project (YUP) once again proved its value at the European Youth Championships in Gondomar, bringing together a strong group of young officials and providing them with opportunities to learn, exchange experiences and build connections within the European umpiring community. A total of 33 young umpires, approximately 30 years of age or younger, from 12 ETTU Member Associations were nominated and selected to officiate at the Championships. They represented 42 per cent of the entire umpire group, underlining the significant presence of the new generation of officials at one of ETTU’s major events. As part of the initiative, the ETTU Umpires and Referees Committee (URC) organised four development activities before and during the Championships. The programme began with a three-hour online training session on 28 June, followed by a full-day workshop in Gondomar on 9 July. On 11 July, the YUP participants gathered for a welcome meeting, where they were greeted by ETTU Vice-President Ina JOZEPSONE. Her presence underlined the importance ETTU places on the Young Umpires Project and the continued development of the next generation of match officials. The programme concluded with a social evening and team-building activity on 16 July, designed to strengthen connections and encourage networking among the young umpires. Hanspeter WOERNER, Mircea STEFF, Decio FAUSTINO, Emily KNUTSSON and Asko RASINEN hosted the evening, sharing stories from their careers, memorable moments from major events and some of the more unusual and entertaining experiences they have encountered along the way. Beyond technical education, the activities in Gondomar highlighted another important element of the project – giving young officials the opportunity to meet their peers, exchange experiences and become part of a wider European umpiring network. With 33 young umpires involved in the European Youth Championships, the initiative once again demonstrated ETTU’s ability to attract a new generation of officials. The experience in Gondomar also reinforced the importance of combining education and practical experience with networking and social interaction as part of their development.
CAMPAGNA and GOMEZ Complete Golden Doubles on Final Day in Riga
Italy’s Pietro CAMPAGNA and Spain’s Carmen GOMEZ emerged as the standout performers on the final day of the 2026 JOOLA Europe Youth Series Riga Open, with both completing a remarkable U13 and U15 singles double. CAMPAGNA crowned his campaign with a dramatic comeback victory over Alexander MALOV in the U15 Boys’ Singles final after earlier claiming the U13 title, while GOMEZ followed her U13 Girls’ Singles triumph by taking gold in the U15 category. The final day also brought doubles titles for Motiejus ADAMONIS and Jimi KOIVUMAKI in U15 Boys, Filip AROSELL and Sigge Sang LEIGERT in U13 Boys, and Kamilla KADAR and Jiali LU in U13 Girls. In the U15 Boys’ Singles, CAMPAGNA completed his remarkable double by fighting back from two games down against Spain’s Alexander MALOV to prevail 3-2 in a dramatic final. MALOV dominated the opening game 11-3 and moved 2-0 ahead with an 11-9 win in the second. CAMPAGNA refused to let the match slip away, responding 11-7 and 11-9 to force a decider. The fifth game went down to the wire, with the Italian eventually completing his comeback at 12-10. MALOV took silver, while Sweden’s Joel ISAKSSON and Finland’s Jimi KOIVUMAKI earned bronze. In the semi-finals, MALOV defeated ISAKSSON in straight games, 11-8, 11-9, 14-12, while CAMPAGNA was equally convincing against KOIVUMAKI, winning 11-4, 11-7, 11-7. Earlier, CAMPAGNA had secured his first gold of the day in the U13 Boys’ Singles. The Italian was in control throughout the final against Poland’s Ignacy UTYLSKI, winning 11-7, 11-7, 11-6 for a 3-0 victory. His route to the title had included a much tougher semi-final against Montenegro’s Milan VUCETIC. CAMPAGNA raced into a 2-0 lead before VUCETIC fought back to force a deciding game. The Italian responded emphatically, taking the fifth 11-2 to advance with a 3-2 victory. In the other semi-final, UTYLSKI recovered after losing the opening game to Germany’s Jonathan KILIAN and won the next three for a 3-1 success. VUCETIC and KILIAN took bronze. Carmen GOMEZ matched CAMPAGNA’s achievement by completing her own U13 and U15 singles double. In the U15 Girls’ Singles final, the Spaniard defeated Lithuania’s Emilia PSCOLOVSKA 3-1. GOMEZ edged the opening game 12-10 before PSCOLOVSKA responded in an equally tight second, 13-11. From there, GOMEZ took command, winning the next two games 11-6, 11-6 to secure her second singles title of the day. PSCOLOVSKA had reached the final after a five-game battle against Spain’s Teresa CARRASCO VIEITO. CARRASCO VIEITO moved 2-1 ahead after taking the third game 15-13, but PSCOLOVSKA responded by winning the next two 11-9 and 11-7. In the other semi-final, GOMEZ beat compatriot Celia VALPUESTA 3-0. CARRASCO VIEITO and VALPUESTA secured bronze. GOMEZ had already celebrated gold in an all-Spanish U13 Girls’ Singles final, overcoming Julia FERNANDEZ 3-1. GOMEZ took the opening game 11-9 before FERNANDEZ responded by the same score. From that point, GOMEZ took charge, winning the next two games 11-6 and 11-7 to seal the title. In the semi-finals, GOMEZ overcame Lithuania’s Kaja TVOROGAL in straight games. After a tight opening game that the Spaniard won 12-10, she maintained control to complete a 3-0 victory. FERNANDEZ also progressed without dropping a game, beating Lithuania’s Eva CHALKOVSKYTE 11-7, 11-7, 11-8. TVOROGAL and CHALKOVSKYTE took bronze. In the U15 Boys’ Doubles final, Lithuania’s Motiejus ADAMONIS and Finland’s Jimi KOIVUMAKI overcame Poland’s Beniamin KUROWSKI and Mikolaj PILCH 3-1. ADAMONIS and KOIVUMAKI took the opening game 11-8 before the Polish pair responded 11-5. The Lithuanian-Finnish combination then regained control, taking the next two games 11-8 and 11-6 to secure the title. KUROWSKI and PILCH had prevailed in a five-game semi-final against Spain’s Irei GOMEZ and Alexander MALOV. The Spanish pair twice moved ahead, but KUROWSKI and PILCH responded on both occasions before taking the decider 11-7 for a 3-2 victory. In the other semi-final, ADAMONIS and KOIVUMAKI produced a commanding performance to beat Poland’s Maksymilian KSIAZEK and Krystian PYTKO 3-0. GOMEZ and MALOV, and KSIAZEK and PYTKO, earned bronze. Sweden’s Filip AROSELL and Sigge Sang LEIGERT produced another commanding performance in the U13 Boys’ Doubles final, defeating Montenegro’s Uros MRKAJIC and Milan VUCETIC 3-0. The Swedish pair won 11-7, 11-8, 11-2 to take gold without dropping a game in either the semi-final or final. AROSELL and LEIGERT had powered past Spain’s Daniel CASQUERO and Pablo MARTINEZ 3-0 in the semi-finals. The other semi-final went all the way to the deciding game, with MRKAJIC and VUCETIC twice coming from a game behind against Greece’s Nikolaos ALEXIDIS and Theofanis MARKOULAKIS before completing the comeback with an 11-6 win in the fifth. CASQUERO and MARTINEZ, and ALEXIDIS and MARKOULAKIS, finished with bronze. Finland also had reason to celebrate as Kamilla KADAR and Jiali LU captured the U13 Girls’ Doubles title. They defeated Lithuania’s Karina MILTO and Kaja TVOROGAL 3-1 in the final. The Finnish pair won the opener 11-8, and although MILTO and TVOROGAL levelled the contest, KADAR and LU responded by taking the next two games 11-7 and 11-8. Their semi-final had provided one of the closest battles of the doubles competition. Spain’s Julia FERNANDEZ and Carmen GOMEZ twice moved ahead, but KADAR and LU responded each time before edging the deciding game 13-11 for a 3-2 victory. In the other semi-final, MILTO and TVOROGAL overcame the Czech-Spanish combination of Tereza BILOVA and Lola URIA 3-1. Three of the four games were decided by just two points, with the Lithuanian pair holding their nerve to take the final two games 12-10, 12-10. FERNANDEZ and GOMEZ, and BILOVA and URIA, completed the podium with bronze medals. Photos by Rēzija Meļķe
