It was a exciting table tennis weekend in Zwolle—packed with activities, surprising results, brilliant rallies, and an enthusiastic crowd. No title defenses this year; instead, all-new champions were crowned. Shuohan MEN remained unbeaten and claimed the Dutch national title for the fourth time. Gabrielius CAMARA dethroned Milo de BOER to secure his first national singles title.
After the early elimination of defending champion Tanja HELLE, the path to gold opened up for the remaining contenders. Top seed Shuohan MEN advanced through the quarterfinals, as did Karlijn van LIEROP, who came through a nail-biting match against Dobrila JORGUSESKA, winning 13-11 in the seventh game. Emine ERNST (3and4) defeated Sanne de HOOP 4-1. Meanwhile, the ‘Scylla clash’ between Jitte de KLERK and Marie DEPUYDT—both surprises from the previous day—was won by Marie with her defensive playing style.
In the semifinals, Marie continued her strong run by defeating the higher-seeded Emine ERNST 4-2 to reach the final, much to her own surprise. Shuohan MEN also booked her place in the final with a 4-2 victory over Karlijn van LIEROP.
In the final, Marie’s winning streak was halted by Shuohan MEN, who secured the title with a 4-0 win (11-8, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7), claiming the Dutch national title for the fourth time.
The quarterfinal between Gabrielius CAMARA and Kas van OOST was, on paper, the toughest draw. CAMARA lived up to his top seed status and won 4-1. Milo de BOER, just like last year, had little trouble in dispatching Brent RONDE 4-0. Barry BERBEN and Ivan KAHN completed the semifinal lineup with wins over Tim GRAS and Jochem de HOOP respectively.
In the semifinal between teammates Milo de BOER and Ivan KAHN (from national champions De Boer Taverzo), the younger KAHN got off to a blazing start and took a 2-0 lead. However, De BOER kept his composure, won the next four games, and became the first finalist. The other semifinal saw Barry BERBEN keep fighting back, forcing a deciding seventh game. CAMARA took control in that final game with an 11-4 win to reach his first national final.
The final was full of spectacular rallies. Milo de BOER led 2-1 after three games but couldn’t extend his lead. A dramatic moment occurred in the sixth game when CAMARA broke his rubber against the table and had to continue with a spare bat. Undeterred, he turned the match around and was crowned Dutch national champion for the first time.
There was a surprise in the semifinals as Amber van de VELDE and Emma van der ZANDEN defeated the 2024 champions Tali COHEN and Sanne de HOOP in a tight 3-2 match. In the final, they faced Shuohan MEN and Dobrila JORGUSESKA, who narrowly overcame NOUWEN and ZHENG. Men and JORGUSESKA won the final 3-1 and claimed the women’s doubles national title.
Defending champions Milo de BOER and Lode HULSHOF narrowly beat Gabrielius CAMARA and Jochem de HOOP in the semifinals, coming from 5-7 down in the fifth game to win 11-9. In the other semifinal, SMAJIC and Martins FERREIRA couldn’t replicate their upset from the previous day and lost in straight games to BERBENandVAN OOST (2).
The final was closely contested, but in the decisive fifth game, BERBEN and VAN OOST pulled away to win 11-7 and dethroned DE BOER and HULSHOF.
Finalists
Men’s Singles
• Gabrielius CAMARA
• Milo DE BOER
Women’s Singles
• Shuohan MEN
• Marie DEPUYDT
Men’s Doubles
• Barry BERBEN and Kas VAN OOST
• Milo DE BOER and Lode HULSHOF
Women’s Doubles
• Shuohan MEN and Dobrila JORGUSESKA
• Amber VAN DE VELDE and Emma VAN DER ZANDEN
