Mattias Falck and Sofia Polcanova head Europe’s Tokyo challenge

Sweden’s Mattias FALCK and Austria’s Sofia POLCANOVA are the highest seeded European players in the respective men’s singles and women’s singles events at the forthcoming Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

On the lists announced on Friday 26^th July Mattias FALCK is named at no.6 Sofia POLCANOVA at no.10.

Mattias FALCK is followed immediately by the German duo of Dimitrij OVTCHAROV and Timo BOLL; also amongst the top 16 players who gain direct entry to the third round appear the names of Great Britain’s Liam PITCHFORD Frenchman Simon GAUZY and Portugal’s Marcos FREITAS.

Liam PITCHFORD is the no.11 seed Simon GAUZY no.14 Marcos FREITAS no.15.

Likewise for the women the top 16 seeds all commence their quests for honours in round three.

Next in line to Sofia Polcanova is the German duo of Petrissa SOLJA and HAN Ying. Romania’s Bernadette SZOCS is the no.14 seed colleague Elizabeta SAMARA the no.15 seed. Britt EERLAND of the Netherlands completes the top 16 names.

Meanwhile in the mixed doubles 16 pairs all on duty in round one Slovakia’s Lubomir PISTEJ and Barbora BALAZOVA head the European quest. They are the no.5 seeds.

Germany’s Patrick FRANZISKA and Petrissa SOLJA gold medallists at the Minsk 2019 European Games occupy the no.7 spot.

No less than five European pairs immediately follow.

Next in the order is the French combination of Emmanuel LEBESSON and Yuan Ji Nan pursued immediately by Romania’s Ovidiu IONESCU and Bernadette SZOCS. Austria’s Stefan FeFEGERLgerl and Sofia POLCANOVA reserve the no.10 position one place ahead of Hungary’s Adam SZUDI and Szandra PERGEL.

Notably in the team events Germany heads the hopes of the old continent. They occupy the no.2 spot in the men’s competition one place lower for the women.

In the men’s event Sweden occupies the no.5 spot France is at no.8 followed by Portugal and Croatia. Slovenia is at no.11 Serbia at no.15.

Meanwhile for the women Romania reserves the no.8 seeded position Hungary is at no.10 with Poland Austria and France being the next in line.

China reserves top spot in both the men’s team and women’s team events Japan being at no.3 in the former no.2 in the latter.

Similarly in the individual events China is to the fore.

FAN Zhendong and MA Long reserve the respective top seeded men’s singles places CHEN Meng and SUN Yingsha the same in the women’s singles. XU Xin and LIU Shiwen head the mixed doubles order of merit.

Play in the individual events commences on Saturday 24^th July in the team competitions on Sunday 1^st August.