Benedek OLÁH claimed his second title at the Finlandia Open held at the Kisakallio Sports Institute in Lohja. In the final the Finnish ace triumphed over Switzerland’s Barish MOULLET 3-1 (11-3 9-11 11-9 11-6).
“It was a nice weekend although the final got a bit intense and I had a little sweat and a bit of blood from my finger. The final could have been a bit easier but with worse focus it could have been much harder. It is always enjoyable to play in Finland ” OLÁH shared his thoughts after the successful tournament.
The Rio de Janeiro Olympian is now facing a crucial six-month period to determine a spot for the Paris Olympics. OLÁH is heading straight to France from Helsinki where he has three Pro A League matches before the Christmas break.
“My plans for spring are still a bit open but the Olympic spot is still possible through the ITTF rankings if I can play in more international tournaments and perform well. Another chance for Paris is the European Olympic Qualification Tournament in May ” explained OLÁH.
Danish player Dominykas SAMUOLIS secured the third position at the Finlandia Open before Mattias MONGIUSTI of San Marino.
In the women’s singles the trophy went across the Gulf of Finland as Estonian Airi AVAMERI prevailed over the Netherlands’ Emine ERNST in a five-set match 3-2 (8-11 11-3 7-11 11-3 11-6).
“The weekend was successful for me. This was my fourth time at the Finlandia Open and I finally reached the title. So I am incredibly happy and can go home with positive emotions ” rejoiced the Estonian.
Women’s third place went to the Netherlands’ Karlijn van LIEROP before Norwegian Martine TOFTAKER.
In the U21 men’s final men’s runner-up MOULLET beat MONGIUSTI 3-1 (11-8 5-11 11-7 11-4). Swiss Noe KEUSCH and Latvian Daniels KOGANS shared the third place. Norway’s Martine TOFTAKER won the U21 women’s class defeating ERNST 3-0 (11-5 11-8 12-10). Third place went to Van LIEROP and Maja HANSEN from Denmark.
The progressive knockout system together with the great facilities of the Kisakallio Sports Institute received positive feedback from the players and coaches.
“These kinds of tournaments are important especially for younger players to take steps to the international level. They can play a lot of matches against more experienced players. I have been here five times and this has been well-organized every time. The entire ‘Finlandia Open package’ is excellent ” praised Marcus Gustafson the Estonian National Team head coach.
A total of 64 players from 12 different countries participated in the Finlandia Open. For four days a total of 261 matches were played.
You can find all the results on the Finnish Table Tennis website www.sptl.fi.
