With only two weeks remaining until the commencement of the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux on Saturday January 20th and Sunday January 21st one of the most in-form players at present is Germany’s QIU Dang. This week he advanced to the semifinals of the WTT Finals Men Doha 2023 eliminating China’s World No. 4 LIANG Jingkun and World No. 9 LIN Shidong. QIU is currently ranked at position No. 13.
In last year’s Montreux event European champion QIU reached the final but faced defeat against two-time winner Darko JORGIC of Slovenia. It marked his debut appearance at the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup.
“It is unfortunate that I was not able to capitalize on my chances last year. However I will persistently strive to win the Europe Top 16 because it holds great importance for me and is a high priority ” said QIU.
Dang QIU will also participate in the WTT Star Contender Doha 2024 starting from Monday.
“I had even considered playing one or two fewer tournaments in January to ensure physical fitness. However competition practice is equally important and playing numerous tournaments is not always a disadvantage. I am eagerly anticipating the tournament and will approach the competition in Switzerland with confidence ” he added.
The participants at the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup include Felix LEBRUN of France Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany Slovenian Darko JORGIC Swede Anton KALLBERG Marcos FREITAS of Portugal Truls MOREGARD of Sweden Alexis LEBRUN of France Liam PITCHFORD of England Danes Jonathan GROTH and Anders LIND Portugal’s Joao GERALDO Spain’s Alvaro ROBLES Croatia’s Tomislav PUCAR Ukraine’s Yaroslav ZHMUDENKO and the host nation representative Loic STOLL.
“This year’s Top 16 will witness one of the most balanced tournaments in its history. At least a handful of players can win the title making it highly dependent on the form of the day. Truls MÖREGARDH is not even seeded in the top four despite being the runner-up in the World Championship while another runner-up Mattias FALCK is not even qualified. The field is extremely tight with everyone eager and desperate to win this prestigious title. I anticipate a very open race for the championship ” stated QIU.
