Europe Top-16 Cup | 4 Feb 2017
Group stage over, but battle set to continue on day two
Photo: ITTF
2017 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup
After the conclusion of the opening day of the 2017 ITTF Europe Top 16 Cup, late in the evening on Friday 3rd February, the draw for the last eight of the Men’s and Women’s Singles competitions was made at the Azur Arena.
Day two of the event in Antibes will kick off with the Women’s quarter-finals draw as the battle to earn a spot in the last four is set to deliver some wonderful table tennis.
One of the big surprise packages in the tournament so far has been Romania’s Bernadette SZOCS, who has for the first time qualified from the group stage of the Europe Top 16 at the third attempt.
The reward for SZOCS is a meeting with the no.3 seed Petrissa SOLJA and the winner of that tie will go head-to-head with one of LIU Jia and Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN.
Georgina POTA of Hungary successfully took first position in Group A after she picked up two wins from her opening three matches, and will take on Germany’s Sabine WINTER for a place in the penultimate round. Either one of Matilda EKHOLM or LI Jie awaits the winner.
France will be represented on day two of the tournament with Simon GAUZY being included in the Men’s Singles draw for the quarter-finals.
GAUZY finished runner up in Group A and his opponent in the next round will be five times champion Timo BOLL, while Dimitrij OVTCHAROV, who was involved in a late night match with Jonathan GROTH on the opening day, has been drawn to play Stefan FEGERL.
Awaiting the victor of OVTCHAROV and FEGERL is a tie with either KOU Lei or Andrej GACINA, while the other quarter-finals match to take place in the bottom half of the draw sees Portugal’s Tiago APOLONIA go up against Alexander SHIBAEV of Russia.
