Belgium’s Timo HENNAUT and Türkiye’s Defne UZUMCU emerged victorious at the 19th edition of the STIGA Masters, with HENNAUT making history by securing Belgium’s first-ever title at the Under 11 competition.
In a thrilling boys’ final, HENNAUT recovered from a two-game deficit to defeat France’s Hugo GRELLIER COFFY 3-2 (7-11, 9-11, 12-10, 11-8, 11-8). The Belgian had also been pushed to five games in the semifinals, where he overcame Germany’s Manoj SANKARA 3-2.
GRELLIER COFFY reached the final after a similarly close semifinal, defeating Sweden’s Valerio BRANTE 3-2.
In the girls’ competition, Defne UZUMCU claimed the title following an all-Turkish final against Derin MULAZIM, winning 3-1. UZUMCU had earlier defeated Portugal’s Lara MONTEIRO 3-1 in the semifinals, while MULAZIM secured her place in the final with a 3-1 victory over Finland’s Kamilla KADAR.
The STIGA Masters has a strong tradition of showing Europe’s emerging table tennis talents. Among its former winners are two newly crowned European singles champions, France’s Félix LEBRUN and Elizabet ABRAAMIAN, who claimed their European titles earlier this month in Ljubljana.
