As he prepares for his 12th appearance at the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup, Marcos FREITAS remains one of the most experienced and respected figures on the European stage. For the Portuguese star, the tournament has never lost its significance quite the opposite.
“It’s always a big honour and I really enjoy coming back to play the Top 16. It’s a competitive and historical event, and for European players it has always been very important. It’s the only tournament where you can gather all the best players in one place.”
One moment stands above all others in FREITAS’ long relationship with the event: his title in 2014 in Lausanne, when the competition was still known as the Top 12.
“I still remember very well when I won in 2014. It was one of the highlights of my career, and I still have very good memories from that victory.”
That triumph was not an isolated success. Over the years, FREITAS has built an impressive record at the tournament.
“I’ve also had other good performances. I finished third once, and I reached the final twice, losing once to OVTCHAROV and once to FRANZISKA. So it’s really a tournament that I always enjoy playing.”
Even in recent editions, FREITAS has remained a constant presence near the top. After finishing fifth last year, he reached the semi-finals in 2024, confirming his ability to compete with the very best.
“It’s a short tournament, but very intense. Every match is high level, and you need to be ready from the very first round. There are no easy opponents.”
Returning to Montreux once again, the feeling remains familiar, yet special.
“Every edition feels different, but Montreux is always a great place to play. The atmosphere is special, and you feel the importance of the event as soon as you step into the hall.”
The Europe Top 16 is known for its unforgiving format, where one loss can mean the end of the journey.
“Every match is difficult. All the players are very strong and at a very high level. From the first round, you already have to play your best. My goal is to stay focused and try to win the first match, which is always the hardest step.”
Now one of the most experienced players in the field, FREITAS draws his motivation from constant self-improvement and adaptation to a changing sport.
“My motivation is to keep working and improving my game. Table tennis is faster now than before, and there are many young players coming up and playing very well. So I try to adapt, change small things in my game, and stay at the top level.”
After dealing with some physical issues that limited his competition schedule recently, FREITAS feels ready to push again.
“I haven’t played many events lately because of some physical problems, but now I’m feeling better. This year I want to play more tournaments and improve my world ranking.”
Looking ahead, his biggest objective remains clear.
“The Olympic Games are my biggest goal for the coming years. Of course, I also want to perform well at the Europeans, the Top 16, and the World Championships. These are the events that motivate me to keep traveling, practicing every day, and trying to reach strong results.”
Men’s event
In the Men’s event will play Truls MOREGARD of Sweden, Alexis LEBRUN of France, Felix LEBRUN of France, Darko JORGIC of Slovenia, Benedikt DUDA of Germany, Patrick FRANZISKA of Germany, Dang QIU of Germany, Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany, Anton KALLBERG of Sweden, Anders LIND of Denmark, Simon GAUZY of France, Jonathan GROTH of Denmark, Marcos FREITAS of Portugal, Eduard IONESCU of Romania.
Qualification Stage – Men
Alvaro ROBLES of Spain, Andrej GACINA of Croatia, Milosz REDZIMSKI of Poland, Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia, Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden, Daniel HABESOHN of Austria, Joao GERALDO of Portugal and Pedro OSIRO of Switzerland.
Reserve players
Iulian CHIRITA of Romania, Thibault PORET of France, Andre BERTELSMEIER of Germany, Martin ALLEGRO of Belgium, Adrien RASSENFOSSE of Belgium, Luka MLADENOVIC of Luxembourg, and Ovidiu IONESCU of Romania.
Women’s event
In the Women’s event will play Sabine WINTER of Germany, Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria, Bernadette SZOCS of Romania, Ying HAN of Germany, Jia Nan YUAN of France, Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania, Prithika PAVADE of France, Jieni SHAO of Portugal, Nina MITTELHAM of Germany, Linda BERGSTROM of Sweden, Fu YU of Portugal, Maria XIAO of Spain, Natalia BAJOR of Poland, Xiaona SHAN of Germany.
Qualification Stage
Anna HURSEY of Wales, Annett KAUFMANN of Germany, Charlotte
LUTZ of France, Andreea DRAGOMAN of Romania, Izabela LUPULESKU of Serbia, Lea RAKOVAC of Croatia, Georgina POTA of Hungary, Rachel MORET of Switzerland.
Reserve players
Christina KALLBERG of Sweden, Giorgia PICCOLIN of Italy, Britt EERLAND of the Netherlands, Yuan WAN of Germany, Gaia MONFARDINI of Italy, Adina DIACONU of Romania, and Ivana MALOBABIC of Croatia.
