The qualification stage of the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup got underway today at the Omnisports venue in Montreux.
On Thursday, eight players in both the Men’s and Women’s events are competing for the final two places in the Round of 16. The qualification is played over two rounds, with the winners of the second round securing their spots in the main draw.
All matches of the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup will be available live worldwide on ETTU.tv and YouTube ETTU official, except in the following countries and territories, where specific broadcast agreements apply and access is restricted (geo-blocked). In these regions, fans should follow the tournament exclusively on the official local broadcasters listed here.
See the pictures by Remi GROS here.
In the opening round, top seed Anna HURSEY of Wales recorded a swift straight-games victory over Georgina POTA of Hungary 11-6, 11-4, 11-8 .
Annett KAUFMANN came under early pressure in her match against Lea RAKOVAC of Croatia. After narrowly losing the opening game, the German player quickly imposed her dominance and took control of the contest.
In a closely contested encounter, Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia secured a straight-games victory over Daniel HABESOHN of Austria, despite the narrow margins in each game. PUCAR held his composure in the key moments to seal a 3-0 win and move forward in the competition.
Iulian CHIRITA of Romania and Andrej GACINA of Croatia delivered the closest match in the morning program. Following a dominant start by CHIRITA, GACINA mounted a strong comeback, taking control with precise placement and sharp angles from corner to corner to force a decider. The Croatian led 9-4 in the final game, but CHIRITA responded with an impressive late surge, leveling the score and closing out the match to prevail 3-1 (11-8, 11-7, 5-11, 11-9).
Izabela LUPULESKU became the first Serbian woman in this century to compete at the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup and marked her appearance in style. On her debut, she defeated Andreea DRAGOMAN of Romania in four games to secure a memorable victory. Last time someone from Serbia was on the list was in 1992, when Gordana PERKUCIN represented Yugoslavia.
Charlotte LUTZ of France disappointed the home supporters by overcoming Switzerland’s Rachel MORET in straight games, delivering a confident performance to advance.
Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden fought back from a two-game deficit to force a decider against João GERALDO of Portugal in one of the closest and most entertaining matches of the day, highlighted by a series of powerful rallies. The deciding game remained level until 6-6, when GERALDO held his nerve in the closing stages to secure victory.
Álvaro ROBLES of Spain completed the opening round with a victory over Pedro OSIRO of Switzerland. The host nation representative gave the crowd reason to cheer by taking the opening game, but ROBLES quickly leveled the score. The final two games were closely contested, with the Spaniard holding firm to secure the win.
Opening round
Georgina POTA of Hungary – Anna HURSEY of Wales 0-3 (6-11, 4-11, 8-11)
Annett KAUFMANN of Germany – Lea RAKOVAC of Croatia 3-1 (9-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-6)
Daniel HABESOHN of Austria – Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia 0-3 (8-11, 11-13, 9-11)
Andrej GACINA of Croatia – Iulian CHIRITA of Romania 1-3 (8-11, 7-11, 11-5, 9-11)
Andreea DRAGOMAN of Romania – Izabela LUPULESKU of Serbia 1-3 (9-11, 11-6, 5-11, 8-11)
Rachel MORET of Switzerland – Charlotte LUTZ of France 0-3( 5-11, 4-11, 5-11)
Joao GERALDO of Portugal – Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden 3-2 (11-5, 13-11, 5-11, 5-11, 11-8)
Alvaro ROBLES of Spain – Pedro OSIRO of Switzerland 3-1 (9-11, 11-5, 12-10, 11-8)
