After losing to Polish team KS GLOBAL PHARMA ORLICZ 1924 SUCHEDNIÓW in the Round of 16 of the Champions League Men, French club A.S. PONTOISE-CERGY TT continued their journey in the Europe Cup Men Round of 16. However, they stumbled at the first hurdle. REAL CLUB CAJASUR PRIEGO TENIS DE MESA secured a victory in the opening leg on home soil. Carlos MACHADO defeated Tristan FLORE and Mehdi BOULOUSSA, while Alejandro CALVO overcame Thomas LAROCHE. Unfortunately, Alberto LILLO suffered an injury at the very start of his opening game against Mehdi BOULOUSSA, but the Spanish team still concluded the match victoriously. “I am very happy that I am still able to play at the top level,” said MACHADO. “In addition, we are very pleased to have secured the win today, even though we played without our ‘foreigners.’ I expect we will face much more difficulty in France, but we will fight.” The next match will be played on February 14th.Europe Cup Men Round of 16 REAL CLUB CAJASUR PRIEGO TENIS DE MESA – A.S PONTOISE-CERGY TT 3-1 Carlos MACHADO – Tristan FLORE 3-1 (11-7, 11-4, 5-11, 11-8) Alberto LILLO – Mehdi BOULOUSSA 0-3 Alejandro CALVO – Thomas LAROCHE 3-2 (13-11, 4-11, 15-13, 5-11, 6-14) Carlos MACHADO – Mehdi BOULOUSSA 3-1 (11-5, 7-11, 12-10, 11-6)
Apuania Carrara Clinches Fourth Consecutive Italian Super Cup
At the Palasport in Avenza, in front of a passionate home crowd, Apuania Carrara celebrated their fourth consecutive Italian Super Cup triumph by defeating their historic rivals, Top Spin Messina Watches Together, 5-3. The victory was particularly special as Top Spin Messina had won the Super Cup in 2019 and 2020. The trophy was presented by FITeT President Renato DI NAPOLI. The match was played across two tables and showcased thrilling action from start to finish. In the first round, Apuania Carrara took a commanding lead, with Croatia’s Tomislav PUCAR defeating Niagol STOYANOV and Portugal’s João MONTEIRO, a former Top Spin player, overcoming Tommaso GIOVANNETTI. Top Spin Messina fought back in the second round. Moldova’s Vladislav URSU prevailed over Mihai BOBOCICA, but MONTEIRO maintained Apuania’s momentum by defeating STOYANOV. The third round brought excitement for Top Spin Messina as they leveled the match 3-3. URSU secured a victory against PUCAR, and GIOVANNETTI outplayed Matteo MUTTI. In the decisive fourth round, MONTEIRO completed a hat-trick by defeating URSU, and MUTTI sealed the win for Apuania by overcoming STOYANOV in a thrilling five-game match. “It was a heart-stopping match,” said Apuania Carrara President Guglielmo BELLOTTI. “Top Spin Messina confirmed they are a very strong team. We started well, but they came back, and at one point, anything could have happened. When MUTTI beat STOYANOV in the penultimate singles, we could finally breathe a sigh of relief. MONTEIRO was undoubtedly the man of the match with his hat-trick, especially his victory over URSU, who impressed me with his game intelligence. PUCAR also played an important role, and I’m sure if he had been needed for the last singles, he would have delivered his best table tennis. We are extremely satisfied with this fourth Super Cup victory.” Table 1 Table 2
City of Zagreb Honored Tino ČASL with Lifetime Achievement Award
At the ceremony honoring the best athletes of the City of Zagreb in 2024, three individuals from the world of table tennis received awards, including two lifetime achievement awards. The recipients were Dr. Martin Tino ČASL, President of STK Dr. ČASL, and Aleksa KOCIJAN, a member of the Supervisory Board of the Croatian Table Tennis Association (HSTS), who was nominated for this award in the field of sports recreation. Mirela Šikoronja IVANČIN, coach of Paralympic gold medalist Anđela MUŽINIĆ VINCETIĆ and a member of the Executive Board of HSTS, was named the most successful coach. Dr. ČASL has been involved in competitive sports (table tennis, tennis, basketball, and handball) for a remarkable 56 years. Over the years, he has been an athlete, and for the past 16 years, he has served as the president of the Dr. ČASL Table Tennis Club. Additionally, he has held key roles as Vice President of the Croatian Table Tennis Association, Vice President of the Zagreb Table Tennis Association, and a member of the Executive Board of the Women’s European Champions League. Under his leadership, the club has achieved extraordinary success: The pinnacle of his career came with the club’s victory in the Women’s Champions League in 2018 and their runner-up finish in 2019. In June 2024, the women’s team won the Europe Trophy, marking their sixth different title. No other club in history has won such a diverse range of competitions.
