The second Europe Youth Series tournament in 2024 the Türkiye Open will be held in Nevşehir Cappadocia from Wednesday to Sunday March 13th to 17th. Two age categories Under 13 and Under 15 will compete in three events: Mixed Teams Singles and Doubles for boys and girls. The first draws for individual events will take place on Wednesday March 13th. Seeding for team events will be based on the March 2024 U13 and U15 European Ranking considering the number of individual ranking points for the two highest-ranked boys and girls entered in a team. Seeding for the individual events will be based on the March U13 and U15 European Ranking. In the Mixed Teams Events Azerbaijan Belgium and Turkey will compete. In the singles category alongside these three nations players from Switzerland and Germany will also be participating.
Seven Teams Secure Final Spots for Paris 2024 Olympics Team Events
The latest ITTF World Team Ranking released on 4 March 2024 has allocated* the last seven coveted spots for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. Three men’s teams and four women’s teams have clinched their positions among the Olympic qualifiers setting the stage for an electrifying showdown this summer. The highest-ranked teams not yet qualified in the latest World Team Ranking booked their ticket to Paris 2024. In the women’s event India Poland Sweden and Thailand have earned their places in the Paris 2024 Olympics. Meanwhile on the men’s front Croatia India and Slovenia have secured their spots injecting an extra dose of adrenaline into the competition. Last month all quarter-finalists of the ITTF World Team Championships Finals in Busan 2024 booked their tickets to Paris. The unused quotas of the teams already qualified were reallocated to the March 2024 ITTF World Team Ranking With the final lineup now complete the roster for the Paris 2024 Olympics promises an unparalleled spectacle. Here are all the teams aiming for Olympic gold. Players will be seeded using the ITTF Table Tennis World Rankings published in July 2024. ITTF World Rankings published on 16 July 2024 be used for the seeding of Olympic events. Men’s Teams Australia (Continental Qualification) Brazil (Continental Qualification) Canada (Continental Qualification) China (Continental Qualification) Chinese Taipei (World Championships Qualification) Croatia (World Ranking Qualification – reallocated) Denmark (World Championships France (Host) Qualification) Egypt (Continental Qualification) Germany (World Championships Qualification) India (World Ranking Qualification – reallocated) Japan (World Championships Qualification) Korea Republic (World Championships Qualification) Portugal (World Championships Qualification) Slovenia (World Ranking Qualification) Sweden (Continental Qualification) Women’s Teams Australia (Continental Qualification) Brazil (Continental Qualification) China (Continental Qualification) Chinese Taipei (World Championships Qualification) Egypt (Continental Qualification) France (Host) Germany (Continental Qualification) Hong Kong China (World Championships Qualification) India (World Ranking Qualification – reallocated) Japan (World Championships Qualification) Korea Republic (World Championships Qualification) Poland (World Ranking Qualification – reallocated) Romania (World Championships Qualification) Sweden (World Ranking Qualification – reallocated) Thailand (World Ranking Qualification) USA (Continental Qualification)
Thrilling Victory for MUSEO DE LA ALMENDRA FRANCISCO MORALES
In a dramatic match MUSEO DE LA ALMENDRA FRANCISCO MORALES succeeded in winning the opening leg of the Europe Cup Women semi-final against CSM Constanta after several dramatic turns of events. In Spain the hosts recorded two opening match wins before the real drama began. Meng JIAQI overcame Alina MUSAT ZAHARIA in straight matches while Marija GALONJA widened the gap with a win over Elena ZAHARIA in four games. However Bianca MEI ROSU changed the course of the duel by defeating Patricia SANTOS after a long five-game match to narrow the gap. Elena ZAHARIA continued in the same style but more effectively needing only three games to beat the Chinese player Meng JIAQI. Marija GALONJA and Alina MUSAT continued to keep the fans on the edge of their seats in the decisive match. Alina initially had the advantage but GALONJA recovered to level the score and win the third game for a lead. Once again ZAHARIA leveled before GALONJA dominated in the decisive game. “It was a tough match! We knew it would be complicated and I’m glad we managed to win 3:2. This time I managed to win both matches against two very good players so I’m very satisfied. Although this is only the first leg in two weeks we play in Romania where it will surely be equally difficult. But we’re fighting forward giving our all to reach the desired final ” said GALONJA. There were several turnarounds. “Yes it could have been 3:0 for us. Patricia led 1:0 and 6:1 in the third match. In my last match with Alina it was really tense. I played against her only once and lost 3:1. This is the second time we’ve played and now I won 3:1. Against her I knew I had to give more than 100 percent to beat her ” said GALONJA. MUSEO DE LA ALMENDRA FRANCISCO MORALES – CSM Constanta 3-2 Meng JIAQI – Alina MUSAT (ZAHARIA) 3-0 (11-4 11-5 11-9) Marija GALONJA – Elena ZAHARIA 3-1 (11-4 8-11 11-8 11-8) Patricia SANTOS – Bianca MEI ROSU 2-3 (11-9 8-11 11-6 7-11 3-6) Meng JIAQI – Elena ZAHARIA 0-3 (8-11 5-11 8-11) Marija GALONJA – Alina MUSAT (ZAHARIA) 3-2 (4-11 11-8 11-8 6-11 6-1)
KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL TARNOBRZEG has secured a spot in the final aiming for their third consecutive title win
KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL TARNOBRZEG is one stage away from claiming their fourth crown in the Champions League Women the third in a row. Tonight they overcame the two-time winners and three-time runners-up LINZ AG Froschberg. After a 3-0 victory in the away match in Austria Poland’s champions were pushed to the limit tonight. In the opening duel Xiaoxin YANG managed to withstand Sofia POLCANOVA’s spirited comeback from 0-2 to 2-2 ultimately winning the decisive game. In another closely contested match FU Yu held a 2-1 advantage against Suthasini SAWETTABUT before the player from Thailand recovered to win the match nullifying TARNOBRZEG’s advantage. Elizabeta SAMARA won the key duel against Anastasia STERNER RADZIONAVA. With a 2-1 and 3-0 victory in the opening leg the champions secured their spot in the final. “We expected that they would challenge us fiercely; they were fighting for every ball. The key match was the opening one between Xiaoxin YANG and Sofia POLCANOVA. Xiaoxin showed incredible mental strength winning the first two games 13-11 each. Even when Sofia managed to level the score Xiaoxin performed fantastically. I had a slow start but after the opening set I got into the rhythm and secured the victory for the final. We won and now we are very happy to reach another final in the Champions League ” said Elizabeta SAMARA. In the final KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL TARNOBRZEG will meet the winner of the match between SKST Plus Hodonín and ETIVAL ASRTT. Second leg KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL TARNOBRZEG – LINZ AG Froschberg 3-2 Xiaoxin YANG- Sofia POLCANOVA 3-2 (13-11 13-11 8-11 8-11 6-4) Fu YU- Suthasini SAWETTABUT 2-3 (9-11 11-4 11-5 8-11 3-6) Elizabeta SAMARA – Anastasia STERNER RADZIONAVA (9-11 11-4 11-8 11-7) Xiaoxin YANG- Suthasini SAWETTABUT 2-3 (5-11 9-11 11-8 11-7 4-6) Fu YU- Andrea PAVLOVIC 3-0 (11-8 11-5 11-7) Opening leg LINZ AG Froschberg- KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL TARNOBRZEG 0-3 Sofia POLCANOVA – Fu YU 0-3 (7-11 8-11 8-11) Ivana MALOBABIC – Xiaoxin YANG 0-3 (3-11 4-11 4-11) Suthasini SAWETTABUT – Elizabeta SAMARA 2-3 (13-11 8-11 7-11 11-6 5-6)
KS DEKORGLASS DZIAŁDOWO Advances to Europe Cup Men’s Final in superb style
The winners of the Europe Cup men’s title in 2018 semi-finalists in 2019 and runners-up last year KS DEKORGLASS DZIAŁDOWO have once again reached the final. After securing a 3-1 victory in the opening leg in Austria against Felbermayr Wels today’s return leg played in Poland saw KS DEKORGLASS DZIAŁDOWO succeed by the same margin. Once again Jonathan GROTH proved to be the key player winning both of his matches against Felix WETZEL and Andreas LEVENKO boosting his record to 13 wins in 14 matches this season in Europe. His only loss came in November against Jin UEDA during Stage 2 in Group C of the Champions League in the match against SolexConsult TT Wiener Neustadt. In later stages of the Europe Cup GROTH remains unbeaten. Jakub DYJAS who lost his encounter in the opening duel three days ago against Andreas LEVENKO avenged his defeat in furious style tonight. Similarly Austria’s club player Jiri MARTINKO prevailed against Kaii KONISHI after an opening leg defeat. In the final the Polish side awaits the winner of the duel between KS DARTOM BOGORIA Grodzisk Mazowiecki and A.S PONTOISE-CERGY TT. “It was a very good match. The away duel was much more challenging. They played very well in their venue so we knew it was going to be a tough battle. We were very happy to clinch a 3-1 away victory which gave us the capacity to play more relaxed and have a much better performance at home ” explained Jakub DYJAS. The atmosphere in DZIAŁDOWO was fantastic. “We had great support here. More than 400 people were here tonight and made us very happy. Everyone from the team did a great job. It’s amazing that we moved to the final once again ” said Jakub DYJAS. Second leg KS DEKORGLASS DZIAŁDOWO – Felbermayr Wels 3-1 Jonathan GROTH – Felix WETZEL 3-1 (8-11 11-6 11-5 11-4) Jakub DYJAS – Andreas LEVENKO 3-0 (11-8 11-8 11-4) Kaii KONISHI – Jiri MARTINKO 0-3 (8-11 7-11 10-12) Jonathan GROTH – Andreas LEVENKO 3-1 (7-11 13-11 11-1 15-13) Opening leg Felbermayr Wels – KS DEKORGLASS DZIAŁDOWO 1-3 Andreas LEVENKO – Jakub DYJAS 3-1 (14-12 11-9 8-11 11-5) Maciej KOLODZIEJCZYK – Jonathan GROTH 0-3 (8-11 5-11 9-11) Jiri MARTINKO – Kaii KONISHI 1-3 (6-11 11-8 12-14 9-11) Andreas LEVENKO – Jonathan GROTH 1-3 (11-9 9-11 8-11 8-11)
Maria XIAO and Rafael De Las HERAS Win National Titles in Tarragona
María XIAO and Rafael De Las HERAS have claimed victory at the Absolute Spanish Table Tennis Championship held at the Palau d’Esports Catalunya in Tarragona. For Rafael De Las HERAS it marks his first national title a moment he celebrated by looking up to the sky dedicating the win to a fundamental figure in his life who introduced him to the world of table tennis. XIAO’S triumph marks her fourth overall title solidifying her status as a dominant figure in the national sport. This victory adds to her previous wins in 2014 2015 and 2016 consecutively. UCAM Cartagena TM player XIAO demonstrated her superiority throughout the 79th edition of the championship which was presided over by Carlos BRULL president of the Tourist Board of the Provincial Council of Tarragona; Isabel MASCARÓ 5th deputy mayor; RFETM president Miguel Ángel MACHADO; and RFETM events director Daniel VALERO. These officials presented the awards to the winners finalists and semi-finalists. In the final XIAO faced off against the young María BERZOSA who reached her first final in the Spanish Absolute Championship after a year of notable achievements including representing the Spanish senior team in European and world competitions. However XIAO emerged victorious with a resounding 4-0 win reaffirming her dominance in the championship. De Las HERAS staged a comeback in the final against Carlos FRANCO. After losing the first set 9-11 De Las HERAS rallied to win the next two sets 11-8 and 11-9 taking the lead. Franco claimed the fourth game 6-11 leveling the final at 2-2. Ultimately De Las HERAS triumphed with scores of 11-3 and 11-6 lifting his arms to the sky covering his face with a towel and celebrating with his family—a moment marking the most significant victory of his career. In the women’s doubles event the pair of Marija GALONJA and Natalya PROSVIRNINA secured their first victory overcoming their semifinal elimination in the individual competition. GALONJA and PROSVIRNINA defeated the Vic TT pair MOSCOSO/COLL 3-2. The defending champions CRISTÓBAL/SASTRE settled for bronze along with MIRAMONTES/RAMÍREZ. On the men’s side the duo of Álvaro GAINZA and Juan PÉREZ clinched their first doubles title defeating Miguel Ángel VILCHEZ and Carlos FRANCO 3-0. Semifinalists VILARDELL/PONS and NUÑEZ/LILLO completed the podium. Additionally the mixed doubles title went to the duo of Jana RIERA and Juan PÉREZ securing their first victory by defeating Albert VILARDELL and Silvia COLL 3-1 in the final. The bronze medalists were the pair of Iker MARTÍNEZ and Ángela RODRÍGUEZ as well as María BERZOSA and Daniel BERZOSA.
Save the Date – Finlandia Open 2024
The 33rd edition of the Finlandia Open is scheduled to take place from December 5th to December 8th 2024 at the Kisakallio Sports Institute in Lohja. This competition is officially recognized by the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) and holds ETTU ranking status. The tournament will feature Men’s and Women’s Singles events as well as Under 21 events for both men and women. Deadlines: Preliminary entries: October 1st 2024 Final entries: November 1st 2024 Travel details: November 20th 2024 Finnish Table Tennis Association e- mail: info@sptl.fi
SH-ITB Budaörsi St Club clinched opening leg win in Portugal
Two-time runners-up in the Europe Cup Women Hungarian SH-ITB Budaörsi St Club are on track to secure a spot in the final for the third time. In the opening leg of the penultimate stage of the Europe Cup the Hungarian team defeated Clube Ténis de Mesa de Mirandela in Portugal. SH-ITB Budaörsi needed four matches to overcome their opponents and the two opening matches were very close. In the first match Annamaria ERDELYI pushed Georgina POTA to the full distance and similarly in the duel between Jingyi ZHOU and Dora MADARASZ the guests demonstrated better nerves in the close finishes. Despite facing severe pressure POTA and MADARASZ managed to create a gap that was difficult for the hosts to overcome. Ines MATOS scored the only point for the hosts in the duel against Maria FAZEKAS winning in three games while in the fourth match Dora MADARASZ needed one more game to overcome ERDELYI. Clube Ténis de Mesa de Mirandela- SH-ITB Budaörsi St Club 1-3 Annamaria ERDELYI – Georgina POTA 2-3 (9-11 15-13 11-4 6-11 1-6) Jingyi ZHOU – Dora MADARASZ 2-3 (11-4 5-11 5-11 11-9 1-6) Ines MATOS – Maria FAZEKAS 3-0 (11-6 11-7 11-9) Annamaria ERDELYI – Dora MADARASZ 1-3 (7-11 8-11 11-4 8-11)
Dominant Performance by Reigning Champions in Champions League Women
Reigning champions in the Champions League Women KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL TARNOBRZEG were in the fast lane tonight. In the opening leg of the semi-final the Polish champions beat LINZ AG Froschberg in straight matches. Unlike the very close quarterfinal and two legs that ended in five matches and required a gold match the opening leg of the penultimate stage was finished in the express lane. “The team was fantastic tonight. We were very motivated ” said Elizabeta SAMARA. “Fu Yu performed at the top level tonight. She was superb. Xiao Xin was also at a high level.” SAMARA was forced to go the full distance. She beat Suthasini SAWETTABUT by the death point. “In the key moments I was more focused but I have to give credit to SAWETTABUT for a very tough fight.” The return leg will be played in Poland on Saturday. In the other semi-final SKST Plus Hodonín will meet ETIVAL ASRTT. LINZ AG Froschberg- KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL TARNOBRZEG 0-3 Sofia POLCANOVA – Fu YU 0-3 (7-11 8-11 8-11) Ivana MALOBABIC – Xiaoxin YANG 0-3 (3-11 4-11 4-11) Suthasini SAWETTABUT – Elizabeta SAMARA 2-3 (13-11 8-11 7-11 11-6 5-6)
First Eurotalents Development Camp in 2024 commenced in Bucharest
The first Eurotalents Development Camp of the year has officially started running from February 28th to March 6th 2024 in Izvorani Bucharest. This event brings together 44 Under 13 athletes with 20 girls and 24 boys from 14 associations to engage in a week of intensive training. The camp is guided by Head Coach Anamaria SEBE and the ETTU Assigned coach Zoltan BATORFI Assistant Coach Andreea ZANFIR and Physical Trainer Andrei GHERASE. The Romanian Table Tennis Federation in collaboration with the European Table Tennis Union is proud to host this gathering at the Romanian Olympic Centre “Sydney2000” a facility renowned for its world-class amenities and conducive training environment. The following players have been selected to be part of the Eurotalents 2024 Program: Yaghmur MAMMADLI Azerbaijan Temperance TANG Belgium Laura MARSICKOVA Czechia Esther HASEK Spain Eloisa BARREDA Spain Eva LAM France Albane ROCHUT France Lisa ZHAO France Emilia PSCOLOVSKA Lithuania Andreea DELEV Moldova Maria Joana RUIVO Portugal Nadalia IONASCU Romania Alexandra STOIAN Romania Teodora HORVAT SRB Siri BENJEGARD Sweden Ela Su YONTER Türkiye Buse KOCAK Türkiye. Boys: Daniel GSCHANES Austria Onur GULUZADE Azerbaijan Miroslav SCHMID Bulgaria Ondrej MORAVEK Czechia Ladimir MAYOROV Spain Alexander MALOV Spain Roger QUESADA Spain Jimi KOIVUMÄKI Finland Nolan JOHNSTON France Simon CLIN France Marin JEAN France Noah TESSIER France Stefan BONCHEV IRE Peadar SHERIDAN Ireland Andrei MISCISIN Moldova David TORO Romania Alexandru POP Romania Emil ELLERMANN Sweden Ali Enes SEREN Türkiye Kuzey GUNDOGDU Türkiye Ocal GORKEM Türkiye Volodymyr NEVIZHYN Ukraine.
