The ETTU Development Program for 2023 concluded with the U15/17 Development Camp in Hennebont held from December 17th to 23rd. This camp was a blend of intensive training and essential education featuring a key session on cyberbullying prevention. Dyktia led this interactive session focusing on the responsible use of digital tools and strategies to combat cyberbullying a vital topic for young athletes in the public eye. The camp’s success was further enhanced by the expertise of the coaches who led the camp Adrian Crisan Jérôme Boyer from Hennebont Ping Center and ETTU Assigned Coach Zvonimir Korenic who brought a wealth of experience and skill to the training sessions. Looking forward to 2024 the ETTU remains committed to nurturing young talent through a series of Eurotalents and Development Camps across Europe. With events scheduled in Romania Czechia Latvia and France the 2024 calendar promises a rich mix of training cultural exchange and community building within the sport.
ITTF World Team Championships Finals 2024 Draw Sets the Stage for an Electrifying Showdown in Busan
The draw for the eagerly awaited ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Busan 2024 Presented by BNK Busan Bank unfolded today at the Busan e-Sports Arena signifying a milestone as Korea Republic hosts this event for the first time. Anticipation surges as the stage is now set. In a month exactly from 16 to 25 February the pinnacle of table tennis talent from across the globe will vie for the prestigious title. The defending champions China occupy the top-seeded positions in both the men’s and women’s team events at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals Busan 2024 Presented by BNK Busan Bank. In the Women’s Teams draw China is placed in Group 1 with Hungary India Spain and Uzbekistan. While Hungary has a long history of medalling in the championships they will be hard-pressed to get past the defending champions. Led by World No.1 SUN Yingsha Team China is chasing their 23rd title in the event and are frontrunners to top the podium once again. Looking to improve on the semifinal finish in 2022 Team Korea Republic is in Group 5 and will face stiff competition. Korea’s top-ranked SHIN Yubin will look to shine as she takes on a determined Team Puerto Rico led by Adriana DIAZ. Italy Malaysia and Cuba will also be out to cause an upset in February. On the Men’s Teams front the world’s top two players FAN Zhendong and WANG Chuqin will spearhead China’s campaign. Their first hurdles back to the podium have been set with Croatia Hungary Belgium and Cuba all fighting for a place in the main draw. Croatia will prove the toughest task for World No.1 China with the outfit led by Andrej GACINA looking for an upset win to sure up their spot in the knockout rounds. Elsewhere in the Men’s Teams hometown heroes Korea Republic landed in Group 3 with India Poland Chile and New Zealand. The local stars will be eyeing to improve on their bronze medals won at the 2022 edition in Chengdu. Both the Men’s and Women’s Teams events will see eight groups of five teams looking to advance to the knockout rounds. Each match is decided by best of five singles matches with individual matches being best of five games. Each group will play a round-robin meaning each team faces off against the other four teams in their group. After the round-robin is completed the top three teams from each group advance to the knockout phase. 24 teams advance in total getting a final shot at the title. Group winners will receive seeded positions with the rest drawn into the knockout rounds in a way that ensures teams from the same group won’t meet again in the first round.
Top 16 Champion from 2018 Bernadette SZOCS is No. 1 Seed at the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup
Top 16 champion from 2018 Bernadette SZOCS is set to grace the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup as the top seed. This marks her 10th appearance in Montreux Switzerland. In the previous year she finished fifth while 2022 saw Bernadette reaching the semifinals. In 2021 in Thessaloniki the Romanian player secured a third-place finish and in 2019 she was the runner-up. “I am very excited to be back in Montreux for Top 16. Can’t wait!” said SZOCS. Joining her in Switzerland will be other top players including Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria Jia Nan YUAN of France Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania Nina MITTELHAM of Germany Linda BERGSTROM of Sweden Prithika PAVADE of France Natalia BAJOR of Poland Xia Lian NI Jieni SHAO and Fu YU of Portugal Tatiana KUKULKOVA and Barbora BALAZOVA of Slovakia Maria XIAO of Spain and Rachel MORET. Reigning champion Ying HAN of Germany was forced to withdraw and the name of her replacement will be revealed at the beginning of the week. “Everyone participating is a top player so all of them are in the best shape and ready for Top 16. I have to be focused in all the matches and play my best. I am not afraid of anyone ” stated SZOCS. Last week she competed at the WTT Star Contender in Doha losing in the Round of 32 against Swede Linda BERGSTROM. Despite the setback Bernadette affirmed that she is in good shape and as always sets her goal to reach the very top. “I am ready for all the obstacles! My goal for Top 16 of course is to win.” Reflecting on 2023 SZOCS considered it a very good year. “I played in Nagoya where the top 16 players from around the world gathered. At the WTT Champions in Frankfurt I reached the quarterfinals. In Germany I secured another victory against the Olympic champion CHENG Meng for the second time.” The European Games brought further success with SZOCS becoming the European Champion in singles and team events as well as securing third place in mixed doubles. She also finished second in the team event in Malmo at the European Championships. In singles she recorded valuable wins against Chinese players and other top players from Asia. As for her wish in 2024? “My wish for the new year is to win an Olympic medal in Paris 2024! Of course if it can be a gold one I will be the happiest person in the world.”
2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup: Qualification event to the World Cup
The world’s table tennis governing body confirmed today that the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup will serve as a qualification event for four women and four men players to advance to the World Cup. The finest players from Europe will convene at the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux scheduled for Saturday January 20th and Sunday January 21st 2024 marking its 53rd edition. The Men’s and Women’s Singles World Cups are set to unfold in the city of Macao China in April 2024. In the Men’s event in Montreux players such as Felix LEBRUN of France Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany his compatriot Dang QIU and Slovenia’s Darko JORGIC will compete. Additionally Swede Anton KALLBERG Portugal’s Marcos FREITAS Swede Truls MOREGARD Felix’s brother Alexis LEBRUN Liam PITCHFORD of England Danes Jonathan GROTH and Anders LIND Portugal’s Joao GERALDO Spain’s Alvaro ROBLES Croatia’s Tomislav PUCAR Ukraine’s Yaroslav ZHMUDENKO and the host nation representative Loic STOLL will participate. The 2024 China Construction Bank Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux will show top players in the Women’s event including Bernadette SZOCS of Romania Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria Jia Nan YUAN of France Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania Nina MITTELHAM of Germany Linda BERGSTROM of Sweden Prithika PAVADE of France Natalia BAJOR of Poland Xia Lian NI Jieni SHAO and Fu YU of Portugal Tatiana KUKULKOVA and Barbora BALAZOVA of Slovakia Maria XIAO of Spain and Rachel MORET. However reigning champion Ying HAN of Germany was forced to withdraw. The identity of her replacement filling the 16th position will be revealed at the beginning of next week.
Anto Triumphs as European Virtual Table Tennis Champion
The European Virtual Table Tennis Challenge a thrilling competition that began on the 22nd of October reached its culmination today in Düsseldorf Germany. Emerging victorious from the virtual battleground Anto of France secured the prestigious title showing his exceptional skills throughout the tournament. In a fiercely contested final Anto faced off against his compatriot NATPING ultimately triumphing with a 3-2 victory. The battle for the third position was equally intense with Brit Hurricane and Germany’s Magnic going head-to-head. In the end Brit Hurricane secured the third spot. The European Virtual Table Tennis Challenge not only provided an engaging platform for top-tier competition but also showed the global appeal and adaptability of the sport in the virtual realm. Germany’s star Dimitrij OVTCHAROV was also present today in Düsseldorf.
CCB Europe Top 16 Cup Reigning champion Ying Han was forced to withdraw
Reigning champion Ying Han of Germany was forced to withdraw from the 2024 edition of the China Construction Bank Europe Top 16 Cup due to injury. Ying HAN residing in Düsseldorf and a player of the Polish Champions League winner Tarnobrzeg faces an extended break. HAN had to withdraw from both the Europe Top 16 Cup in Switzerland (January 20/21 in Montreux) and the Team World Championships in South Korea (February 16-25 in Busan). The substitute for Ying HAN in the elite field where only two players from one nation are allowed is yet to be decided. Xiaona SHAN is listed as the first replacement but she is not fully fit due to neck and shoulder problems. The European Championships third-place finisher will wait until Tuesday before deciding on her potential participation. If SHAN also doesn’t travel to Montreux the German champion Sabine WINTER (Dachau) and Under 19 World Championships third-place Annett KAUFANN (Böblingen) would be the next candidates in that order. The tournament established in 1971 with twelve players also features previous winners Nina MITTELHAM (Berlin) in 2021 Dang QIU (Düsseldorf) the men’s runner-up from the previous year and the five-time winner Dimitrij OVTCHAROV (Neu-Ulm) representing Germany.
2021 Surprise Champion Nina MITTELHAM Ready for Action Again
At the Europe Top 16 Cup in 2021 Nina MITTELHAM stepped in as a substitute following the withdrawals of Petrissa SOLJA and HAN Ying in Thessaloniki securing her first major trophy by the event’s end. Last year she claimed a third-place finish in her fourth appearance at the tournament. Now listed as the World No. 21 at the 2024 China Construction Bank Europe Top 16 Cup Nina is ready to compete once more. With a silver medal at the 2022 European Championships in Munich a silver medal at the European Games in the Teams event last year a gold in Mixed Doubles from the 2023 Kraków–Małopolska and a bronze at the World Championships in Chengdu Nina has significantly added to her accolades since her success in Greece. “My chances of winning the title at the Europe Top 16 are the same as in previous years and the favorites for the title remain unchanged. I’ve trained well and am in good shape. My first goal is to win a medal. But of course I can’t hide the fact that I also want to win the title. As always a lot will depend on how I perform on the day. Of course I hope that I might be able to qualify for the World Cup via the Europe Top 16 if possible. But there is no need for extra motivation for the Europe Top 16. It’s a very important prestigious tournament for me and I really enjoy playing it ” said Nina MITTELHAM. The 2024 China Construction Bank Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux will feature top players such as Ying HAN of Germany Bernadette SZOCS of Romania (2018 titleholder) Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria Jia Nan YUAN of France Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania Linda BERGSTROM of Sweden Prithika PAVADE of France Natalia BAJOR of Poland Xia Lian NI Jieni SHAO and Fu YU of Portugal Tatiana KUKULKOVA and Barbora BALAZOVA of Slovakia Maria XIAO of Spain and Rachel MORET.
Marcos FREITAS Eyes Fourth Podium Finish
The 2024 edition of the China Construction Bank Europe Top 16 Cup marks the 10th appearance for Portugal’s star Marcos FREITAS. The winner of the 2014 edition in Lausanne and a two-time runner-up in 2021 and 2015 he finished ninth last season. Currently Marcos is participating in the WTT Star Contender Doha 2024. “I will start tomorrow and I still await the name of my adversary. I hope to perform well here. This is my first tournament of the year after a very successful end to 2023. I am thrilled with the results we achieved with the club. A.S PONTOISE-CERGY TT had good results in the National League and the Champions League. I hope to continue in the same vein ” said FREITAS. Marcos’ confidence comes from his satisfaction with his current form. “I am in good form. I feel confident because my body is strong now. Here in Doha the top players are listed and the level of the quality of the players is very strong. It is almost at the World Championships level of the tournament. I will have to play at the top level to achieve a good result.” Afterwards Marcos will fly back to Europe where the 2024 CBB Europe Top 16 Cup will take place in Montreux on Saturday January 20th and Sunday January 21st. “I have played there so many times and I am proud of my three podium finishes in the past. As always my goal is to go as far as possible. It is a short event; in two days anything could happen. I am focused on good preparations to overcome the opening duel and then to fight for a place on the podium. There are always a lot of spectators; it is one of the most important events in the calendar and I always enjoy playing there. Montreux is an iconic place that always makes me look forward to coming back ” said FREITAS. For sure fierce competition also makes the event worthy. At this year’s edition alongside FREITAS in Montreux are players such as Felix LEBRUN of France Dimitrij OVTCHAROV and Dang QIU of Germany Slovenian Darko JORGI Swedes Anton KALLBERG and Truls MOREGARD Alexis LEBRUN of France Liam PITCHFORD of England Danes Jonathan GROTH and Anders LIND Portugal’s Joao GERALDO Spain’s Alvaro ROBLES Croatia’s Tomislav PUCAR Ukraine’s Yaroslav ZHMUDENKO and the host nation representative Loic STOLL. “It is hard to choose one favorite. There are a lot of good players. I have to note there are many young players coming up and improving really fast which is good for the sport. For sure we have players from older generations still in good shape with vast experience. I am sure it will be interesting for the spectators and for the people who follow our sport to see youngsters coming strong in the clash with the elders who are trying to keep up with the young ones. That is a good moment for the sport and good news for European table tennis having a bright future ahead of us.” What is your highlight of 2023? “The best moment for me was the recovery from the injury. I struggled for a long time and 2023 brought me a new chance and a new beginning after I finally managed to break free from the injuries. I built up my shape and body and from the summer I started to play more and to improve my game with regular training. Alongside that improvement came the second place at the European Games in singles the title at the WTT Contender in Peru and a semifinal at the WTT Contender Almaty. But on top of all it was to recover physically and to return to the training as I used to.” What are your top goals in 2024? “I want to keep my body strong and play well because this is an important year for us. The 2024 Olympics are close and I hope I will be qualified because that is the most important milestone in my career every four years.”
Felix LEBRUN: Setting Goals High in Montreux as the No. 1 Seed
Ranked as the world’s No. 8 Felix LEBRUN is leading the pack of Europe’s finest players gathered at the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux scheduled for Saturday January 20th and Sunday January 21st 2024. No surprise here as this has been a breakout year for the 17-year-old phenom Felix LEBRUN who secured a spot in the top 10 worldwide. The penholder wizard known for his upset prowess boasts an impressive 67% upset rate every time he steps onto the courts. Beside participated in the WTT Finals Men Doha LEBRUN was also teamed up with his brother Alexis LEBRUN in the Men’s Doubles event. They reached the semi finals. “I am very happy to make my debut at Montreux this year. I am hoping for a great tournament in front of many people and many great players ” stated LEBRUN. The list of players includes Europe’s “finest” at the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup: World’s number 12 a five-time tournament winner Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany; his compatriot QIU Dang and Slovenia’s Darko JORGIC reigning champion; Swede Anton KALLBERG Portugal’s Marcos FREITAS Swede Truls MOREGARD Felix’ brother Alexis LEBRUN Liam PITCHFORD of England Danes Jonathan GROTH and Anders LIND Portugal’s Joao GERALDO Spain’s Alvaro ROBLES Croatia’s Tomislav PUCAR Ukraine’s Yaroslav ZHMUDENKO and the host nation representative Loic STOLL. “I think every player is strong because there is only the top of Europe in this tournament but I think Dima OVTCHAROV with all his experience and skills can be very dangerous for everybody ” added Felix. During your early days in the sport were there any top European stars you looked up to? “Of course Timo BOLL is not in the tournament but I watched him a lot before. Also I watched Truls MOREGARD live when he made the final of the World Championships ” revealed Felix. Reflecting on 2023 what do you consider the highlight of the year? “In 2023 I had a mesmerizing year with lots of great memories. Obviously my victory in the European Games last summer in Poland was amazing for me. The highlight of 2023 is the month of October when I played so well in Lanzhou Antalya and Frankfurt won my first title in WTT and only lost against MA Long in front of an amazing crowd every time! In 2024 I am already on the road now in Doha and after that I go directly to Top 16.” Are you satisfied with your shape now? “I feel very good; my physical condition is good. I played at a good level in the last few tournaments so I’m ready for Montreux.” What goals do you have for the Top 16? “My goals for the Top 16 are to take the title this year. I know it will be difficult because there are only top players but I started the tournament as the number 1 in the seedings so I think I have my chances to win the tournament this year.” Lastly could you share your goals for 2024? “My goals for 2024 are to take one medal in the World Team Championships in Busan and qualify for the Paris Olympics and try to play at my best level there ” stated Felix LEBRUN.
Borussia Düsseldorf clinched the German Table Tennis Cup for the 28th time
Borussia Düsseldorf clinched the German Table Tennis Cup for the 28th time. In the LIEBHERR Cup Final Four Timo BOLL and his team first defeated ASV Grünwettersbach and then clinched the title in the final against 1. FC Saarbrücken TT thus claiming the first title of the season. The organizing German Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) can rejoice with around 5000 fans in the once again sold-out ratiopharm arena Ulm/Neu-Ulm confirming the spectator record. Timo BOLL showed an unusually emotional side on Sunday afternoon. With raised arms a broad grin and visibly satisfied the table tennis superstar took a lap around the arena. Just moments before BOLL with Borussia Düsseldorf won the German Table Tennis Cup final against 1. FC Saarbrücken TT with a score of 3:0 BOLL himself sealed the final with a decisive point. Against Darko JORGIC he found himself a 1:2 in reverse at one point but fought back to the deciding set. Under the rhythmic applause of the audience BOLL took a 9:0 lead sealing the fate of the final. A short time later the Düsseldorf players embraced each other celebrating the 28th cup victory in the club’s history and the first since 2021. In the previous two years Düsseldorf had been runners-up in the final. For BOLL it was the 13th cup victory of his career. “I performed well and for the first time in a long while I can truly be satisfied with my performance ” BOLL said afterward. “In such a moment you realize that all the hard work has paid off. Now I hope to maintain this level.” The history of finals between the two teams is rich as they have faced each other repeatedly in recent years. The Düsseldorf vs. Saarbrücken duel took place three times in a row in the Liebherr TTBL final for the German Team Championship and last season they met in the Champions League final as well. The two rivals have more title chances this season in the Table Tennis Bundesliga and once again in the Champions League: In the TTBL Düsseldorf leads as the table topper before Saarbrücken in the second half of the season; in the premier league both teams are in the Final Four scheduled for the Easter weekend at FCS. “I am very happy – the title was of course our goal ” said QIU. In 2020 he had already won the cup with Grünwettersbach and now he followed with his first triumph in the Düsseldorf jersey. The 27-year-old had returned from the WTT Finals the day before where he had eliminated two Chinese players and sensationally celebrated third place. “The preparation was not ideal with the travel stress and the equipment change ” said QIU “but in the end the main thing is that we won the cup.” Coach Danny HEISTER gave extra praise to the entire team: “I am incredibly proud of the entire team ” said the 52-year-old. “Now the first title is here and we can take a breather. The pressure is always high in Düsseldorf but that’s part of it.” Final 1. FC Saarbrücken TT – Borussia Düsseldorf 0:3 Yuto Muramatsu – Dang Qiu 0:3 (7:11 6:11 5:11) Patrick Franziska – Anton Källberg 0:3 (3:11 8:11 6:11) Darko Jorgic – Timo Boll 2:3 (7:11 12:10 11:6 10:12 2:11) Semifinals Borussia Düsseldorf – ASV Grünwettersbach 3:1 Anton Källberg – Deni Kozul 3:1 (11:3 5:11 12:10 12:10) Dang Qiu – Tiago Apolonia 0:3 (8:11 9:11 9:11) Timo Boll – Ricardo Walther 3:0 (17:15 11:5 11:4) Anton Källberg – Tiago Apolonia 3:2 (11:9 9:11 11:4 7:11 11:5) TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT 2:3 Hugo Calderano – Darko Jorgic 2:3 (12:10 4:11 8:11 11:6 8:11) Alvaro Robles – Yuto Muramatsu 3:1 (10:12 11:8 11:9 11:7) Simon Gauzy – Patrick Franziska 2:3 (8:11 7:11 12:10 11:5 8:11) Hugo Calderano – Cedric Meissner 3:0 (11:7 11:2 11:4) Alvaro Robles/Simon Gauzy – Cedric Meissner/Patrick Franziska 1:3 (3:11 11:8 5:11 7:11)
