In the opening match in the Champions League Stage 2 in Group C the French team GRAND-QUEVILLY ALCL caught LINZ AG Froschberg off guard. With a 2:3 loss in the home game Linz women find themselves under pressure unusually early. Now Etival ASRTT (FRA) a team from France that can be considered stronger is coming to Linz and they caused quite a headache for the Linz team last year. In contrast to the first ECL game the Linz women are well-prepared this time and they go into the game against Etival with renewed confidence. LINZ AG Froschberg under high tension Sofia POLCANOVA who after her strong performance at the Frankfurt Masters with absolutely sensational world-class rallies against China’s WANG Yidi the world’s number 5 managed to forget her perceived training gap. Certainly POLCANOVA’S incredible fast “come-back” once again should provide her and the Froschberg team with the necessary support and self-confidence for this crucial home game on Sunday. “I felt really good in Frankfurt I realized that things are heading in the right direction again both physically and mentally. My hip held up very well. I’m ready for Sunday very positive.” Unlike the last Champions League match Suthasini SAWETTABUT who could only arrive at the game on the day of the match due to being extremely tired from the WTT tournament in Antalya was able to arrive in time this time and prepare accordingly. With Yana NOSKOVA who in 2018 alongside Sofia POLCANOVA won the silver medal in the women’s doubles at the European Championships in Alicante the Linz team can deploy an internationally experienced player in this encounter and strengthen the Linz Team.
LINZ AG Froschberg ready for Etival ASRTT
In the opening match in the Champions League Stage 2 in Group C the French team GRAND-QUEVILLY ALCL caught LINZ AG Froschberg off guard. With a 2:3 loss in the home game Linz women find themselves under pressure unusually early. Now Etival ASRTT (FRA) a team from France that can be considered stronger is coming to Linz and they caused quite a headache for the Linz team last year. In contrast to the first ECL game the Linz women are well-prepared this time and they go into the game against Etival with renewed confidence. LINZ AG Froschberg under high tension Sofia POLCANOVA who after her strong performance at the Frankfurt Masters with absolutely sensational world-class rallies against China’s WANG Yidi the world’s number 5 managed to forget her perceived training gap. Certainly POLCANOVA’S incredible fast “come-back” once again should provide her and the Froschberg team with the necessary support and self-confidence for this crucial home game on Sunday. “I felt really good in Frankfurt I realized that things are heading in the right direction again both physically and mentally. My hip held up very well. I’m ready for Sunday very positive.” Unlike the last Champions League match Suthasini SAWETTABUT who could only arrive at the game on the day of the match due to being extremely tired from the WTT tournament in Antalya was able to arrive in time this time and prepare accordingly. With Yana NOSKOVA who in 2018 alongside Sofia POLCANOVA won the silver medal in the women’s doubles at the European Championships in Alicante the Linz team can deploy an internationally experienced player in this encounter and strengthen the Linz Team.
Felix LEBRUN reached the quarterfinals in Frankfurt
At the WTT Champions Frankfurt 2023 the 17-year-old French player Felix LEBRUN reached the quarterfinals after securing a straight games victory over Germany’s DANG Qui (8 9 8). The two highest-ranked penhold grip players on the planet LEBRUN and QIU have faced each other five times so far and this marks LEBRUN’s second win. “I did a lot of things better than in the last match against him when he won 4-2 at the World Championships. I watched that match so I tried to adjust my tactics a bit. It worked and I’m happy about this. I attempted to attack the first ball which led to my victory. That was the key for today. It’s very satisfying to compete in front of such a large crowd and for me it doesn’t matter whether they support me or my opponent. I also received some French support which was nice.” In the quarterfinals LEBRUN will face LEE Sang Su: “I think he’s very strong because he recently defeated FAN Zhendong so I know it will be a tough match. However I believe I can win against LEE Sang Su because I previously won 3-1 against him. I will try to replicate that performance.” QIU said “I was initially very disappointed because I was leading in the second and third games 5-1 in the second and 7-3 in the third. It’s quite rare for me to let such leads slip away. Essentially I wasn’t in as good form today as I was two days ago. I found it very challenging to get into the match and struggled with my own game in particular. It wasn’t so much about what he did but I was preoccupied with myself and missed many easy shots that I usually feel confident about. This struggle persisted throughout the entire match.”
Felix LEBRUN reached the quarterfinals in Frankfurt
At the WTT Champions Frankfurt 2023 the 17-year-old French player Felix LEBRUN reached the quarterfinals after securing a straight games victory over Germany’s DANG Qui (8 9 8). The two highest-ranked penhold grip players on the planet LEBRUN and QIU have faced each other five times so far and this marks LEBRUN’s second win. “I did a lot of things better than in the last match against him when he won 4-2 at the World Championships. I watched that match so I tried to adjust my tactics a bit. It worked and I’m happy about this. I attempted to attack the first ball which led to my victory. That was the key for today. It’s very satisfying to compete in front of such a large crowd and for me it doesn’t matter whether they support me or my opponent. I also received some French support which was nice.” In the quarterfinals LEBRUN will face LEE Sang Su: “I think he’s very strong because he recently defeated FAN Zhendong so I know it will be a tough match. However I believe I can win against LEE Sang Su because I previously won 3-1 against him. I will try to replicate that performance.” QIU said “I was initially very disappointed because I was leading in the second and third games 5-1 in the second and 7-3 in the third. It’s quite rare for me to let such leads slip away. Essentially I wasn’t in as good form today as I was two days ago. I found it very challenging to get into the match and struggled with my own game in particular. It wasn’t so much about what he did but I was preoccupied with myself and missed many easy shots that I usually feel confident about. This struggle persisted throughout the entire match.”
Bernadette SZOCS beat CHEN Meng
World No. 12 Bernadette SZOCS defeated the second seed China’s CHEN Meng in the Round of 16 at the WTT Champions Frankfurt 2023. Romania’s star caused a major upset by beating the Olympic champion in a closely contested five-game match (4-11 11-8 13-11 5-11 12-10). With this victory SZOCS secured her spot in the WTT Finals. “I am very proud that I managed to beat her once again. I wanted to prove to myself that it wasn’t just a ‘lucky’ match last time at the WTT Champions in Macao 2022; I did it again ” said Bernadette SZOCS. Spaking of the her victory SZOCS added: “I think the secret is that I believe in myself and always think positive . It is very important to be calm when you play a Chinese player because they are calm and they like to play many balls on table. I always need to find many different good tactics against them. If I just play one tactic they find it out too quickly. So well for today I prepared many tactics as I definitely wanted to beat her. My last matches against her I lost because I made some mistakes I did not want to make them again. So I practised a lot for the big match and make sure that I don’t make the same mistakes like last time.” It seems that the Chinese superpower also remembers that match very well. It also seems that only Romanian players can rise to the challenge. SZOCS entered the arena as one of just two women outside of Asia to ever defeat CHEN the other being fellow Romanian player Elizabeta SAMARA. After such an astonishing achievement the bar is set much higher. “I’ve proven to myself not only that I can beat CHEN but also that I can win an Olympic medal. I don’t think that the level of my game is far from the Chinese stars. I feel I am close and I believe I can reach the top five in the world ” explained SZOCS. Bernadette expressed great gratitude for the people who work with her especially Coach Seni IONUT. “I am happy that I am surrounded by people who believe in me who help me and work with me. I am aware that I am not the easiest person to work with; I have a strong character and it takes a lot of patience. Despite that I have a coach who believes in me and helps me build my career both physically and mentally. He spends 7-8 hours with me each day at the venue ” said SZOCS.
Bernadette SZOCS beat CHEN Meng
World No. 12 Bernadette SZOCS defeated the second seed China’s CHEN Meng in the Round of 16 at the WTT Champions Frankfurt 2023. Romania’s star caused a major upset by beating the Olympic champion in a closely contested five-game match (4-11 11-8 13-11 5-11 12-10). With this victory SZOCS secured her spot in the WTT Finals. “I am very proud that I managed to beat her once again. I wanted to prove to myself that it wasn’t just a ‘lucky’ match last time at the WTT Champions in Macao 2022; I did it again ” said Bernadette SZOCS. Spaking of the her victory SZOCS added: “I think the secret is that I believe in myself and always think positive . It is very important to be calm when you play a Chinese player because they are calm and they like to play many balls on table. I always need to find many different good tactics against them. If I just play one tactic they find it out too quickly. So well for today I prepared many tactics as I definitely wanted to beat her. My last matches against her I lost because I made some mistakes I did not want to make them again. So I practised a lot for the big match and make sure that I don’t make the same mistakes like last time.” It seems that the Chinese superpower also remembers that match very well. It also seems that only Romanian players can rise to the challenge. SZOCS entered the arena as one of just two women outside of Asia to ever defeat CHEN the other being fellow Romanian player Elizabeta SAMARA. After such an astonishing achievement the bar is set much higher. “I’ve proven to myself not only that I can beat CHEN but also that I can win an Olympic medal. I don’t think that the level of my game is far from the Chinese stars. I feel I am close and I believe I can reach the top five in the world ” explained SZOCS. Bernadette expressed great gratitude for the people who work with her especially Coach Seni IONUT. “I am happy that I am surrounded by people who believe in me who help me and work with me. I am aware that I am not the easiest person to work with; I have a strong character and it takes a lot of patience. Despite that I have a coach who believes in me and helps me build my career both physically and mentally. He spends 7-8 hours with me each day at the venue ” said SZOCS.
Five German Players in the Round of 16
After three days of fierce competition the first round of the WTT Champions Frankfurt featuring the world’s top 32 players concluded with 13 Europeans still in the running. The competitions will continue tomorrow with Round of 16 matches. In Men’s Singles Liam PITCHFORD of England will face the second seed WANG Chuqin of China. The 31st ranked Jonathan GROTH of Denmark will clash with the world’s 5th-ranked Tomokazu HARIMOTO of Japan. Benedikt DUDA of Germany will compete against LIN Yun Ju of Taipei. In an all-European clash another host nation representative Dimitrij OVTCHAROV will play against Swede Mattias FALCK. The third German player who booked his place in the Round of 16 QIU Dang (ranked 14th) will try to overcome Frenchman Felix LEBRUN (ranked 9th). In the Women’s Singles event French representative Prithika PAVADE (ranked 41st) will play against the top seed SUN Yingsha of China while Romania’s Bernadette SZOCS (ranked 13th) will meet the 2nd seed CHEN Meng of China. Germany will have two representatives in this event: Sabine WINTER (ranked 70th) will play against SHIN Yubin of Korea (ranked 8th) and Nina MITTELHAM (ranked 21st) will meet Japan’s Mima ITO (ranked 9th). Monaco’s Yang Xiaoxin (ranked 12th) will play against Korea’s JOO Cheonhui (ranked 20th) and YUAN Jia Nan of France (ranked 27th) will face the world’s 3rd-ranked WANG Manyu of China.
Bosnia and Herzegovina to Join European Youth Series in 2024
During its recent meeting the ETTU Executive Board awarded the hosting rights for the Europe Youth Series’ events to six federations. All the hosts from 2023 have reaffirmed their interest in hosting these events and this year an additional host has joined the circuit – Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 2024 season will commence with the Croatia Open just like this year with Osijek once again serving as the host. The tournament is scheduled from February 21st to 25th and will feature boys and girls singles and doubles events for Under 15 and Under 13 categories. Mixed teams will also compete in both categories. The tournament in Türkiye will be held from March 13th to 17th in Nevsehir – Cappadocia featuring the same list of events as Croatia. Loutraki Greece will once again host the Greece Open from April 3rd to 7th. In this edition young players will participate in teams mixed doubles and doubles events instead of mixed teams. Bosnia and Herzegovina will make its debut on the circuit with tournaments scheduled between April 29th and May 3rd. Sarajevo will serve as the host for 10 events matching the events in Croatia and Turkey. The Serbian Open will relocate to the capital city Belgrade from September 25th to 29th offering the same program as the Greece Open. The final event of the 2024 Europe Youth Series will once again be hosted by Czechia taking place in Plzen from October 16th to 20th. This event will feature singles teams mixed doubles and doubles events much like previous year.
OVTCHAROV to Face FALCK in Round of 16
On the second day of play at the WTT Champions Frankfurt featuring the world’s top 32 players and offering a prize of 500 000 US dollars 11 European players have so far advanced to the Round of 16. On the opening day Dimitrij OVTCHAROV brought joy to home nation supporters by defeating Portugal’s Marcos FREITAS. OVTCHAROV was in peak form securing his 14th victory in as many international matches against Freitas. Although he faced stiff resistance from this year’s European Games finalist OVTCHAROV came out on top with an 11:9 8:11 11:7 and 11:6 win. OVTCHAROV will play his Round of 16 match on Wednesday. His opponent will be Swede Mattias FALCK who overcame Germany’s Ruwen FILUS. The 2019 World Championship runner-up and double world champion of 2021 beat FILUS in five games (7-11 11-5 8-11 11-7 11-4). Liam PITCHFORD of England overcame Japan’s Hiroto SHINOZUKA 3-1 (4 -8 11 5) to book his place in the Round of 16. “The third game was pretty tight 15-13. When I lost the second game I think he would have had a lot of confidence but to win that game and then start well in the fourth was very important. We both had a good performance. He played very well today. I think he was probably dominant in the long rally ” explained PITCHFORD. “He was keeping his backhand really well but I just tried to fight and keep myself in the points and I think I won a lot of points especially on my serves. I think that was very important for me today. I needed to serve well against him and receive well and it was my first time in the arena so it took a little bit of time to get used to the conditions. But I’m very happy to win this match.” The duel between two French players Felix LEBRUN and Simon GAUZY ended in favor of the younger LEBRUN brother who reached his place among the World’s top 10 this week 3-2 (7-11 11-8 7-11 11-7 11-7). “It was a very important match for me. Simon played very well today and especially the last two games were on a very high level from both of us. The key to win was that at the end of the match I was physically in better condition. At the beginning I didn’t win many points when he was in defense but I was able to change that towards the end of the match. I was stressed in this match but at the same time I was self-confident as I played well during the last two three months. The crowd was amazing today. I felt super good to play in front of such a crowd ” said LEBRUN. In the next round he will meet Dang QUI who overcame Slovenia’s Darko JORGIC 3-0 (8 8 8). In Women’s Singles Nina MITTELHAM joined her teammate Sabine WINTER in the Round of 16. Nina overcame Egypt’s Hana GODA after a full-distance match (-5 7 -5 6 5). On the previous day French Prithika PAVADE beat CHENG I Ching while her compatriot Jia Nan YUAN overcame Australia’s Yangzi LIU and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania prevailed against Germany’s Annett KAUFMANN.
Table Tennis Hall Turns Pink
On Saturday the PRiPING Ping Pong Club hosted the traditional “PINK-PONG Breast Cancer Awareness Table Tennis Tournament” with a significant mission: to raise awareness about breast cancer. The color pink transformed the ping pong hall emphasizing the collaboration in raising awareness about this disease. This tournament was unique and held as part of the “Prishtina Pink” campaign. In addition to ping pong matches informative sessions were organized featuring Dr. Ilir KURTISHI from the Oncology Department Ms. Nafije LATIFI from Jeta Vita and Dr. Izet SADIKU from the Health Directorate who shared valuable information about breast cancer and the importance of early screening. In this context ping pong became more than just a sport; it became a means to unite the community and raise awareness about this serious health issue. The use of the pink color on ping pong balls rackets and shirts symbolized solidarity with women seeking early diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer. The participation of women and girls was crucial as they played a pivotal role in disseminating information and raising awareness about this issue through their social networks and communication with their families. Kastriot ORANA the chairman of the PRiPING Club expressed his satisfaction with the massive participation in this event and emphasized the key role of sports organizations and other partners in promoting women’s health. He extended his gratitude to Jeta Vita the Municipality of Prishtina the Oncology Clinic and Rotary Club Newborn Prishtina for their collaboration. In this context it is crucial to acknowledge and support the efforts of various companies and organizations that support such awareness events. Corporations like Rugova Vitabiotics Kosovo and 2U made the realization of this tournament possible.
