Nationale Meisterschaften in Europa 2024

[Al(i)x]

Schweiz

Swiss Championships: Barish MOULLET and Fanny DOUTAZ crowned champions

Over the weekend of March 23rd and 24th, 2024, the Grünfeld Sports Center in Rapperswil-Jona hosted the 90th Swiss Championships. In the spotlight were 114 of the country's most talented players, offering spectators a top-notch spectacle where passion and athletic excellence took center stage.

Once again this year, the final saw an electrifying duel between Barish MOULLET and Elias HARDMEIER. MOULLET was determined to reclaim the title from his rival, but his path to the final was not without obstacles: in epic encounters against Elia SCHMID in the quarterfinals, which ended 4-3 (11-9, 11-5, 8-11, 11-5, 8-11, 4-11, 11-7), and in the semifinals against Yanick TAFFÉ, which also ended 4-3 (9-11, 11-9, 5-11, 16-14, 11-8, 9-11, 11-3), MOULLET had to repeatedly prove his endurance. However, even more intense was the rematch in the final against Elias HARDMEIER.



Almost the entire course of last year's edition was repeated: Barish MOULLET quickly took the lead and won the first three sets convincingly (11-3, 11-6, 11-9). However, Elias HARDMEIER showed extraordinary resilience and responded to every challenge with unwavering determination, even saving match points. He won the next games (16-14, 11-8, 11-8) and forced the match into a decisive seventh game.

In the final game, the two protagonists delivered an intensely breathtaking spectacle and a showdown that matched their exceptional level. After over an hour of play and with the score at 7-10 against him, Barish MOULLET finally managed to turn the tide and claim the title of Swiss Singles Champion for the second time in his career. The final score was thus 4-3 (11-3, 11-6, 11-9, 14-16, 8-11, 8-11, 13-11).

In the women's competition, all eyes were on Rachel MORET, who was expected to secure her tenth title. However, reality had a surprise in store this year.

Until the final, MORET sailed smoothly through the main draw without dropping a single set. But when she faced Fanny DOUTAZ in the final, things took an unexpected turn. DOUTAZ brilliantly took the first game and continued to play strongly, ultimately leading 3-1 in sets. However, MORET managed to capitalize on the opportunities and took the game to the decisive seventh and final set.



When Fanny DOUTAZ trailed by two points, her coach Michel MARTINEZ called a timeout - this turned out to be a stroke of luck, as DOUTAZ subsequently managed to turn the situation around and once again take the lead. In this thrilling situation, Rachel MORET also decided to take her timeout to strategically prepare for the final few rallies.

The final rallies were back and forth, and to the surprise of most, Fanny DOUTAZ ultimately won the last rally, crowning herself Swiss champion with a final score of 4-3 (11-8, 6-11, 13-11, 11-5, 1-11, 6-11, 11-8). Thus, DOUTAZ broke MORET'S dominance, who had secured the title since 2016 (with the exception of 2022 due to her participation in the WTT Smash).

The dynamic duo of TTC Rio-Star Muttenz, consisting of Cédric TSCHANZ and Pedro OSIRO, who clinched the first place last year, faced the pair of Barish MOULLET/Gaël VENDÉ, the 2020 champions, in the final. It goes without saying that the encounter of these top pairs captivated the attention of all spectators. The Neuchâtel duo finally won 3-2 (11-7, 4-11, 11-6, 11-13, 11-6), with the tension reaching its peak in the final game.

The relentless duo of DOUTAZ/MORET crushed all competition in this event. Even in the final, opponents TULLII/MAURER could not withstand enough resistance despite winning the first set. The game ended with a 3-1 victory (6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-5). There is no doubt that the pairing of Rachel MORET and Fanny DOUTAZ will remain unbeatable for a long time to come.

The defending champions Rachel MORET and Nicolas CHAMPOD aimed to mark their names on the tournament's winner's list for the fifth time. They faced the Geneva duo of Fanny DOUTAZ and Yoan REBETEZ. Despite their experience and merits, MORET and CHAMPOD were challenged by tough opponents who cleverly seized their chances to secure victory. The game ended with a narrow score of 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-9) in favor of DOUTAZ/REBETEZ, sealing Fanny DOUTAZ'S hat-trick in this edition - a remarkable achievement that will go down in the history of the Swiss Championships.

[SpinDevil]

Ja, ja der Peter, der Hochleistungssportlerversteher....
Der weiß, wie man motiviert und mit Menschen umgeht.
Eigentlich gehört der Felix ja auf's Rat geflochten und in die Seine geschmissen, dann klappt es auch mit den ganz großen Titeln, wenn man das überlebt....
Sind ja alles Weicheier heute...

[Al(i)x]

Niederlande

Tanja HELLE and Milo de BOER clinched the titles in Netherlands for a first time

On the final day of the NK Table Tennis in Zwolle Tanja HELLE and Milo de BOER clinched their respective titles in singles in Dutch Championships.



In the quarter-finals, Shuohan MEN, Dobrila JORGUSESKA, Tanja HELLE, and Emine ERNST all managed to qualify for the semi-finals with 4-0 victories. In the semis, it was Tanja HELLE who blocked Emine ERNST'S path to winning a third consecutive title. With scores of 14-12, 11-3, 11-9, and 11-4, Tanja secured the win. The semi-final between Shuohan MEN and Dobrila JORGUSESKA went to six games, with three of them decided in Shuohan's favor.

For Shuohan, this final was her chance to win an NK title for the fourth time. Tanja HELLE had not won an NK singles title before but had already won De Masters twice. Until the final, Tanja had only lost two games, and that proved to be the case after the final. With scores of 11-5, 11-4, 11-9, and 11-4, Tanja crowned herself Dutch champion 2024.

A big surprise came in the quarterfinal match between reigning champion Barry BERBEN and Brent RONDE. After a 3-1 lead in games for Barry, Brent managed to equalize. In the seventh and decisive game, the 16-year-old kept his cool and won 11-7. Besides Brent, Gabrielius CAMARA, Milo de BOER, and Laurens TROMER managed to qualify for the last four. Brent RONDE'S winning streak came to an end in the semi-finals against Milo de BOER, who was too strong with a 4-0 victory. Laurens TROMER managed to qualify for the final by defeating the number one-seeded Gabrielius CAMARA 4-2.

In the final, two-time Dutch champion Laurens TROMER got off to a strong start, winning the first game 11-1 against Milo de Boer. Milo then continued to improve and won three games in a row. In game 5, Milo had three match points which he failed to capitalize on, and Laurens came back into the match. In the all-deciding seventh game, it was again Milo who had the chance to win the match at 10-6. Finally, at 11-7, redemption came, and Milo de BOER took his first singles title. With this, he follows in the footsteps of his father and coach, who became Dutch champion in 2010 and 2021.

[Neuanfang]

#61 >>>Brüder auf dem Ponyhof

Vielleicht fließen die Tränen nur im Bruderkampf
- das ist womöglich eine ganz andere Baustelle (?)

Er und all die anderen (schwedisch-deutschen) Euro-Fighter werden natürlich an Willenskraft und emotionaler Festigkeit gerade in den Endphasen der Siebensatzspiele gegen die Chinesen gemessen...

P.S. Auch wenn die Zeit eilt, F. ist doch noch so jung ....

[SpinDevil]

Wer übrigens mal auf einem Ponyhof war, der wird sich lieber mit Skiklamotten in die Hölle begeben als das noch einmal mit zu machen. Meine Frau hatte ein Pferd auf einem solchen Hof, da ging es aber ordentlich zur Sache. Landwirtschaft pur....da war Arschloch ein Kosewort :-)

[Al(i)x]

Slowenien

Titles for Deni KOZUL and Sara TOKIC in Slovenia

On the final day of the NK Table Tennis in Zwolle Tanja HELLE and Milo de BOER clinched their respective titles in singles in Dutch Championships.



The winners of their respective Men’s and Women’s Singles titles at the Slovenia’s National Championships are Deni KOŽUL and Sara TOKIĆ.

Men’s Singles

1. Deni KOŽUL (Log)
2. Mitja HORVAT (Sob)
3. Brin Vovk PETROVSKI (Sav) and Tomaž PELCAR (Kema - Murexin)

Women’s Singles

1. Sara TOKIĆ (Vrt)
2. Katarina STRAŽAR (Men)
3. Lea PAULIN (Arr) and Lara OPEKA (K-S)

Men’s Doubles

1. Brin Vovk PETROVSKI - Miha PODOBNIK (Sav)
2. Darko JAMŠEK - Andraž NOVAK (Int - K-S)
3. Žiga Kristijan ŽIGON - Tilen CVETKO (Int - Muta) and Gregor ZAFOŠTNIK - Aljaž GODEC (Sob - Int)

Women’s Doubles

1. Ana TOFANT - Sara TOKIĆ (Men - Vrt)
2. Lara OPEKA - Tjaša NOVAK (K-S)
3. Blažka HARKAI - Ana KOVAČEC (Kema - Murexin) and Lea PAULIN - Katarina STRAŽAR (Arr - Men)

Mixed Doubles

1. Deni KOŽUL - Nina ZUPANČIČ (Log)
2. Andraž NOVAK - Lara OPEKA (K-S)
3. Miha PODOBNIK - Katarina STRAŽAR (Sav - Men) and Damjan ZELKO - Tjaša NOVAK (Kema - Murexin - K-S)

[TT-Hannes]

Die französische Meisterschaft war echt stark.

Sicherlich einmalig auch, dass sowohl im Damen- als auch im Herrenfinale sich Geschwister gegenüber standen.
In beiden Fällen gewann der/die Ältere. Auch vom Alter her gibt es in beiden Fällen kaum ein Unterschied. Lebruns 2002 und 2006 und die Lutz-Schwestern 2002 und 2005 geboren.

Wegen den Tränen nach dem Finale ist das nur ein Beweis was für eine Bedeutung in Frankreich der Titel noch hat. Übrigens gab es auch bei Simon Gauzy nach seiner hauchdünnen Niederlage im Halbfinale gegen Felix Lebrun 9:11 im 7. Satz) tränen.
Auch er wollte es nochmal wissen, hat es aber trotz Führung im 7. Satz nicht geschafft und war dann natürlich zurecht enttäuscht.

[Al(i)x]

Schottland

Scottish National Championship: Titles for Gavin RUMGAY and Faye LEGGETT

The Senior Scottish National Championship 2024 was held earlier this month, with Gavin RUMGAY and Faye LEGGETT clinching the titles in their respective Men's and Women's Singles events.



Men's singles
Winner - Gavin RUMGAY
R/UP - Colin DALGLEISH
SF - Calum MORRISON, Gavin YUAN

Ladies' singles
Winner - Faye LEGGETT
R/UP - Lucy ELLIOTT
SF - Alisa KHALID, Joy DANIELS

Men's Doubles
Winners - Calum MORRISON and Colin DALGLEISH
R/UP - Danny BAJWA and Martin JOHNSON

Women's doubles
Winners - Rebecca PLAISTOW and Lara STIRLING
R/UP - Lucy ELLIOTT & Alisa KHALID

Mixed doubles
Winners - Danny BAJWA and Lucy ELLIOTT
R/UP - Colin DALGLEISH and Rebecca PLAISTOW

[Wolf11]

Felix`Tränen sind ja hier ein relativ großes Thema..

Ehrlich gesagt kann ich sie nur etwas schwerlich verstehen, weil es gegen den eigenen Bruder ging

Felix hatte zuletzt im Gegensatz zu seinem Bruder so viele Erfolge feiern können, dass er seinem Bruder doch nun eigentlich die französische Meisterschaft gönnen sollte und sich vielmehr mit ihm freuen sollte....

Und was den Einwand von Peter Igel betrifft, so würde ich diesen gar nicht so einfach abtun.......

Solche Tränen wegen einer sportlichen Niederlage werden von seinen asiatischen Gegnern auch als so etwas wie Schwäche gesehen......Und so etwas bleibt haften, wenn in zukünftigen Spielen auch die mentale Stärke entscheiden wird...

Jeon Ji-Hee hat uns einmal so etwas erzählt, als sie 2021 nach einer 3:0 Führung in einem Halbfinale eines WTT-Turniers gegen Hina Hayata noch 3:4 verloren hat.......Sie weinte damals nach dem Spiel für alle sichtbar bitterlich und hat dies dann später sehr bereut........Sie sagte damals, dass Du immer weinen kannst und darfst, Du es Deinen Gegnern aber niemals zeigen darfst, weil sie so sehen, wie es Dich trifft......Gerade wo es im Tischtennis auch so sehr auf die mentale Stärke ankommt.

Felix ist noch jung und wird sich noch deutlich weiterentwickeln, aber gerade in China hat man ihn inzwischen als einen der 3 oder 4 Hauptgegner der nächsten Jahre identifiziert und man registriert dort natürlich auch, wer wo seine mentalen Stärken und Schwächen hat und wo man den Gegnern mental überlegen ist.

Und gerade, wo es sein Bruder war, der ihn hier schlug, hätte er sich doch auch etwas für ihn mitfreuen können

[Peter Igel]

Danke.