Montenegro’s club Novi, host of the Europe Trophy Grand Final, booked their place in the semi-finals to be played tomorrow in Herceg Novi, Montenegro. In the quarter-finals, Marko JEVTOVIĆ, Enio MENDES, and Filip RADOVIĆ each recorded straight-match wins over Italy’s ASD TT Santa Tecla Nulvi, whose lineup included Ebrahim GUBRAN, Costantino CAPPUCCIO, and Petar Lubomirov VASSILEV. In the semi-finals, Novi will face Serbia’s Železničar Niš, who emerged victorious over Croatia’s GSTK Zagreb in a thrilling five-match battle. Italy’s Francisco SANCHI secured two wins for the Serbian side, and Petyo KRASTEV sealed the decisive point. For Zagreb, Leon BENKO and Lovro ZOVKO each won a match. The bottom half of the draw also delivered drama, with both quarter-finals going the distance. MSK Čadca (SVK), represented by Mykhailo LOVHA, Damian LORO, and Jakub GOLDIR, edged past Tenis de Taula Olot (ESP), featuring Rafael de las HERAS, Diogo PINHO, and Damien Rolland PROVOST. LORO remained unbeaten in the match. Austria’s UTTC Panaceo Stockerau defeated defending champions Panathinaikos A.C. (GRE) in another five-match thriller. All three players, Khalid ASSAR, Tarek AL-SAMHOURY, and David SERDAROGLU secured victories. For the Greek side, Konstantinos ANGELAKIS remained unbeaten. In the Women’s event, Serbia’s Josip Kolumbo, featuring Maria DOLGIKH, Gaia MONFARDINI, and Reka BEZEG, along with STK AQUAESTIL, represented by Xue HAN VUKELJA, Leeloo VUKELJA, Elena VUKOVAC, Amy WANG, and Sophia SHEREDEHA, directly secured spots in the semi-finals. In the remaining two quarter-finals, PANATHINAIKOS A.C. of Greece and TTC MEERDAAL LEUVEN of Belgium progressed to the penultimate stage. Aikaterini TOLIOU led PANATHINAIKOS to victory with two wins in the match against TalTech Sports Club, while Konstantina PARIDI added the third point. For the Estonian side, Airi AVAMERI secured a win against Ioanna GERASIMATOU. Kimberly T’HOOFT, Kathe MEYER, and Lotte NUYTTENS from the Belgian team overcame Austria’s SU SPARKASSE KUFSTEIN A, whose lineup included Olha PONKO, Danielle KELLY, and Renata PENGÖ-MURA.
Surprises Mark Women’s Team Event on Day Two in Herceg Novi
On day two of the Europe Trophy Grand Final in Herceg Novi, Montenegro, the Women’s Team Event saw a few unexpected results as the group stage concluded, revealing all the quarterfinalists. In Group A, Serbia’s Josip Kolumbo, starting from third position, climbed to the top of the standings. With Maria DOLGIKH (Russia), Gaia MONFARDINI (Italy), and Reka BEZEG (Serbia), they stunned top seeds PANATHINAIKOS A.C. of Greece. The Greek team, composed of Ioanna GERASIMATOU, Aikaterini TOLIOU, and Konstantina PARIDI, entered the event as favourites in the absence of the reigning champions but suffered a crucial loss. Group B, the only group with four teams, was dominated by STK Aquaestil. The Croatian side, featuring Xue HAN VUKELJA, Leeloo VUKELJA, Elena VUKOVAC, Amy WANG (USA), and Sophia SHEREDEHA (Ukraine), won all three matches without dropping a single individual match. TTC MEERDAAL LEUVEN of Belgium secured second place with two narrow five-match victories and one loss. Their team included Kimberly T’HOOFT, Kathe MEYER, and Lotte NUYTTENS, who overcame ASVÖ TTC Olympic Wien (Austria) and MITTC (Malta). In Group C, Estonia’s TalTech Sports Club, led by Airi AVAMERI, with Reelica HANSON and Lithuania’s Marija MIKALAUSKYTE, recorded two victories to top the group. SU Sparkasse Kufstein A (Austria) finished second, with a team consisting of Danielle KELLY (Wales), Olha PONKO (Ukraine), and Anita NYITRAI (Hungary). The quarterfinal stage will continue later today in Herceg Novi.
Quarterfinal Line-Up Confirmed at Europe Trophy Grand Final Men in Herceg Novi
After the group stage of the Europe Trophy Grand Final in Herceg Novi, Montenegro, all quarterfinalists are now confirmed. In Group A, Serbia’s Železničar Niš produced the biggest surprise on the opening day by defeating the reigning champions Panathinaikos A.C. from Greece. The Serbian side, featuring Bulgaria’s Petyo KRASTEV and Vladimir PETKOV alongside Italy’s Francisco SANCHI, overcame Konstantinos ANGELAKIS, Konstantinos KONSTANTINOPOULOS, and Giorgos KONSTANTINOPOULOS, securing the top spot in the group with two wins. Despite the loss, the Greek team bounced back to defeat Belgium’s Logis Auderghem, clinching second place and a spot in the quarterfinals. In Group B, Austria’s UTTC Panaceo Stockerau dominated early, securing first place on day one. With a strong line-up including Egypt’s Khalid ASSAR, Julian RZIHAUŠCHEK, and David SERDAROGLU, they beat both GSTK Zagreb (Croatia) and TalTech Sports Club (Estonia). Zagreb, led by Leon BENKO, Ivan HENCL, Lovro ZOVKO, and Filip BOROVNJAK, finished second and also advanced. Group C saw an upset as Slovakia’s MSK Čadca topped the group against the odds. The trio of Mykhailo LOVHA (Ukraine), Damian LORO, and Jakub GOLDIR (Slovakia) defeated both ASD TT Santa Tecla Nulvi (Italy) and Baltais LA (Latvia). The Italian club, featuring Ebrahim GUBRAN (Yemen), Costantino CAPPUCCIO (Italy), and Petar LUBOMIROV VASSILEV (Bulgaria), secured the runner-up spot. In Group D, hosts STK Novi made the most of home advantage and topped their group to reach the quarterfinals. Their international line-up—Marko JEVTOVIĆ (Serbia), Tomislav PUCAR (Croatia), Enio MENDES (Spain), and Aleksandr KHANIN (Belarus)—secured two wins. Spanish club Tenis de Taula OLOT, with Rafael de las HERAS, Arnau PONS, Diogo PINHO (Portugal), and Damien Rolland PROVOST (France), finished second.
