WTT Champions Frankfurt 2024 bids Auf Wiedersehen, as the Süwag Energie ARENA closes its doors on a phenomenal week of table tennis, with fans treated to unforgettable battles and two new Frankfurt champions crowned – WANG Manyu and LIN Shidong. In the Men’s Singles final, fans witnessed an intense showdown between Anton KALLBERG of Sweden and LIN Shidong of China. For KALLBERG, this was his first WTT Champions final, coming off an impressive streak that saw him defeat World No.1 WANG Chuqin (CHN) in the Round of 16 without dropping a game. LIN, on the other hand, had demonstrated his dominance all season, now holding five WTT Series titles this year. The pair had only met once before, in a nail-biting five-game battle at China Smash 2024, where LIN narrowly edged KALLBERG. Both players brought contrasting yet complementary styles to the court, with Lin’s calculated power and KALLBERG’S cold-blooded determination captivating the crowd. LIN Shidong ultimately came out on top, delivering a 4-1 victory (11-5, 11-7, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8) and securing his fifth WTT Series title of the season.

Fans in Germany have packed the Süwag Energie ARENA, fuelling an atmosphere that’s pushed players to their limits at the WTT Champions Frankfurt 2024. In one of the most anticipated matchups, Truls MOREGARD (SWE) overcame the Montpellier champion Felix LEBRUN (FRA) 3-1 (11-7, 11-6, 5-11, 13-11) in the quarterfinals, setting up a Swedish semifinal showdown with compatriot KALLBERG. “Most of the game plan was just to believe in it. I had a really good feeling before the match, I spoke with every person around me that I’m close to. I felt everyone had quite a good feeling in the stomach before the match and I believe in it from the start, and I could feel he got stressed quite fast in the match, and then I knew it would not go as easy as the first two sets. When I lost the third game I didn’t think too much about it, I knew it was going to happen and just tried to stick to my plan,” said MOREGARD. Anton KALLBERG (SWE) delivered one of the event’s most stunning moments, defeating World No.1 WANG Chuqin (CHN) in straight games in the Round of 16 and following up with a decisive 3-1 win over wildcard Ricardo WALTHER (GER) in the quarterfinals (11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 11-4). KALLBERG commented Ricardo WALTHER’s medical time out in game two:” I tried to not to be disrupted. Of course it changes the rhythm of the match a little bit and you have to try to focus on the match. At the same time you’re hoping he’s okay, so I have to ask him how he’s doing. He could still play on which made me happy and he was trying to find ways to still win even though he was injured, so I think it was still an interesting match. Entering the third game I had a lead, I felt a little bit too comfortable. He came back strong and I missed a couple of shots, so of course the pressure was a little bit higher in the fourth set. I just had to keep on going, keep on playing the way I had been before and believe I can keep on doing this.   “ Defending Men’s Singles champion LIN Yun-Ju (TPE) showed true grit as he survived 3-2 in a nail-biting R16 match against Dang QIU (GER) before edging out Hugo CALDERANO (BRA) in a thrilling 3-2 quarterfinal victory. LIN remains on track to defend his title, but he’ll have to bring his A-game as he heads into the semifinals in the face of LIN Shidong (CHN). 17-year-old Sora MATSUSHIMA (JPN) impressed fans with his first WTT Champions quarterfinal run, toppling Darko JORGIC (SLO) 3-1 in the R16 before eventually falling to World No.2 LIN Shidong (CHN), who clinched a 3-1 win to book his place in the semifinals.

Anton KALLBERG has reached the final of the Men’s Singles event at WTT Champions Frankfurt 2024, where he will face No.2 seed LIN Shidong. World No.27 KALLBERG defied the odds, overcoming No.7 seed Truls MOREGARD in a hard-fought 4-2 victory (6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-5) to secure his place in his first Men’s Singles final at this level. Reflecting on his win, KALLBERG shared, “I went into the match wanting to win. I believe in myself. It took a bit to get into it; he started really well at 1-0 (8-5), but then I managed to adjust the game a little and from there it was a tough battle. The atmosphere was fantastic, and it’s great to see more people filling the hall. Today we didn’t have the longest rallies or most spectacular points, but the crowd was still very engaged and made it a lot of fun.” The Swede added, “I feel pretty exhausted right now, so maybe I didn’t show as much emotion. But this is how I like to play—I try to push at the right moments and take it easy in others, finding the right rhythm in the match.” Looking ahead to his final showdown with LIN Shidong, KALLBERG said, “I don’t know what to expect, but of course, I hope. I had some chances last time we played, losing 3-2 in China (China Smash 2024). I’m trying to learn from that match, see what I can do differently. LIN has won several events in a row, so he knows how to win these kinds of matches and is looking really strong. It’s going to be a big challenge.”

Romania’s Elizabeta SAMARA reached the Round of 16 at WTT Champions Frankfurt 2024 in the Süwag Energie ARENA. In one of the Round of 32’s most intense clashes, SAMARA came back from a 0-2 deficit and saved five match points to edge out Germany’s Xiaona SHAN in a gripping 3-2 victory (7-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-5, 13-11). Reflecting on her performance, SAMARA shared, “Against Xiaona it’s always difficult for me. She can read my game and always has good tactics against me. From 0-2, I think she was a little bit stressed. She was missing some easy balls, and then I came back and just wanted to get the ball no matter what. In the last game, I was leading 3-1, and then at 6-10, I just had to play the ball—it didn’t matter how. I was more relaxed, so it helped me. I was lucky she was missing the service, but I knew I had to take this chance. I am grateful to be here, also in Montpellier last minute, because I do not know when I will play here at more WTT Champions events. So, no matter what, I just have to play to enjoy my time here.” Yesterday’s action didn’t disappoint, with thrilling matches and surprising outcomes: Local legend Dimitrij OVTCHAROV faced a tough defeat at the hands of England’s Liam PITCHFORD, who won in straight games 3-0 (11-9, 13-11, 11-9), showing impressive resilience. “I was pretty sure I was the underdog by a long way. It’s been a tough season… injuries and just not finding my game. Recently, in practice, I found something and have been playing quite well. In tournaments, you play one match against the Top 10 in the world, so it’s difficult to get in there sometimes. But today I told myself, ‘it’s my last tournament of the year—just go out and give it what you can.’ It might not have worked; [Dimitrij] is a great player. But today, I felt like I had something different, like I was on top in most parts of the game, and winning the last point was a relief,” said PITCHFORD. Germany’s wildcard entry Ricardo WALTHER gave the home crowd even more to cheer about with a commanding 3-0 win (11-6, 12-10, 11-9) over Spain’s Alvaro ROBLES in his WTT Champions debut.

Anton KALLBERG delivered a massive upset on Day 4 at WTT Champions Frankfurt 2024, shocking everyone at the Süwag Energie ARENA with a stunning 3-0 victory over World No.1 WANG Chuqin (11-8, 11-5, 11-6). Reaching the quarterfinals of a WTT Champions event for the first time, KALLBERG’s sensational win over the World No.1 makes him only the second player to defeat WANG Chuqin in straight games at a WTT event, joining LIANG Jingkun in a very exclusive club. Reflecting on his victory, Anton KALLBERG said: “I am feeling super happy, of course. It’s a little bit surreal right now. I just played a fantastic match, which I’m really happy about, and I think I need a little more time to realize what’s happened. In the end, whether it’s a victory or a loss, it doesn’t matter if it’s 3-0 or 3-2, but of course, I have huge respect for him. He’s still the World No.1, even though he didn’t have his best day today, so I’m just happy I could have my best day. I know from past experiences that wanting it too much might not always work out in your favor; you might be too tense or put too much pressure on yourself. So, I just tried to be relaxed, keep on working point by point, and then see who won.”

The 33rd edition of the Finlandia Open is scheduled from December 5th to December 8th 2024 at the Kisakallio Sports Institute in Lohja Finland. Officially recognized by the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) and holding ETTU ranking status the tournament already attracted over 100 players from 20 countries with registration open until November 1st 2024. The competition will feature Men’s and Women’s Singles events as well as Under-21 events for both men and women. More info here. Key Deadlines:     Final entries: November 1st 2024     Travel details: November 20th 2024 For further inquiries the Finnish Table Tennis Association can be reached at info@sptl.fi.

The 2024 Stiga Masters U11 took place last week in Blegny/Liège where Kaja TVOROGAL of Lithuania claimed victory in the Girls’ event by defeating Carmen GOMEZ of Spain in the final. In the semifinals GOMEZ triumphed over Blanche SEBBE while TVOROGAL bested Bianca TOMA. In the Boys’ event David DROBOV of Ukraine secured the title by overcoming Mark VORONOI of Ukraine in the final. VORONOI had earlier prevailed against Dimitar DIMITROV in the semis while DROBOV defeated Real SHAHAR KROL to reach the final.