Day two of the 2025 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux brought the highly anticipated Round of 16 matches. You can follow the live stream and results at ETTU TV and the ETTU website. Pictures are available here on Flickr. Jonathan GROTH – Andres LIND 3-1 (12-10, 14-12, 11-13, 11-2) For anyone struggling to wake up, the fierce action from the very beginning of the day was sure to shake them awake. In the all-Danish clash in the opening game, Jonathan GROTH, seeded 12th, overcame Anders LIND, the 8th seed. LIND had three match points at 10-7 in the opening game before eventually losing 10-12. The tight, point-by-point battle continued throughout the second game, with GROTH keeping his nerves steadier in the tense finish. In a powerful exchange of rallies, the match entered the third game with LIND managing to convert his advantage and narrow the gap to 1-2. “It’s always very difficult to play against your friend and teammate. I wasn’t 100 percent comfortable. In the opening game, I was down 10-7 before I won it. I didn’t start very well. In the second game, I played better, led, had many game points, and somehow won it. He also had some service mistakes, which helped. It’s always tough against him – he has a very tricky service game. He risks a lot, and sometimes those risks lead to mistakes on his serve. In the third game, it was up and down. I led 3-0, but then he came back, and I did too. On match point, I had a high ball, and maybe I hesitated a bit. However, I lost that game, but the most important thing was I came back strong in the fourth. As I said, we know each other very well, and I think playing in this venue is not always easy. It’s fast and spinny, but as the match progressed, we both started to play some good rallies. I’m happy to win, but I would have preferred to win against someone else,” explained GROTH. Marcos FREITAS – Andrej GACINA 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-4) Marcos FREITAS overcame Andrej GACINA in a less dramatic fashion. The Portuguese player defeated his doubles partner, with whom he won the gold medal at the European Championships in Gdansk, Sopot, in 2011. “It was a good match, and I’m very pleased with my performance. In the last two international events, In Qatar in January, I didn’t play very well. I struggled to get into the match, so I’m happy with how I played here. GACINA is a good player. We’re friends and know each other very well. We won the European Championships in doubles some years ago. It’s always a tricky game because he knows my game, and I know his. I’m also aware of his strong service. However, I can be satisfied with the level of my consistency today. In the end, I kept putting more balls on the table and played it safe. I did not miss many balls. On the other hand, he was not as comfortable. It was our first match, so it took some time for him to adjust. My service and receive game were good, and that was important,” said FREITAS. Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania – Georgina POTA of Hungary 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-6) In superb style, Eliza SAMARA defeated Georgina POTA without losing a single game. “I was very well prepared for this match. I was confident with my serve and knew exactly where the ball would land. I controlled the match and forced POTA to change her approach in the end. She had to do that because I didn’t give her many options. I was everywhere on the table. I don’t remember the last time I felt this good at the start of a match. Usually, I get into the match more slowly, but I’m glad it happened this way here in Montreux. With this format of best-of-five games, there’s no time for a slow start. If you’re 0-2 down, it’s very hard to come back,” said SAMARA. Fu YU of Portugal – Ying HAN of Germany 0-3 (6-11, 12-14, 4-11) Ying HAN was at the top of her game against Fu Yu. After a long break due to injury, HAN returned to the European scene on 14th February to help the reigning champions, KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL Tarnobrzeg from Poland, secure their place in the Women’s Champions League semifinals.“After the victory, I felt a huge sense of relief that everything went well. I was really nervous before the match. There were a couple of her short balls, where I had to rush forward, and I thought, ‘Oh dear…’ But once I managed to reach those balls, I gained more confidence, and then everything just flowed. I’m really happy about the win and about being part of the Europe Top 16,” said HAN. Darko JORGIC of Slovenia – Eduaro IONESCU of Romania 3-2 (18-20, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 11-6) Two clubmates from 1. FC Saarbrücken TT, Darko JORGIC and Eduaro IONESCU, pushed each other to their limits in an intense clash from the very beginning. The reigning champion faced a great challenge on his way to setting an absolute record with four consecutive titles at the Top 16. Coming back from a back injury didn’t help JORGIC, although the Slovenian player is no stranger to drama in the opening rounds of the event in previous years. “I had a problem with my back muscle two weeks before the Top 16 and all the important upcoming tournaments. I didn’t train for those two weeks, and you can tell from my performance. I did not feel the table nor the balls. My body is not in the right shape, but I hope it will get better. The physio is doing his job well, and I believe my body will be ready for the challenges,” explained JORGIC. Speaking about his clash with IONESCU, Darko added: “For me, it’s always difficult to play the opening matches in

After a full day of qualification matches, all spots were filled in Montreux, and the draw for the Round of 16 at the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup was held at the Omnisports Montreux. On Friday, the Round of 16 matches will be played for both men and women. Saturday is reserved for the Quarterfinals for both categories, and Sunday for the Semifinals and finals of the men’s and women’s singles.

The lineup for the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup Round of 16 is complete. On the opening day of the competition in Montreux, after two wins in the qualification stage, Solomiya BRATEYKO of Ukraine, Sabine WINTER of Germany, her compatriot Benedikt DUDA, and Daniel HABESOHN of Austria secured their places in the main draw. On her debut in Montreux, 20-year-old BRATEYKO reached the main draw after wins over Giorgia PICCOLIN of Italy and Ivana MALOBABIC of Croatia. “I was so nervous before my match. Firstly, when I saw the draw, I thought I had to win the opening match and play well… and then I was mentally prepared for the clash against Xia Lian NI. But then Giorgia won, and my chances rose. Unfortunately, even that didn’t help me; I was so stressed. I wanted to get into the main draw, and now I am so happy,” said BRATEYKO. HABESOHN overcame Joao GERALDO of Portugal in the second round, having previously beaten Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia. Both matches saw the momentum swing back and forth in dramatic turns. “It cost me some years of life, matches like this,” said HABESOHN, laughing. “After the GERALDO match, it was quite strange, especially in the last game. I was up 5-1 and had the game completely under control in the fifth. Then, I started to play a little bit passively, and he seized the opportunity and didn’t miss. I realized my mistake.” Recording eight points in a row or losing it, you can never predict Daniel’s game. “My game is generally very risky. I am very focused on the balls, and I am trying to make sure it will work. In these two matches, I managed to hit more than I missed. Against Joao, I had a good tactic in the decisive game. At 7-7, I switched to my backhand serve, and it was perfect because he misread it twice, so I got direct points.” In 2019, HABESOHN had his best result in Montreux. In the semifinals, he lost to Timo BOLL after prevailing against Simon GAUZY and Marcos FREITAS. Sabine WINTER inflicted pain on the host nation supporters by beating Rachel MORET of Switzerland. “This was my first international match since switching to the anti-topspin rubber, and I was very satisfied with it. Today, you could see how different matches with the anti can be, depending on the opponent,” said WINTER. Runner-up at the European Championships in Linz last year, Benedikt DUDA overcame Liam PITCHFORD to secure his place among the top 16 players tomorrow. “This was a solid performance from me. It was my first international match against him ever—we had only played once in the Bundesliga a few years ago. But I handled him well in the serve-and-return game and am very satisfied with my performance. Now I have reached my first milestone, and from here, we’ll take it one round at a time.” See the pictures here. Match for the place in the Top 16

After six years, Rachel MORET of Switzerland finally rewarded herself with the long-awaited victory at the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup. There have always been no adversaries who could underestimate Rachel, but when it came to the final step, the Swiss player was often on the wrong side of the result. Today, in the opening stage of the qualifications, MORET, ranked No. 39 in Europe, overcame Hana MATELOVA of Czechia, who is ranked No. 16, after a thrilling five-game match that went back and forth. “Three times I lost 3-4, I had match ball against Sofia POLCANOVA…I was so close so many times,” reflected MORET, who had faced POLCANOVA of Austria four times, had a match ball once, and also lost to Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania and Nina MITTELHAM. However, MORET has never gone down without a great fight, and all players know how competitive she is. “I am so happy. It was important for me to win one match here after so many tries. I was so nervous as we approached the end. The whole duel went up and down. It was 1-2, 2-7 for MATELOVA in the fourth game, then in the decisive game, I was up 9-5 before Hana leveled. It was so stressful,” said MORET. Hana MATELOVA of Czechia – Rachel MORET of Switzerland 2-3 (13-15, 11-8, 11-9, 8-11, 9-11)

The CCB Europe Top 16 Cup commenced today in Montreux, nestled on the shores of the serene Lake Geneva, a picturesque town that captures the essence of Swiss beauty. This year’s edition of the tournament is extended to include qualification rounds, which took place today. Eight players are fighting for the two positions in the main draw, which will begin tomorrow. In the morning session, the highest-ranked players in the qualification rounds, Xia Lian NI of Luxembourg and Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia, faced early exits. In the Women’s event, Giorgia PICCOLIN of Italy triumphed over NI. PICCOLIN played a flawless game and maintained her focus while handling NI’s constant changes in tactics and rhythm. Despite a momentary lapse in focus that cost her the second game, PICCOLIN regained control and secured the win. In the Men’s event, Daniel HABESOHN overcame PUCAR. HABESOHN was down 4-8 but fought back to beat PUCAR 11-9 in the decisive game, once again highlighting his unpredictability. The opening round of the qualifications See the pictures here.

The 2025 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup in Montreux commences tomorrow with an innovative new format. Instead of two days of competition, we will have four days of fierce battles. On Thursday, the qualification rounds for players ranked 15–21 in the ETTU rankings and one Swiss player are introduced for the first time. Players will play two rounds, and the two winners from the second round will advance to the main draw. The draw for the qualification part of the event was held today at the Omnisports Montreux. On Friday, the Round of 16 matches will be played for both men and women. Saturday is reserved for Quarterfinals for both categories, and Sunday for Semifinals and finals for men’s and women’s singles. The winners of the 2024 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup were Jia NanYUAN (France) and DARKO JORGIC (Slovenia). JORGIC achieved a remarkable hat-trick, securing the title for the third consecutive year. YUAN made history as the first Frenchwoman to win the tournament. Bronze medalists in 2024 were Marcos FREITAS (Portugal) and Alexis LEBRUN (France) in the men’s event, while BERNADETTE SZOCS (Romania) and Nina MITTELHAM (Germany) took third place in the women’s category. All last year’s medalists are on duty in Montreux. Top seeds are Felix LEBRUN of France and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania. The novelty is that the two-player limit per nation has been removed, ensuring that Europe’s best players have the chance to compete, regardless of nationality. All matches will be played in a “Best of 5” format, and the competition will take place on a single table over four days. ETTU.TV will cover all matches except in the countries where specific restrictions apply. The results can be followed here.