Top seeded player and one of the youngest finalists ever Truls MOREGARD of Sweden will play in Montreux at the China Construction Bank Europe Top 16 Cup on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th February. Last year he came to Switzerland as a substitute on his premiere at the event but this year he is one of the favorites.
“It was fantastic experience for me last year when I played in Monterux. It is beautiful place; there is fantastic atmosphere in the venue great settings. I am looking forward coming back ” said MOREGARD.
Therefore Truls hopes he can move the bar even higher this year.
“I was not well prepared for the tournament last year but it all went very well at the end. I have played fantastic table tennis. That is why I hope if I can come even more prepared this year I would improve my result. I am much better player than I was in February last year and I hope for the best in 2023.”
Speaking of the best memories from last year’s edition Truls pointed at his match against BOLL in the semifinal.
“I played fantastic match against Timo. It was really something to play in front of enthusiastic crowd at the place where he was their real hero. He has won there so many times and spectators created unbelievable atmosphere. They simply loved him and it was so fun to play because spectators were so involved and we both played great.”
Truls MOREGARD was not active at the WTT tournament since the beginning of 2023.
“I tried to play at few but nowadays is very tough to get a chance to play some of these tournaments. I am very focused on the practice now and I had important matches in Champions League. However I am in good shape and I will try to be in the best one in Monterux.”
MOREGARD expressed positive view on the period in between two Top 16 Cups.
“The year 2022 started little bit shaky and I was worry because of the defeat in the final of Top 16 and not happy with the result at Singapore Smash and Qatar but after that I started to play really good again and had som
e good moments at WTT. I kept my level and my rankings. Some people thought that I do not deserve such high rankings but I proved them wrong and justified my status.”
Last year’s final was breathtaking clash with fantastic twist. Darko JORGIC managed to recover from 1:3 in reverse to beat Truls. Since they are seeded at the position one and two this year they are most likely players to meet at the ultimate stage again.
“I hope to play against Darko in the final again. It will be big fun. We will prove we are at the top in Europe in stable way. However I choose not to think a lot about last year’s match. I played really good he played fantastic as well but I do not want to look back. It will happens again I look forward that duel”
The list of challengers for the title does not end with JORGIC. It is as impressive as always for the Top 16. At the China Construction Bank Europe Top 16 Cup will also play Dang QIU and Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden Liam PITCHFORD of England Andrej GACINA and Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia Simon GAUZY of France Marcos FREITAS of Portugal WANG Yang of Slovakia Robert GARDOS of Austria Jonathan GROTH of Denmark Joao GERALDO of Portugal Elias HARDMEIER of Switzerland and Emmanuel LEBESSON of France.
“Every match is really tough at this tournament. I have to be prepared from the beginning and to be ready to play against any style of play. There is not only Darko or me there are so many players capable to play in the final and win the title. Dimitrij OVTCHAROV is in the top shape and he proved it by reaching the final in Amman last week. Kristian KARLSSON is also in good run GACINA won Qatar…Everyone could win this tournament.”
What would be your top goal for this year?
“Absolute main goal is to win the gold medal at the European Teams championships in Malmo this autumn. It will be fantastic to do it at the home soil and I know that everyone in the team feels that way. This is the ultimate goal for this year and I am looking forward to this tournament ” stated Truls MOREGARD.
