The pinnacle of this year’s season in the Czech Republic is fast approaching. The men’s and women’s national championships are set to take place from March 22nd to 24th at the ลepy Sports Center in Prague and the top Czech players are eagerly anticipating the battle for the championship titles.
Last year in Havรญลov Pavel ล IRUฤEK and Zdena BLAล KOVร clinched the gold medals in singles. Both face stiff competition this year. In recent years the top-seeded players have not always emerged victorious in the singles events.
For instance last year long-time Czech number one Hana MATELOVร suffered her first singles defeat at the national championship since 2017. She had previously won five consecutive titles but did not compete in Kutnรก Hora in 2022. Last year she lost in the semi-finals to Zdena BLAล KOVร.
It’s evident that she will be eager to reclaim her throne but BLAล KOVร along with contenders like Kateลina TOMANOVSKร Linda ZรDฤROVร and Helena SOMMEROVร will be determined to thwart her intentions. Additionally we cannot overlook the rising talent of cadet Hanka KODETOVร who is already putting pressure on the top Czech women in terms of performance.
The men’s competition promises to be equally captivating. Last year Pavel ล IRUฤEK added to his 2019 title and now boasts a total of four gold medals. His primary challengers are expected to be Jiลรญ VRรBLรK David REITล PIES and Jiลรญ MARTINKO. And then there’s Lubomรญr JANฤAลรK. The seasoned competitor and highest-ranked Czech player in the world rankings have yet to secure a singles title in his career which is somewhat surprising. His motivation will undoubtedly be immense.
