At least seven TTBL pros at the Europe Top 16
Darko Jorgic from Saarbrücken can set a record in Montreux.
With at least seven professionals from the German Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL), the traditional Europe Top 16 will take place in Montreux next month (February 20-23). This is the result of the published list of participants, which includes three German national players for the second most important singles tournament on the continent.
The highest seeded TTBL ace is defending champion Darko Jorgic from Champions League winners 1. FC Saarbrücken TT. The Slovenian, who is ranked number four, can become the first player to triumph for the fourth time in a row in the over 50-year-old competition in Switzerland.
Of the German starters, former European champion Dang Qiu (Düsseldorf) is seeded number five directly behind Jorgic. Former title winners Dimitrij Ovtcharov (Fulda) and Patrick Franziska (Saarbrücken) were seeded seventh and eleventh respectively in the seeding list headed by French Olympic bronze medalist Felix Lebrun.
By holding a qualifier for the first time, three other TTBL pros, including European Championship runner-up Benedikt Duda (Bergneustadt), have the chance of one of two further places in the main draw. The second seeded Swede Truls Möregardh can also be indirectly included in the TTBL contingent. The silver medal winner from Paris 2024 will play exclusively in the Champions League for Saarbrücken. - The participants in the Europe Top 16 in Montreux (February 20-23) from the German Table Tennis League (TTBL) in the order of their seedings:
Main field: Darko Jorgic (1. FC Saarbrücken TT/No. 4), Dang Qiu (Borussia Düsseldorf/5), Dimitrij Ovtcharov (TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell/7), Anders Lind (Borussia Dortmund/8), Anton Källberg (Düsseldorf/9), Patrick Franziska (Saarbrücken/11), Eduard Ionescu (Saarbrücken/14)
Qualification: Benedikt Duda (Bergneustadt/17), Kristian Karlsson (TTC OE Bad Homburg), Daniel Habesohn (Post SV Mühlhausen/20)
Source: SID
Feature image above: Darko Jorgic (Foto: AFP/SID/TOBIAS SCHWARZ)