by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Editor
Top of the list for Dimitrij Ovtcharov; next in line are the three further players who have enjoyed success in the prestigious tournament.
Vladimir Samsonov of Belarus is the second seed followed immediately by Timo Boll, like Dimitrij Ovtcharov from Germany and Portugal’s Marcos Freitas.
In terms of success, most successful of the quartet is Timo Boll. He has six wins to his credit; he won in 2002 in Rotterdam, the following year in Saarbrücken, before succeeding in 2006 in Copenhagen and then in 2009 and 2010 in Düsseldorf.
Currently, he is one title ahead of Vladimir Samsonov; of those present in Antibes, he holds the record for longevity. He made his debut in Dijon in 1995 finishing in fifth place alongside Germany’s Jörg Rosskopf. Later, he won in 1998 in Halmstad; he retained the title in 1999 in Split, before succeeding in 2001 in Wels and six years later in 2007 in Arezzo.
Success on more than one occasion for the top three names, for the fourth it is once; Marcos Freitas won in Lausanne in 2014.
Meanwhile, for the women, there are two former winners confirmed and one of the most successful in recent times. Austria’s Liu Jia who won in 2005 in Rennes and then in 2014 in Lausanne prior to retaining the title in 2015 in Baku, is the fourth seed.
Turkey’s Hu Melek tops the list followed by Germany’s Petrissa Solja and Romania’s Elizabeta Samara.
The one other winner of the title who will be on duty in Antibes is Poland’s Li Qian, the winner in 2009 in Düsseldorf; she is the sixth seed, one place behind Li Jie of the Netherlands.
Tickets are now on sale with discounts for groups; also apartments are available for rent.
Apartments which accommodate four people are available from €108.00 per night; a three day pass may be purchased for €25.00 with a two day pass for Saturday and Sunday being listed at €25.00.
Also tickets are available on a daily basis, Friday is €5.00, Saturday €10.00 whilst for Sunday it is €15.00.
For all questions regarding tickets and apartments contact:
Email: [email protected]
2017 ITTF-Europe Top 16 Cup: Prospectus including schedule of play and ticket sales
2017 ITTF-Europe Top 16 Cup: Confirmed List of Players (Wednesday 21st December)
