by Simon Daish
Opening on Friday 23rd June, the 2017 Spanish Championships has provided spectators with many hours of exciting table tennis action, as Almería welcomed the country’s top sporting stars.
One of the standout performances came from Álvaro Robles, who went on to enjoy a spectacular campaign in Almería.
Standing victorious against the 10 times champion Carlos Machado over five games (11-3, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7), Álvaro Robles sealed his place on the top step of the podium for the first time in his career while Endika Diez and Miguel Ángel Vílchez finished in the bronze medal positions.
The Women’s Singles final was also decided in five ends as Galia Dvorak secured the trophy for the fifth occasion.
Galia Dvorak overcame Sofia Xuan-Zhang, who was making her debut at the event, with a four games to one victory (9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7) to take the crown.
Both María Xiao and Sara Ramírez were restricted to bronze medal finishes in the Women’s Singles category, but they were given plenty of reasons to smile in the Women’s Doubles competition after the duo partnered up to perfection to take the gold medal.
Over in the Men’s Doubles tournament there was yet more joy for Álvaro Robles, combining well with Endika Diez to defeat Marc Durán and Oriol Monzó in the final.
Marc Durán and Oriol Monzó missed out on a triumphant conclusion to the Men’s Doubles draw, but the two players were left celebrating in the Men’s Team tournament as DKV Borges Vall prevailed against UCAM Cartagena by a 3-1 scoreline.
Suris Calella claimed the Women’s Team trophy for the second time following its 3-1 success over Girbau Vic TT.