Europe Top 16 Preview

Liam Pitchford says he is in a good headspace as he returns to the Europe Top 16 – with a place at the ITTF Men’s World Cup to play for. 

Pitchford has good memories of the event in Montreux, winning bronze in 2023 as he came from 3-1 down to beat Truls Moregard – who has since become an Olympic silver medallist – in the quarter-finals before bowing out in a deciding game to then European champion Dang Qiu in the semi-finals. 

He has also twice reached the quarter-finals of the competition, which this year for the first time provides a route to the ITTF Men’s and Women’s World Cup in Macao in April. 

Another semi-final appearance would be enough to qualify, but Pitchford will need to play extra matches this year as the event has been extended to 22 players and he is in the qualification phase, where two wins are needed to advance to the last 16. 

Pitchford’s opponents will come from: Tomislav Pucar (CRO), Milosz Redzimski (POL), Benedikt Duda (GER), Kristian Karlsson (SWE), Joao Geraldo (POR), Daniel Habesohn (AUT) and Chaitanya Vepa (SUI). 

If he gets through, then possible re-matches against Qiu and Moregard could await, or a possible clash against defending champion Darko Jorgic – who beat him at the Paris Olympics. 

The Lebrun brothers, Felix and Alexis, are also in the field – Olympic bronze medallist Felix defeated Pitchford at this event last year, though the Englishman was afflicted by a sickness bug. 

Pitchford said: “I’m feeling pretty good and been playing well recently. There’s a lot of good players in it and it’s an opportunity to go and test myself. I’ve played some good stuff in the first couple of tournaments of the year, the game’s coming back. 

“Obviously it would be nice to qualify for the World Cup. At the start of the year, it wasn’t something I thought was possible but it’s a good chance and if I perform well, I can qualify. 

“It’s about taking one match at a time and if I can end up getting on a run, you never know what might happen.” 

Pitchford comes into the tournament on the back of a good run of wins at the Singapore Smash, where he came through three qualifying rounds, including a close match against India’s Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, before bowing out in the round of 64 to Maharu Yoshimura of Japan (WR 37). 

“It was a 50-50 match,” said Pitchford of his defeat. “At 1-1 and 10-10, I had a chance to win that point and, if I’d have won that set, it might have been different. He’s a solid player. I knew it was one I could win and maybe another day it could have gone my way. 

“It’s tough to come through qualifying, to be honest. It’s the first time I’ve been down there for a while, but I proved to myself I’ve still got the level to come through those tough matches, especially against Sathiyan at 6-2 down (in the decider). I stayed calm and managed to play well at the end. 

“I would have liked a bit more rest between matches, finishing late and then playing one of the first matches the next day, but that’s the way the schedule goes. It’s not an excuse, I just would have liked the schedule to be a bit better – but I had a good tournament, so I can’t complain. 

“Overall, I’ve started the year well. At the end of last year, I had problems with my hip and it was nice to have a break and get that sorted. I came into the year in a good headspace.  

“The body’s feeling good and the game’s feeling good and hopefully the results will come.” 

How to watch the CBB Europe Top 16 Cup

The CBB Europe Top 16 Cup will be aired on ETTU TV. Watch it here from Thursday 20 February 09:30 GMT

Event update

Liam took on Milosz Redzimski in the first qualification round. After each player won a set 11-4, the third set ended in Pitchford’s favour after a tense encounter that ended 14-12. The fourth game was significantly less close, as Redzimski won 11-4, before the final standoff left fans on the edge of their seats. Scores edged up one at a time, and at 9-9, the outcome of the match was left on a knife edge. But Pitchford used all his years of experience and resolve to plough on and take the final points, and with it, the match, and a coveted spot in the final qualification round.

A win over Benedikt Duda would secure a spot in the main event, and things got off to an amazing start as Pitchford took the opening set 11-5. Despite some strong play, Pitchford wasn’t able to match his level from set 1 for the remainder of the match, as Duda worked his way through the match point by point, and ultimately take the remaining games required to progress, and knock out Pitchford with a 3-1 result.

Results

Men’s Singles Qualification Round 1
Liam Pitchford bt Milosz Redzimski (POL) 3-2 (4-11, 11-4, 14-12, 3-11, 11-9)

Men’s Singles Qualification Round 2
Benedikt Duda (GER) bt Liam Pitchford 3-1 (5-11, 11-3, 11-2, 11-7)