Sgouropoulos and Paridis 2024 table tennis champions of Greece in singles

Giannis Sgouropoulos and Konstantina Paridis are the Greek singles table tennis champions for 2024.

In the event, which was successful in every respect, at the “Olympian Nikos Grammatikos” indoor gym in Salamina, the Olympiakos athlete took the Pan-Hellenic men’s title for the third year in a row.

In the final he defeated Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos of Panathinaikos with 4-2 sets. In the women’s category, the Panathinaikos athlete tasted the joy of first place in the most important competition for the second time after 2022. In the final, she defeated Elizabeth Terpou of Panathinaikos with 4-1 sets.

Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos/Giorgos Konstantinopoulos of Panathinaikos won the gold medal in the men’s doubles, Katerina Toliou/Konstantina Paridis from the same club climbed to the highest step of the podium in the women’s doubles. Since Saturday, Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos/Elisavet Terpou had won the pan-Hellenic title in mixed doubles.

The co-organizers E.F.O.E.P.A. and the municipality of Salamina showed an excellent result in a three-day event, certainly one of the best in history. With the municipality and local companies decisively supporting the organizational part and presenting happenings, benefits, actions, which advertised the sport and boosted the prestige of the Panhellenic championships.

With a cash prize of 1,000 for the winners of the single for the first time in history, with innovations, with actions of a charitable and entertainment nature and of course the total of 78 sportsmen and women athletes to offer a rich spectacle and strong matches in the hunt for medals. The event was covered with continuous and daily live streaming from the gre78 YouTube channel, with many images and reports.

On the last day four tables were initially used and from the semi-finals and then two were left in the hall.

THE PICTURE IN THE FINAL OF JUST MEN

In the men’s singles, the first two favorites Giannis Sgouropoulos and Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos, who were also finalists in 2019 in Chania, reached the final. The number 1, Sgouropoulos, found himself behind 0-1 and 7-10 in the 2nd set and turned the situation around with five points in a row. This tie was the first crucial point of the match. The four-time European Junior and Young Men’s singles champion then took the lead and was held to level by the left-handed Konstantinopoulos in 2-2 sets.

Critical and the also balanced 5th set. Sgouropoulos had the last ball, prevailed again in overtime and in the 6th set kept the small difference he created with correct choices to prevail 4-2 after a great match of 46 minutes (5-11, 12-10, 11-7, 6-11, 12-10, 11-8).

From the top of the board, Sgouropoulos defeated Savvas Vatsaklis (Athina Magoufanas) in the “32” last Saturday with a 3-0 set and in the “16” Nikos Antoniadis (Panathinaikos) with a 3-1. Today Sunday he defeated Alexandros Madesis (AEK) 3-0 in the quarter-finals and Tassos Riniotis 4-2 in the semi-finals. Konstantinopoulos at the base of the scoreboard eliminated Giorgos Kosmas (DAO Tavrou) in the 1st round with a 3-0 set and in the 2nd round Anastasios Giovas-Alkhazidis (OEA Thessaloniki) with the same score. Today he overcame Dimitris Kordoutis (ASEA Kefalonia & Ithaca) in the quarterfinals with 3-1 and in the semifinals with 4-1 set Giorgos Stamatouros.

The twists and turns in the only undefeated quarter-final Riniotis-G. Konstantinopoulos 3-2. The eventual winner was ahead 2-1 in the set and 9-2 in the 4th set. The athlete from Panathinaikos made an impressive comeback and not only equalized in overtime, but took a 3-0 lead in the 5th set. There, the Olympiakos athlete from Salamina turned the situation around, took five consecutive points (5-3) and reached the victory.

THE JUST WOMEN’S FINAL

In the women’s singles a little earlier, a “new” couple claimed the trophy and the financial prize. Konstantina Paridis from seeding position 4 and Elisavet Terpou from position 3 offered a high level match. Paridis lost the 1st set but the continuation belonged to her, because she found herself on a very good day. She imposed her game at an excellent pace and at the same time Terpou couldn’t find solutions. Especially after 1-1 Paridis was in complete control and excitedly reached the first with a 4-1 set (6-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-2, 11-2)

The two finalists started their journey from the middle of the table and had a bye in the round of “32”. In the first half, Paridi eliminated Alcisti Kasimi of PKD Tavros with 3-1 sets, (last year’s champion) Ioanna Gerasimato of AEK with 3-0 and (four-time champion) Katerina Toliou with 4-2 sets.

From the second half, Terpou defeated Mary Koukoutou of Finikas Piraeus in the round of 16 with 3-0 sets and today Chryssi Fotiadou (Sarises Florina) with 3-0 and Malamatenia Papadimitriou of Olympiakos in a shocking semi-final with 4-3 (in extra time The match was decided in the 7th set with Terpou saving four match points).

SEVEN TROPHIES AND HISTORY WRITTEN BY KONSTANTINOPOULOS

In the men’s doubles final, fans of the sport saw for the third time in recent years Giorgos Konstantinopoulos/Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos on one side and Tassos Riniotis/Giorgos Stamatouros on the other. The Olympiakos athletes had won the previous two, now they got the rematch with 3-1 by the Afos Konstatinopoulos, reaching a pan-Hellenic record. They completed 7 firsts, surpassing two legendary twins, Kostas Priftis/Dimitris Zikos in the past and Yiannis Vlotinos/Yiannis Kordoutis in recent history. In their 9th consecutive final in the event, they had help from luck at the most critical points of the 4th set with two goals to close the score (9-11, 11-6, 11-3, 14-12).

FOURTH TITLE FOR PARIDI/TOLIOU

In the women’s doubles, Katerina Toliou/Konstantina Paridis confirmed the role of the 1st favorite with difficulty. Yes, they lost a set along the way, but in the final they met strong resistance from Malamatenia Papadimitriou/Elena Sofra, number 3 in the competition. With the combination of an offensive and a defensive style of play, the Panathinaikos athletes had good tactics and especially the last word at all critical points. They prevailed 3-0, but all the sets were decided in overtime with the two girls from Salamina reaching distinction anyway in their first collaboration in the competition (12-10, 12-10, 13-11).

Paridis and Toliou celebrated together the pan-Hellenic first for the 4th year. In the semi-finals, Sofra/Papadimitriou eliminated the 2nd favorite, Chrysi Fotiadou/Ioanna Gerasimatou with 3-0 sets.

THE PROLONGED APPLAUSE FOR GEORGOPOULOU

The strongest moment of the championship was recorded in the women’s doubles and it hid emotion. In her native country, Olga Georgopoulou reappeared on the tables after 1.5 years, taking part in this event with her Pera Athens teammate Dimitra Tsekouras. But the long struggle, which she gives with courage and faith for her health, is the most important. The coach of Pera herself, and for many years an international athlete in the past, is certainly not in the right competitive condition, the world knows her enormous effort and sent a strong message of support in the final of the semi-final, recognizing at the same time her great contribution to the field. After the end of the match against Paridis/Toliou (3-1) the spectators applauded Georgopoulou for a long time, her teammates, coaches and referees hugged her and she greeted with tears in her eyes. Such was the moment of apotheosis, that the second semi-final stopped for a very short time so that everyone warmly applauded the protagonist from Salamina. Notably, Georgopoulou, who among many other distinctions has four Panhellenic finals in the competition, also achieved success by winning the bronze medal.

The winners in each event:

MEN’S SINGLE:

1. Yannis Sgouropoulos (Olympiacos SFP)

2. Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos (Panathinaikos AO)

3. Giorgos Stamatouros (Olympiacos SFP)

-. Tasos Riniotis (Olympic Sports Club)

WOMEN’S SINGLE:

1. Konstantina Paridis (Panathinaikos AO)

2. Elizabeth Terpou (Panathinaikos AO)

3. Malamatenia Papadimitriou (Olympiacos SFP)

-. Katerina Toliou (Panathinaikos AO)

MEN’S DOUBLE:

1. George Konstantinopoulos/Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos (Panathinaikos AO)

2. Tasos Riniotis/Giorgos Stamatouros (Olympiacos SFP)

3. Stathis Manolopoulos/Dimitris Kordoutis (OEA Rethymno/ASEA Kefalonia & Ithaca)

-. Giorgos Kosmas/Ilias Michaelidis (DAO Tavros/Aris Nikias)

WOMEN’S DOUBLE:

1. Katerina Toliou/Konstantina Paridis (Panathinaikos AO)

2. Malamatenia Papadimitriou/Elena Sofra (Olympic Sports Club/HAN Thessaloniki)

3. Chrysi Fotiadou/Ioanna Gerasimatou (Sarises Florina/AEK)

-. Olga Georgopoulou/Dimitra-Thomais Tsekouras (AS Pera Athens)

DOUBLE MIX:

1. Konstantinos Konstantinopoulos/Elisavet Terpou (Panathinaikos AO)

2. Giorgos Stamatouros/Malamatenia Papadimitriou (Olympiacos SFP)

3. Gerasimos Hatzilygeroudis/Ioanna Gerasimatou (AO Tataula/AEK)

-. Giorgos Konstantinopoulos/Dimitra Thomais Tsekouras (Panathinaikos AO/AS Pera Athens)

DUMENI AND VOLAKAKI WERE AWARDED

The finale was celebrated with sparklers, confetti and music for the winners. In addition, two great figures of Greek women’s table tennis from the somewhat distant but also recent past were honored. The municipality of Salamina and EFOEPA awarded Andriani (Liana) Doumeni and Archontoula Volakaki. Two athletes who wrote their own history in the institution, since (among many other national titles) one had two gold medals in women’s singles and the other four. Doumeni is from Salamina and had developed into a top athlete in the “golden” era of Telamos, while she was also a Balkan champion.

Volakaki was also awarded on the occasion of the Olympic year, as she is the only Greek woman who has competed in the single Olympic tournament (Athens, 2004), while of course she was also present in the women’s doubles with Maria Moirou. The closing ceremony opened with a dance from the local dance school of Tina Begni.