Rich spectacle and suspense in the development final

The capital development championships, the institution, which is consistently very high in the competition pyramid of the E.F.O.Epa. Final of this year’s tournaments, which took place with great success on the weekend of 20 and 21/04 in the exceptional conditions of the federal hall at the Stadium of Peace and Friendship. With 86 children from 32 clubs (two last-minute absences, one for juniors and one for girls), with the best male and female athletes in six categories based on the special score, with passion and intense competition, as there is also the connection with the criteria for the formation of the “small” national teams. The gold medal was won by Alexandros Alexopoulos among teenagers, Qi Xinyu among juniors, Kostas Fakaros among boys, Stella Mavroataki among girls, Theofanis Markoulakis among girls and Elpida Tassiou among girls. The tournament was covered with continuous live broadcasts from tables 1 and 2 by the gre78.tv youtube channel. Today, Sunday, live 1 took place at the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGn0KujCOxE and live 2 at the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGfvSVNbwxw. Also, all the matches were videotaped and will be posted on the channel’s website.

E.F.O.E.P.A. organized for the first time the so-called Top 16 of the developmental stage. The predicted 16 entries were recorded in all the boys’ categories, 12 girls took part in the juniors, 15 in the girls’ and 11 in the pan-girls. There were also bronze medal matches, as well as full classification, as is the case in the open. All results are posted on TTScore.io.

TTScore.io

Dimitris Gkemitzis

Table Tennis Tournament Manager

Among the teenagers, Alexandros Alexopoulos and Stathis Manolopoulos claimed first place. Alexopoulos came from 16th place in the special standings and from only one development this year. However, he showed up in a very good condition and showed his ability against the defense. The tournament’s number 2, Manolopoulos led 2-1 and finally Alexopoulos prevailed 3-2 in a match full of spectacle (14-12, 8-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-6).

Evangelia Meramvelliotaki (number 1 of the games) and Qi Xinyu (No. 2) were in the junior final. The athlete of Chinese origin is still a girl, but this year she chose to compete only in the teenage category. Meramvelliotaki was in immediate danger of being out of the 4th group when she lost a 2-0 set to Mavra Kontopoulou, whom she had lost to yesterday in the groups. It was also a perfectly balanced and exciting final and Qi Xinyu prevailed with 3-2 sets (12-10, 8-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9). We remind you that the athlete from Tataula does not yet have the right to participate in the national team.

In the boys, Kostas Fakaros advanced as 1st favorite. In the final, he met another strong representative of the defense, Theofanis Mitkas, and won 3-0 sets (11-7, 11-9, 11-5). Mitkas made an excellent run from the number 9 seeding. The semi-finals were sensational, the finalists won in five sets against Yannis Kioseloglou and Konstantinos Alexoudis respectively, Mitkas even made a comeback from 0-2 in the sets.

In the girls, Stella Mavromataki sealed her very efficient year in terms of development. During her time she was also tested in the juniors and in the SEF she started as number 5. She reached the top by defeating in the final the number 4, Anna-Fanuria Mitka with 3-1 sets (15-13, 7-11, 11-5, 11- 5).

Theophanis Markoulakis gave an impressive follow-up to the Panhellenic mini-pampaids championship last week in Patras. Unfolding his talent again he reached the 1st place. Still 11 years old, at 12 Giorgos Kouvelas, who was also very positive (also a defender) reaching the final with the age limit of the category being 13 years. Markoulakis was very stable in the deciding match and prevailed with a 3-0 set (11-0, 11-4, 11-7). Neither guy was in the top four favorites.

In the pangorasides, Elpida Tassiou climbed to the highest step of the podium one year after the pan-Hellenic title in the mini pangorasides. She had three lost finals this year in the developmental stages but…saved the best for last when she defeated Sofia Fili with 3-0 sets (11-6, 11-8, 11-9). Fili was also successful not only because she was in the final for the first time, but also because she achieved a great victory in the semi-finals against the current champion of Greece in all individual events of the category. She prevailed with 3-1 sets against Chen Yudie of Chinese origin.

The unexpected results had started since Saturday. The 2nd favourite, Spyros Fousekis, was left out of the 8th place for the Pampaides. In the 2nd group, he was defeated by 3-2 sets by Panagiotis Mitsopoulos (OEA Thessaloniki) and Giorgos Kouvelas (SPA Lykovrysis-Pefkis). In the same group, Markoulakis had lost 3-1 to Fusekis, but qualified as 1st from a tie with Kouvelas, whom he also defeated yesterday with 3-0.

Today Sunday, Alexandros Madesis, this year’s champion of Greece K21, lost in the 4th group of teenagers 3-2 sets to Manolopoulos in another amazing game. The 1st favorite in the Final, Yiannis Malamoudis, took 6th place.

In the Pampaides, Giorgos Sassanis, 1st favorite and runner-up of Greece in singles a few days ago, was ranked 7th. In the 8th round, he lost 3-1 to Kouvelas.

Aphrodite Sarikakis and Anastasia Michalaru, favorites No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, were left out of the 4th place in the pankorasides. In the quarterfinals, the first lost 3-1 set to Tassiou and the second 3-1 to Fili.

From the respective positions of the favorites, the twin girls Irini and Nestoria Chrysostomidou (Sarises Florina) took the 6th and 7th places respectively, they were even placed as opponents in the mini table 5-8.

The winners in each category:

TEENAGERS:

1. Alexandros Alexopoulos (DAO Tavrou)

2. Stathis Manolopoulos (EA Rethymno)

3. Alexandros Madesis (AEK)

CHILDREN:

1. Qi Xinyu (AO Tataula)

2. Evangelia Meramveliotaki (GAO Piraeus)

3. Zoe Kazakou (GAO Piraeus)

CHILDREN:

1. Kostas Fakaros (Phoenicia Agia Sophia Piraeus)

2. Theofanis Mitkas (National team of Alexandroupolis)

3. Yiannis Kioseloglou (Poseidon Loutrakiou)

GIRLS:

1. Stella Mavromataki (OA Chania)

2. Anna-Fanouria Mitka (HAN Thessaloniki)

3. Vasiliki Boula (OA of Chania)

PAMPADES:

1. Theofanis Markoulakis (OA Chania)

2. Giorgos Kouvelas (SPA Lykovrisis Pefkis)

3. Apostolos Vatsaklis (SPA Lykovrysis-Pefkis)

PANGORASIDES:

1. Elpida Tassiou (AO Thermis Thermaios)

2. Sophia Fili (Prophet Ilias Piraeus)

3. Chen Yudie (POK Esperos Kallithea)

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE MATCHES FOR POSITIONS 3-4

In the “small” finals two matches went to five sets. It was in the girls, where Vasiliki Boula beat Georgia Spanou (Sarises Florinas) 3-2, but also in the pampaids, where Apostolos Vatsaklis overturned the situation from 0-2 against Stefanos Mavromatakis (Ikaros Kastritsiou).

In the teenagers, Alexandros Madesis defeated Yiannis Koutras (Poseidon Loutrakiou) with a 3-0 set, in the boys with the same score, Yiannis Kioseloglou defeated Konstantinos Alexoudis (Filia Orestiadas), in the women’s side, Chen Yudie defeated Alexandra Mavridis (Profitis Ilias Piraeus). In the junior final, Zoi Kazakou beat Stella Tzaridou (HAN Thessaloniki) with 3-1 sets.

The awards were presented by the chairman of the board of directors of EFOEPA Kostas Papageorgiou, the member of the administration Xenia Stathis and the national federal coach Kostas Vatsaklis.