by Simon Daish
Germany’s Nina Mittelham has been handed a difficult opening round fixture; she begins her Women’s Singles campaign against the Slovak Republic’s Barbora Balazova, a player not to be underestimated and fully capable of providing a tough challenge for the 14th seed.
Displaying excellence throughout the qualification tournament, which preceded the 2018 ITTF Challenge Slovenia Open, Satsuki Odo has been presented with another chance to impress in Otocec as the Japanese competitor prepares to take on Luxembourg’s Sarah De Nutte. Seeded 11th for the event Sarah De Nutte will be hoping for a lengthy stint in the event, but will she come unstuck at the first hurdle?
In the lower half of the draw second seed Miyu Kato faces Slovak qualifier Lucia Truksova while Hungary’s Szandra Pergel, seeded 13th, welcomes young Romanian star Andreea Dragoman.
Appearing at the Europe Top 16 Cup competition in early February, two months on Lionel Weber is competing in round one of the Men’s Singles tournament in Otocec. Seeded for the event but if the Swiss representative is to progress from his opening round encounter he will need to negotiate Bence Majoros, a player he is yet to beat on the international stage – Will it be another victory for the Hungarian?
Two players leading the way for the host nation are Darko Jorgic and Bojan Tokic, who begin their Men’s Singles campaigns with fixtures against Wang Tai-Wei and Yukiya Uda. Top seed Liao Cheng-Ting takes on Marek Badowski at the summit of the draw.
The day concludes with quarter-finals action from the Under 21 Men’s Singles and Under 21 Women’s Singles competitions.
Watch the action unfold live from Otocec with itTV
More Information
- Full Schedule
- Men´s Singles Draw
- Women’s Singles Draw
- U21 Men´s Singles Draw
- U21 Women´s Singles Draw
