WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August
USD 75,000
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MEDIA NOTES – DAY 2 WTT CONTENDER BUDAPEST 2021
OVERVIEW City: Budapest, Hungary Venue: Budapest Olympic Sports Hall Qualifying Dates: 15 – 16 August 2021 Main Draw: 17 – 20 August 2021 Table Brand: Joola 2000-S – Blue Ball Brand: DHS DJ40+ Floor Brand: Gerflor Taraflex – Black Prize Money USD 75,000
Welcome to World Table Tennis! As part of WTT's commitment to host events in the 2nd half of 2021, WTT Contender Budapest will create history as the first-ever WTT series event to be played in Europe and the first event since the staging of the highly successful WTT Middle East Hub in Doha in March. A total prize purse of US$75,000 will be on offer where the Men's and Women's Singles and Doubles and Mixed Doubles competitions will be contested.
The main draw will feature 32-player singles draws, 16-pair doubles and 16-pair mixed doubles. The Top 20 Play-Down Restriction will be increased from a maximum of two Top 20 players to a maximum of four Top 20 players. Wildcards are awarded as an automatic entry into the event either by the main or qualifying draw.
Following their campaign at the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020, the event will feature a host of Olympic stars such as Liam Pitchford, Quadri Aruna, Linda Bergstrom, Manika Batra and Yang Xiaoxin.
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WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August
USD 75,000
DAY ONE HIGHLIGHTS
• Men’s Singles top seed Liam Pitchford of England snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by beating host nation’s Adam Szudi. Pitchford was just one game away from an early exit but recovered gallantly to overcome Szudi, beating him 3-2 (9-11, 11-2, 10-12, 11-3, 11-7).
• Second seed Quadri Aruna of Nigeria also survived a significant scare. Still, it relied on his vast experience to defeat 23-year-old Andreas Levenko of Austria, coming back from 1-2 down to successfully turn the match around 3-2 in his favour (9-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-4, 11-8).
• Germany’s Ruwen Filus, one of the star performers at WTT Star Contender Doha 2021, became one of the event’s early casualties after falling to Czech Republic’s Tomas Polansky 2-3 (4-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7) despite having a two-game advantage.
• The biggest casualty in the Women’s Singles round of 32 was Russia’s Yana Noskova after losing 2-3 (11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 5-11, 11-9) to India’s Archana Girish Kamath.
• Two further seeded players departed in the Round of 32. Number seven seed Dora Madarasz was shown the exit after falling short against fellow Hungarian competitor Mercedes Nagyvaradi (9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-4), while Italy’s Debora Vivarelli, seeded directly below Madarasz, also lost out by a 3-1 scoreline in her meeting with Serbian qualifier Sabina Surjan (11-6, 7-11, 13-11, 11-6).
• Second seeds Adam Szudi and Szandra Pergel were the highest-profile pair to fall in the Mixed Doubles after losing out to Nandor Ecseki and Dora Madarasz 3-0 in an all- Hungarian contest (11-5, 11-3, 15-13).
• Russia’s Kirill Skachkov and Olga Vorobeva secured an impressive scalp against Niagol Stoyanov and Giorgia Piccolin, beating the Italian combination in a five-game epic (5-11, 5-11, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9).
LOOKING AHEAD: DAY TWO
• Women’s Singles top seed Yang Xiaoxin of Monaco looks to extend her winning run and faces Hungary’s Szandra Pergel, who prevailed in a five-game thriller to defeat India’s Reeth Tennison in their Round of 32 encounter.
• Slovakia’s Lubomir Pistej and Barbora Balazova take on India’s Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manika Batra in a thrilling Mixed Doubles quarter-final for a place in the semi-final.
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WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August
USD 75,000
• Having almost suffered the prospect of an early exit, Nigeria’s Quadri Aruna is back at the table as he clashes with Frenchman Alexandre Robinot in one of the day’s headline fixtures from the Men’s Singles.
• Top seed Liam Pitchford of England is also back in action as he meets Belarus’ Khanin Aleksandr, who enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win over Iran’s Amir Hodaei in his Round of 32.
• Top seeds Adam Szudi and Nandor Ecseki go head-to-head with France’s Alexandre Robinot and Joe Seyfried in the Men’s Doubles. Both pairs come through unscathed in their Round of 16 with 3-0 and 3-1 victories, respectively.
EVENT - FAST FACTS
• WTT Contender Budapest 2021 marks the first-ever event series WTT will host in Europe.
• The WTT Contender Series features the Play-Down Restriction (PDR) rule, limiting the maximum number of top 20 players allowed to compete in the events. • At WTT Contender Budapest, the Play-Down Restriction is increased due to COVID-19 from a maximum of two Top 20 players to a maximum of four Top 20 players.
• The draw structure has been revamped to make the competitions fairer, more exciting and more competitive.
• WTT may elect to nominate a player to participate in the event - this player is known as a WTT Nomination and entered into the entry list as a wildcard.
• Men's Singles: Quadri ARUNA (NGR) • Women’s Singles: Linda BERGSTROM (SWE)
• Wild Cards are determined 7 days before the event, and they are awarded to a player/pair at the organiser's discretion. It is an automatic entry into the event in either the main or qualifying draw.
• Men's Singles: • Patrik JUHASZ (Main Draw) • Czaba ANDRAS (Main Draw) • OLAH Benedek (Qualifying) • NOVOTA Samuel (Qualifying) • CHANDRA Jeet (Qualifying)
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WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August
USD 75,000
• GUMAN Martin (Qualifying) • Women's Singles: • Bernadett BALINT (Main Draw) • Mercedes NAGYVARADI (Main Draw) • Leila IMRE (Main Draw) • KALLBERG Christina (Qualifying) • CHITALE Diya Parag (Qualifying) • Men's Doubles: • Olive BOTH/Akos KISHEGYI • Istvan MOLNAR/Gergo KRAMARICS • Women's Doubles: • Linda BERGSTROM/Christina KALLBERG • Helga DARI/Anna FEJOS • Mixed Doubles: • JUHASZ Patrik/Bernadett BALINT • Cazaba ANDRAS/Leila IMRE
KEY DATES / TIMES 15 August 2021, 10:00 @ Budapest Olympic Sports Hall – Qualifying Draw Day 1 16 August 2021, 10:00 @ Budapest Olympic Sports Hall – Qualifying Draw Day 2 17 August 2021, 10:00 @ Budapest Olympic Sports Hall – Main Draw Day 1 18 August 2021, 14:00 @ Budapest Olympic Sports Hall – Main Draw Day 2 / Quarterfinals 19 August 2021, 10:00 @ Budapest Olympic Sports Hall – Main Draw Day 3 / Semifinals 20 August 2021, 13:00 @ Budapest Olympic Sports Hall – Finals
EVENT DISCIPLINES
As a WTT Contender event, 5 different disciplines will be contested:
- Men's Singles - Women's Singles - Men's Doubles - Women's Doubles - Mixed Doubles
PLAYING SYSTEM
The Main Draw matches will be conducted in a knockout format.
Main Draw:
The Main Draw for the 2021 WTT Contender Budapest 2021 will involve the following:
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WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August
USD 75,000
- 32-Draw Men's Singles - 32-Draw Women's Singles - 16-Draw Men's Doubles - 16-Draw Women's Doubles - 16-Draw Mixed Doubles
MATCH FORMAT / SCORING
The event will be played in accordance with the Laws of Table Tennis and the Regulations for International Competitions.
Singles
Main Draw to Quarterfinals:
- Best of 5 games/11 points - Winner need to win by 2 for all games
Semi-finals and Final
- Best of 7 games/11 points - Winner need to win by 2 for all games
Doubles
All Matches:
- Best of 5 games/11 points - Winner need to win by 2 for all games
TOP SEEDS
Men's Singles: Liam PITCHFORD (ENG) Women's Singles: Yang Xiaoxin (MON) Men's Doubles: ECSEKI Nandor / SZUDI Adam (HUN) Women's Doubles: PERGEL Szandra / MADARASZ Dora (HUN) Mixed Doubles: BALAZOVA Barbora / PISTEJ Lubomir (SVK)
PLAYERS – FAST FACTS
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WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August
USD 75,000
Youngest men's singles player: LEI Balazs (HUN) (14) Oldest men's singles player: AL-SAMHOURY Tarek (AUT) (43) Youngest women's singles player: CHITALE Diya Parag (IND) (18) Oldest women's singles player: VEGA Paulina (CHI) (37) Men's Doubles Pair Oldest Pairing: ECSEKI Nandor / SZUDI Adam (8 years together) Women's Doubles Pair Oldest Pairing: PERGEL Szandra / MADARASZ Dora (9 years together) Mixed Doubles Pair Oldest Ranking: BALAZOVA Barbora / PISTEJ Lubomir (8 years together)
• A host of Olympic stars will be present, and these include: o Liam PITCHFORD (ENG) o YANG Xiaoxin (MON) o Sathiyan GNANASEKERAN (IND) o Manika BATRA (IND) o Yana NOSKOVA (RUS) o Paulina VEGA (CHI) o Yousra HELMY (EGY)
EVENT SCHEDULE
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WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August
USD 75,000
18 AUGUST MAIN DRAW DAY 2
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WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August
USD 75,000
19 AUGUST MAIN DRAW DAY 3 SESSION 1 Starting At: 10:00 Women’s Doubles – SEMIFINALS followed by Men’s Doubles – SEMIFINALS SESSION 2 Not before 14:00 Women’s Singles – QUARTERFINALS followed by Women’s Singles – QUARTERFINALS followed by Men’s Singles – QUARTERFINALS followed by Men’s Singles – QUARTERFINALS SESSION 3 Not before 18:00 Women’s Singles – SEMIFINALS followed by Women’s Singles – SEMIFINALS followed by Men’s Singles – SEMIFINALS followed by Men’s Singles – SEMIFINALS End of Day
20 AUGUST MAIN DRAW DAY 4 SESSION 1 Starting At: 13:00 Men’s Doubles – FINALS followed by Women’s Doubles –FINALS followed by Mixed Doubles – FINALS followed by Women’s Singles – FINALS followed by Men’s Singles – FINALS End of Day PRIZE MONEY & WR POINTS
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WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August
USD 75,000
Total Prize Purse: US$ 75,000 / US$ 36,000 per gender (+ US$ 3,000 XD)
Distribution by Event
Singles: US$ 30,000 Singles Qualification: - Doubles: US$ 6,000 Mixed: US$ 3,000
Distribution - Singles
Winner: US$ 5,000 Finalist: US$ 2,800 Semis: US$ 3,700 Quarters: US$ 4,500 R-16: US$ 6,000 R-32: US$ 8,000
Distribution - Doubles
Winner: US$ 1,200 Finalist: US$ 900 Semis: US$ 1,100 Quarters: US$ 1,200 R-16: US$ 1,600
Distribution – Mixed Doubles
Winner: US$ 1,000 Finalist: US$ 620 Semis: US$ 700 Quarters: US$ 680 R-16: -
Singles Prize Money (USD$) WR Points
Winner 5,000 400
Finalist 2,800 280
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WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August
USD 75,000
Semis 1,850 140
Quarters 1,125 70
R-16 750 35
R-32 500 4
Doubles Prize Money (USD$) WR Points
Winner 1,200 400
Finalist 900 280
Semis 550 140
Quarters 300 70
R-16 200 4
Mixed Doubles Prize Money (USD$) WR Points
Winner 1,000 400
Finalist 620 280
Semis 350 140
Quarters 170 70
R-16 - 4
SINGLES' MAIN DRAW - NATIONAL ASSOCIATION BREAKDOWN
(17 National Associations in total)
AUSTRIA (1) LEVENKO Andreas BELARUS (2) TRIGOLOS Daria, PLATONOV Pavel CHILE (1) VEGA Paulina CZECH REPUBLIC (1) POLANSKY Tomas EGYPT (1) HELMY Yousra
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WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August
USD 75,000
ENGLAND (2) HO Tin-Tin, Liam PITCHFORD FRANCE (2) AKKUZU Can, ROBINOT Alexandre GERMANY (5) WINTER Sabine, FILUS Ruwen, DUDA Benedikt, QIU Dang, WALTHER Ricardo HUNGARY (11) POTA Georgina, MADARASZ Dora, PERGEL Szandra, BALINT Bernadett, NAGYVARADI Mercedes, IMRE Leila, MAJOROS Bence, SZUDI Adam, ECSEKI Nandor, JUHASZ Patrik, ANDRAS Csaba INDIA (5) BATRA Manika, KAMATH Archana Girish, GNANASEKARAN Sathiyan, DESAI Harmeet, THAKKAR Manav Vikash ITALY (3) VIVARELLI Debora, PICCOLIN Giorgia, STOYANOV Niagol MONACO (1) YANG Xiaoxin NIGERIA (1) ARUNA Quadri RUSSIA (6) MIKHAILOVA Polina, NOSKOVA Yana, VOROBEVA Olga, TAILAKOVA Mariia, SKACHKOV Kirill, SHIBAEV Alexander SERBIA (2) LUPULESKU Izabela, TODOROVIC Andrea SLOVAKIA (2) BALAZOVA Barbora, PISTEJ Lubomir SWEDEN (2) BERGSTROM Linda, MOREGARD Truls
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WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August USD 75,000
Men's Singles Main Draw
2020 Years Playing Events Career Career Career Type Name Assoc WR Highest WR Grip Style Age Matches Pro hand Won Matches Wins Win % /Wins PDR-I PITCHFORD Liam ENG 15 #12 (2019/8) 13 R Shakehand Attacker 28 0 13 9 184 111 WTT ARUNA Quadri NGR 20 #18 (2020/3) 14 R Shakehand Attacker 32 3 7 3 184 116 GNANASEKARAN AER Sathiyan IND 37 #24 (2019/7) 12 R Shakehand Attacker 28 2 4 2 188 111 AER QIU Dang GER 53 #48 (2020/3) 9 R Penhold Attacker 24 1 15 13 155 96 AER SKACHKOV Kirill RUS 54 #29 (2012/1) 17 R Shakehand Attacker 34 0 13 8 302 179 AER DESAI Harmeet IND 73 #60 (2018/2) 12 R Shakehand Attacker 28 1 8 5 189 99 AER STOYANOV Niagol ITA 102 #65 (2019/9) 16 R Shakehand Attacker 34 0 10 5 192 100 AER MOREGARD Truls SWE 103 #81 (2019/9) 5 R Shakehand Attacker 19 0 4 2 63 39 #94 AER ECSEKI Nandor HUN 134 (2018/11) 9 L Shakehand Attacker 24 0 7 4 113 47 THAKKAR Manav #129 AER Vikash IND 139 (2019/5) 5 R Shakehand Attacker 21 0 5 2 78 42 #116 AER POLANSKY Tomas CZE 150 (2018/1) 8 R Shakehand Attacker 23 0 7 3 93 51 ROBINOT AER Alexandre FRA 152 #90 (2019/4) 10 R Shakehand Attacker 25 0 2 1 151 86
Women's Singles Main Draw
2020 Years Playing Events Career Career Career Type Name Assoc WR Highest WR Grip Style Age Matches Pro hand Won Matches Wins Win % /Wins AER YANG Xiaoxin ^ MON 44 #42 (2017/3) 14 R Shakehand Attacker 33 2 23 17 146 101 MIKHAILOVA AER Polina RUS 46 #34 (2016/6) 16 R Shakehand Defender 34 2 9 6 281 165
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WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August USD 75,000
AER POTA Georgina HUN 53 #14 (2015/1) 20 R Shakehand Attacker 36 3 0 0 345 200 BALAZOVA #41 AER Barbora SVK 54 (2019/11) 15 L Shakehand Attacker 29 0 10 5 220 120 AER BATRA Manika IND 63 #46 (2019/3) 10 R Shakehand Attacker 26 0 10 7 129 73 AER VEGA Paulina CHI 74 #52 (2018/3) 19 R Shakehand Attacker 37 0 2 0 106 43 AER PERGEL Szandra HUN 75 #61 (2018/1) 17 L Shakehand Attacker 32 2 3 0 211 107 LUPULESKU AER Izabela SRB 97 #89 (2019/9) 5 R Shakehand Attacker 21 0 7 2 56 22 AER VOROBEVA Olga RUS 112 #61 (2018/3) 15 R Shakehand Attacker 30 0 7 4 161 89 AER PICCOLIN Giorgia ITA 114 #74 (2018/5) 8 R Shakehand Attacker 25 0 8 3 98 42 TAILAKOVA AER Mariia RUS 123 #84 (2019/6) 8 R Shakehand Attacker 20 0 6 3 90 47 KAMATH Archana #134 AER Girish IND 135 (2021/31) 4 R Shakehand Attacker 21 0 4 3 60 29 NAGYVARADI #168 WC Mercedes HUN 299 (2017/11) 11 R Shakehand Attacker 27 0 1 0 96 36
Men's Doubles Main Draw
Assoc Combined Years Events Career Career Career Type Name 1 Name 2 Assoc 2 1 Rank Together Won Matches Wins Win % AER ECSEKI Nandor HUN SZUDI Adam HUN 35 8 1 73 43 58.9 AER SKACHKOV Kirill RUS SIDORENKO Vladimir RUS 104 2 0 10 6 60 AER DESAI Harmeet IND THAKKAR Manav Vikash IND 170 5 0 13 6 46.15 AER PLATONOV Pavel BLR KHANIN Aleksandr BLR 246 6 0 35 12 34.29 AER ORT Kilian GER HIPPLER Tobias GER 581 3 1 7 6 85.71 AER SHETTY Sanil IND SURAVAJJULA Snehit IND 601 0 0 0 0 0
Women's Doubles Main Draw
Combined Years Career Career Type Name 1 Assoc 1 Name 2 Assoc 2 Events Won Career Wins Rank Together Matches Win % #WTTDOHA 13
WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August USD 75,000
AER NOSKOVA Yana RUS VOROBEVA Olga RUS 70 8 0 17 8 47.06 AER PERGEL Szandra HUN MADARASZ Dora HUN 109 9 0 64 26 40.63 KUKULKOVA AER Tatiana SVK LABOSOVA Ema SVK 146 0 0 0 0 0 AER LUPULESKU Izabela SRB SURJAN Sabina SRB 213 5 0 19 7 36.84 WC BERGSTROM Linda SWE KALLBERG Christina SWE 241 - - - - - AER TAILAKOVA Mariia RUS ABRAAMIAN Elizabet RUS 251 0 0 0 0 0 AER MANTZ Chantal GER WAN Yuan GER 261 6 0 40 23 57.5 TODOROVIC AER Andrea SRB TRIGOLOS Daria BLR 289 0 0 0 0 0
Mixed Doubles Main Draw
Assoc Gender Gender World Years Events Career Career Career Seed Name 1 Name 2 Assoc 2 1 1 2 Ranking Together Won Matches Wins Win % AER BALAZOVA Barbora SVK W PISTEJ Lubomir SVK M 7 8 1 50 24 48 AER KHANIN Aleksandr BLR M TRIGOLOS Daria BLR W 31 6 0 25 10 40 GNANASEKARAN AER Sathiyan IND M BATRA Manika IND W - 4 0 3 1 33.33 AER MIKHAILOVA Polina RUS W SHIBAEV Alexander RUS M 43 2 0 14 8 57.14 AER MADARASZ Dora HUN W ECSEKI Nandor HUN M 94 4 0 14 7 50 AER SKACHKOV Kirill RUS M VOROBEVA Olga RUS W 91 4 0 9 4 44.44 AER KUKULKOVA Tatiana SVK W ZELINKA Jakub SVK M - 0 0 0 0 0 WC IMRE Leila HUN W ANDRAS Csaba HUN M - 0 0 0 0 0
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WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August
USD 75,000
MEN'S SINGLES BIO (WORLD RANKING TOP 50 & ABOVE)
Liam PITCHFORD: ● Brave, fierce, formidable, Liam Pitchford has emerged as one of the most dangerous opponents on the world stage. ● Chesterfield, born and bred, Liam has helped propel English table tennis back to the top tiers of the sport. He has plenty of silverware to back up his credentials, a force to be reckoned with at a national and international level. Included in England's iconic medal- winning outings at the 2016 World Team Championships and the Team World Cup in 2018 and 2019, Liam also boasts an impressive Commonwealth Games tally.
Quadri ARUNA: ● Crowned Male Table Tennis Star of 2014, Quadri's crowning moment came at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. ● The man from Oyo overcame all odds and was the standout story at the event, defeating established players such as Chuang Chih-Yuan and Timo Boll to smash his way into the quarter-finals. ● Still, Africa's highest-ranked player, Quadri, is a celebrity back home and a trailblazer for aspiring young African players looking to make their mark in the sport.
Sathiyan GNANASEKARAN • Sathiyan Gnanasekaran is the first-ever Indian athlete to have won an international title on European ground, doing so at the 2016 World Tour Belgium Open, followed by the 2017 Challenge Spanish Open. • More success followed for Sathiyan as he led the Indian national team to gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a first-ever Asian Games bronze medal in 2018, ending the nation's 60 years' medal drought. • As a recipient of India's Arjuna Award for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games in 2018, Sathiyan looks set to continue inspiring his fellow countrymen to excel at the sport of table tennis.
Benedikt DUDA • Hailing from a table tennis family, Benedikt Duda burst onto the scene as German youth champion in 2007 and gained further national recognition for achieving the German doubles titles in 2015, 2018 and 2019. • A European champion with the men's national team in 2019, Benedikt won the men's doubles title at the 2020 World Tour Hungarian Open alongside Patrick Franziska.
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WTT Contender Budapest 2021 Main Draw: 17 - 20 August
USD 75,000
WOMEN'S SINGLES BIO (WORLD RANKING TOP 50 & ABOVE)
YANG Xiaoxin: • Born in Beijing in 1988, Yang Xiaoxin has been representing Monaco on the international stage since 2014. Strong-willed and competitive, Yang never shies away from a challenge and is always ready to attack the table! • Securing her first international gold medal at the 2014 World Tour Croatia Open, Yang claimed the title at the 2016 World Tour Czech Open. • She has also made Monaco proud at the Games of the Small States of Europe, winning the women's singles title in 2015 and 2019 and women's doubles gold in 2019.
Polina MIKHAILOVA: • Hailing from St. Petersburg, Polina Mikhailova has established herself as a crucial member of the Russian national team. • She started her training in table tennis as an offensive-minded player but later switched to the defensive style of play. Polina is not afraid of making attacks on the table, though, often surprising her opponents on the court. • The two-time Russian national champion has helped the team secure several trophies on the continental stage across singles, team and doubles disciplines.
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