The Master subdues the apprentice

Veteran Dimitrij Ovtcharov held off stern resistance from rising star Andre Bertelsmeier 11-9, 15-13, 11-5 in an all-German encounter to secure his ticket to the last 16 at WTT Champions Frankfurt 2025.

Playing out an enthralling generational showdown, Ovtcharov, the 37-year-old former World No.1 was the outright favourite to move past his 20-year-old countryman, but was pushed hard all the way with Bertelsmeier impressing on his debut.

With lightning quick reflexes and an abundance of youthful enthusiasm, Bertelsmeier was fearless on his first appearance on the circuit, and at 5-7 up in the opener, Frankfurt began to wonder if an upset was on the cards.

But Ovtcharov, one of the sport’s all-time greats, lent on his vast experience, keeping his cool in the heat of pressure to flip the game in his favour.

A missed opportunity in game one, but Bertelsmeier returned to the table undeterred, fighting for every ball, and with a total of five game points in the second, he’d have his chances to get on the scoreboard. However, at this level you have to seize the moment when the opportunity arises, a lesson that was dished out to him by Ovtcharov, who salvaged all five points to double his advantage.

Brushing off stern resistance in those opening two games, Ovtcharov had successfully weathered the storm, and there was no catching him now. An 11-5 win in the third settled the contest, with Ovtcharov moving through to the Round of 16 in Frankfurt unscathed.

“Me and Andre train in the same training group, I’ve know him since he’s a really small kid. He maybe wasn’t the very best player in Germany at that time, or even the best junior player, but you could see his mindset, his dedication to the sport which was absolutely impressive. In the last two years his performance has increased incredibly, and if he keeps going this way, then I believe he could be the backbone of German table tennis,” said Ovtcharov.

Understandably, Bertelsmeier will return home frustrated not to capitalise, but a spectacular display from the 20-year-old offers an exciting glimpse into the future of German table tennis, a future that’s beginning to look very bright.

Meanwhile fourth seeded Frenchman Felix Lebrun had to work to advance, requiring a late comeback charge to deny Oh Junsung 6-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-6.

Lifting his first WTT Champions title a little over a year ago in Montpellier, Lebrun knows what it takes to go far at this level, and entered the week amongst the red-hot favourites in Frankfurt.

But a devastating early exit from last week’s WTT Champions Montpellier looked like it was going to be compounded further in Frankfurt, as the French superstar quickly found himself on the backfoot.

With the opening two games in the showdown going to Oh Junsung, it was the Korean player who appeared destined to come out on top in this battle of 19-year-old aces. But Lebrun didn’t get his reputation as one of the world’s best from nowhere, as he built that standard and expectation through his ability to make the impossible, possible.

Once he got that third game on the scoreboard, Lebrun never looked back. He’d add the fourth to his tally, forcing a deciding game, and with all the momentum now firmly behind him, the prospect of an opening round setback was quickly put to bed.

German Dang Qiu, also kickstarted his week with a win. Qiu, who recently struck his first WTT Star Contender title in London, took a little while to get up to speed. But after an opening game setback, the penholder would eventually find his groove, taking down Omar Assar 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-3.

Meanwhile in the women’s singles, Sofia Polcanova displayed great mental fortitude to eliminate Bernadette Szocs 4-11, 13-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-3.

Two players who have met countless times since their first clash back in 2011, Szocs was looking for her first senior win in their international rivalry. But that will have to wait for another day, with Polcanova pulling clear in the decider to squeeze past the Romanian in five.

The German crowd were celebrating late into the night following a string of victories for their local heroes, including Annett Kaufmann’s stunning 11-5, 11-5, 11-7 win over Manika Batra.

One of the fastest rising stars hailing from German shores, Kaufmann was looking for a big performance as she returned for her third WTT Champions Frankfurt.

Halted at the first hurdle in 2023 and 2024, a determined Kaufmann was hungry for that elusive victory, and she wasn’t prepared to leave empty-handed.

The talented 19-year-old gave Batra no room to operate, patiently biding her time before finishing the rallies with a devastating finish to nullify the Indian star’s tricky spin game.

Taking games one and two by healthy six-point margins, Kaufmann was sparkling on Infinity ∞ Arena. As she slammed the door on the match 11-7 in the third, her beaming smile lit up the night sky.

“It’s incredible to compete here, it’s the best feeling to play in front of the home crowd and to have the support of the whole hall. I already felt really confident by my own, and with the support of the crowd on top of that, you can’t help but feel even more confident,” said Kaufmann.

Nina Mittelham also picked up a 3-0 win, moving past injury-hit Mariam Alhodaby 11-3, 11-3, 11-6.