This marks the Alma Mater’s debut in table tennis – at European and university level, of course. CUS Bologna is travelling to Salerno with a seven-strong delegation. In the men’s tournament, Andrea Belardinelli, Jonas Micocci, Nicolò Pierpaoli and Daniele Rossi were drawn into a tough group. In their opening match, they faced the reigning champions from Zamojski University, losing 3–0. The Polish side went on to confirm their dominance by winning the gold medal once again.
In their second match, against Ljubljana, the Bologna side secured a prestigious 3–2 victory. The two points scored by the talented Rossi and the one by Pierpaoli proved decisive, enabling the team to qualify for the round of 16. It was a historic result: for the first time, an Italian team had progressed beyond the group stage of the team tournament. In the round of 16, however, CUS Bologna were defeated by Lausanne, 3–0.
In the women’s team tournament, the team comprising Nefeli Ppali, Irem Balbay and Rachele De Luca failed to progress from the group stage, but secured a fine 3–2 victory against Wrocław.
Then came the singles. Rossi, Balbay and De Luca made it through the first round, thus securing their places amongst the top 64. Worth noting was Pierpaoli’s excellent performance against José Magalhães, to whom he only succumbed in the fifth set. The draw did not go in favour of the Alma Mater students: in the round of 32, they found themselves up against opponents of the very highest calibre, all destined for the podium. A special mention goes to Rossi, who took on Jakub Stecyszyn, one of the players in the best form, a future silver medallist and world number 506. Rossi managed to win one set and took all the others to deuce, putting in a commendable performance.
In the doubles tournament, all pairs were knocked out in the first round, with the exception of the duo of Belardinelli and Micocci, who secured a place amongst the top 32 pairs.
The European Universities Games represent an extremely valuable experience for the student-athletes of CUS Bologna, who had the opportunity to compete at an extremely high technical level. The tournament featured numerous players in the world rankings, including the Bulgarian Szantosi, European Under-19 champion, who finished with a bronze medal.
Significant experience was gained by Rossi, one of the most promising young players on the Italian scene and ranked 14th nationally, by Pierpaoli, an experienced Serie B1 player, and by Ppali and Balbay, both of whom have made significant progress in their development.
Press Office - CUS Bologna ASD
