Rassenfosse and Allegro Reach Table Tennis European Quarter-Finals

Adrien Rassenfosse and Martin Allegro engineered a dramatic escape, recovering from a two-set deficit against Croatia’s Andrej Gacina and Ivor Ban to reach the men’s doubles quarterfinals.

Early Deficit and Five-Set Turnaround Against Gacina and Ban

The Belgian pair entered the round of 16 match as the ninth-ranked tandem globally and the fourth-ranked pair in Europe. Their opponents, Croatia’s Andrej Gacina and Ivor Ban, sit at 46th in the World Table Tennis (WTT) rankings. Rassenfosse and Allegro dropped the opening two frames by scores of 6-11 and 8-11 before mounting a recovery. They captured the third and fourth sets 11-8 and 13-11, then secured the decider 11-5 to complete the comeback.

Quarterfinal Clash Against Verdonschot and Bertelsmeier

Securing their spot in the final eight sets up a quarterfinal match against Germany’s Wim Verdonschot and Andre Bertelsmeier. The German pair, ranked 33rd in the world, also survived a five-game struggle, edging out Moldovan opponents Vladislav Ursu and Andrei Putuntica, who hold the 446th global ranking in doubles. Rassenfosse and Allegro will play for a spot in the semifinals against them.

Singles Draw and Afternoon Schedule

Attention shifts to the singles brackets as competition continues. Martin Allegro, positioned 139th in the WTT standings, opens his 32nd-round schedule against Italy’s Matteo Mutti, who ranks 138th. Adrien Rassenfosse, holding the 61st spot worldwide, faces France’s Leo de Nodrest, ranked 80th. Meanwhile, Cedric Nuytinck, ranked 51st, squares off against Finland’s Alex Naumi, who stands at 319th.

Julie Van Hauwaert Advances in Women’s Singles

In the women’s competition, Julie Van Hauwaert stands as the sole Belgian to have obtained her place in the singles draw after winning her group in qualifications. She meets Poland’s Natalia Bajor, ranked 42nd globally, in her opening-round fixture.