Borussia Düsseldorf’s Marcos Freitas, started today Friday 31 October his participation in the Men’s Singles event at the Erke Austrian Open in Salzburg on Friday 31 October. Portugal's Freitas World Ranking number 86, went directly to the Main Draw and overcame Croatia’s Tomislav Zubcic ranked number 265 in six games. He won 11-8, 11-5, 12-14, 11-4, 12-14, 13-11. Sadness in the Round of 32 since the Portuguese was defeated by the Croatian World Ranking number 33 Zoran Primorac,  in six games, after being leading the match 2:0. He lost with the margins of 11-8, 11-7, 7-11, 7-11, 5-11, 7-11.

The 2008 Erke French Open will be replaced by the 2008 Erke Austrian Open. The twelfth Pro Tour event of the season will be staged in Salzburg from 29th October to 2nd November 2008. The portuguese Marcos Freitas departs today from Düsseldorf to Salzburg, the fourth-largest city in Austria. Salzburg's "Old Town" with its world famous baroque architecture is one of the best-preserved city centres north of the Alps with a beautiful landscape. It is also the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and is a student city, with three universities. After Salzburg, the ITTF Pro Tour will go to Berlin (Germany) and Warsaw (Poland). In the Olympic year, the 2008 ITTF Pro Tour consists of fourteen tournaments, that ends with the Volkswagen Pro Tour Grand Finals being held in Macao from 11th to 14th December. At the ERKE Austrian Open in Salzburg starting on 29th October the best table tennis players from the old continent will meet once again after the European Championships played earlier in the month in S. Petersburg (Russia). The Portuguese players will not play the men's team event as it was planned. Portugal’s Marcos Freitas (Borussia Düsseldorf), Tiago Apolónia (Ochsenhausen) and João Monteiro (Sterilgarda) will play the men's singles competition and will be guided by the national coach Ricardo Faria.

The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU), recently released the draw of the Nations European League as well as the rules of this competitive. Portugal will be one of the countries that will dispute the table tennis Nations Future League, event that will be held from 2009 to 2012, where both the men's and women’s selection will play in the Standard Division. Recently at the European Championships, Portugal was represented by Marcos Freitas (Borussia Düsseldorf), Tiago Apolónia (Ochsenhausen), João Monteiro (Sterilgarda) and Énio Mendes, guided by the national coach Ricardo Faria. In the Standard Division will take part nine teams divided into two groups. In the male competition, Portugal was placed in the Group 2 along with England, Turkey and Israel. Portugal’s first meeting will happen on 24 February 2009 against Israel. In the female competition Portugal was placed at Group 1 and will face the teams of Luxembourg, Israel, Greece and Lithuania. Israel will be the opponent in the women’s first day meeting, also on 24 February 2009.

Borussia Düsseldorf won today the TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen in the Porsche-Arena in the city of Stuttgart, by 3:2, in the meeting on the sixth day of 1. Nd German Bundesliga. The Portuguese Marcos Freitas did not play this meeting where Timo Boll won Chuang Chih-Yuan in four games, while Christian Süß lost against the Portuguese Tiago Apolónia in five games (19-17, 9-11, 5-11, 11-6, 11-4). Dimitrij Ovtcharov lost in four games to Adrian Crisan, but has beaten the Asian Chuang in a five games duel with the margins of 11-7, 5-11, 11-13, 11-5, 11-13. With the match draw 2:2 in the doubles game Boll / Süss beat the double Pär Gerell / Tiago Apolónia in three straight games (5-11, 5-11, 5-11). The next challenge is scheduled for 9 November at 12.00pm and Düsseldorf will face the TTC indeland Jülich (Freitas’previous team).

photo: courtesy of DTTL

Tomorrow Saturday 25 October at 6.00pm Marcos Freitas team’s Borussia Dusseldorf, will face the TTF Liebherr Ochsenhausen in the sixth meeting of the 1st German League. The meeting will be transmitted on television and through the Deutsche Table Tennis League Official Website DTTL, www.dttl.tv. Düsseldorf is currently at the second place and will align with the Germans, Timo Boll World’s number six, Dimitrij Ovtcharov (no.13), Christian Süß (no.42) and the Portuguese Marcos Freitas (no. 86). Ochsenhausen is in the tirth place and will play with China Taipei’s Chih-Yuan Chuang (no. 15), the Romanian Adrian Crisan (no. 24) the Swedish Pär Gerell (no. 63) and the Portuguese Tiago Apolónia (no. 97).

photo: courtesy of DTTB