Malta’s cadet national table tennis team produced an impressive performance, winning five of their six matches to earn a place in the 5th-6th position play-off against Spain at a tournament featuring 32 teams.
The result sees Malta finish ahead of several established table tennis nations, including Hungary, Serbia, Sardegna and Sicilia.
Both Maltese players were in excellent form throughout the team competition, recording surprise victories against higher-rated opponents and improving their individual rankings ahead of the singles events.
Malta will face Spain at 10.30am tomorrow in the match for fifth and sixth place.
There has also been considerable success in the singles competition.
Alina Ivanova topped her group to qualify as the number one player, before progressing through the Round of 16 and winning her quarter-final to reach the semi-finals. She will face a Spanish opponent tomorrow with a place in the final at stake.
Ben Vella also produced a strong run. After finishing second in his group, he progressed through the main draw from the Round of 32 to the last 16. Drawn in the tougher half of the competition, Vella faced the number one seed in the Round of 16 and came through a demanding contest.
The performances represent an encouraging step for Maltese cadet table tennis, with the national team competing strongly against players and nations with considerably higher rankings and established international programmes.
The team will now look to complete its campaign on a high as Malta takes on Spain for fifth place.
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