Hardmeier and Moret Enter Swiss National Championships as Top Favourites

Switzerland's leading table tennis players converge on Centro Sportivo Tenero in Tenero-Contra this weekend for the 2026 Swiss National Table Tennis Championships, with defending champions Elias Hardmeier and Rachel Moret entering as the players everyone else has to beat.

The European Table Tennis Union has described the two-day event as "Switzerland's key domestic event for the year," and the entry lists suggest it will live up to that billing. Hardmeier, who claimed the men's singles title last year, returns as one of the main favourites, but faces a loaded field of challengers. Elia Schmid, Noe Keusch, Yoan Rebetez, Loïc Stoll, Pedro Osiro, and Barish Moulet are all aiming to challenge for the national crown and will be looking to deny Hardmeier back-to-back titles.

The women's singles picture looks considerably clearer. Moret arrives as the defending champion and the clear favourite, with her experience and consistency making her the player to beat as she seeks to defend her championship.

Saturday kicks off with the venue opening at 08:30 and an official welcome at 10:15. Competition begins shortly after with mixed and group matches running alongside the Para and Tetra doubles events. The afternoon programme shifts focus to the opening rounds of both the men's and women's singles draws.

Sunday is when the tournament decides its champions. Semifinal matches across several categories set the stage before the finals arrive: the women's singles final is scheduled for 15:30, the men's singles final follows at 16:15, and the awards ceremony closes proceedings at 17:00.

With Hardmeier looking to make it two straight men's titles and Moret poised to do the same on the women's side, the finals on Sunday afternoon should provide a fitting conclusion to Switzerland's most important domestic table tennis weekend of the year.