Germany's top table tennis stars headline deep Erfurt championships

Germany’s strongest domestic table tennis line-up in years took over Messe Erfurt as the LOTTO Thüringen TT-Finals 2026 opened with nearly every major name in the sport under one roof. The third German finals in Erfurt ran from 4 to 7 June and brought together the women’s and men’s singles, youth 15, youth 19, senior competition, performance classes and, for the first time at the adult championships, an inclusive mixed event.

The men’s draw looked close to a national team showcase. Dang Qiu, Benedikt Duda, Patrick Franziska, Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Andre Bertelsmeier were all entered, giving the championship the feel of a high-level international event rather than a routine domestic title race. Qiu arrived as a former European champion, Duda as a European Championship finalist, Franziska as one of Germany’s most accomplished attackers, and Ovtcharov as a two-time Olympic singles bronze medallist whose presence still shapes the country’s hierarchy. Former champions Kay Stumper, Steffen Mengel and Ricardo Walther added even more depth, while Torben Wosik, now 52, returned after earlier national titles.

The women’s field carried its own intrigue. Sabine Winter entered as the favorite after climbing to world No. 9, her career-high ranking, following a switch to an anti-topspin rubber on the backhand that has transformed her game. She stood as the best-ranked non-Asian player in women’s singles, a marker that underlined both her current form and her broader significance for German table tennis. Across the table was Annett Kaufmann, the defending national champion and World Under-19 champion, who was chasing a third straight German singles title. Nina Mittelham, a three-time German champion, remained another major threat, while Koharu Itagaki represented the next wave of talent pushing into the same frame.

The mixed debut gave the championships a wider sporting and social edge. Valentin Baus, the Paralympics champion, teamed with former European doubles champion Kristin Lang in the first inclusive adult mixed competition at the German championships, a format enabled by a DTTB congress resolution. It was a visible sign that the event was not only about crowns and rankings, but also about expanding who gets to compete on the sport’s biggest domestic stage.

The scale matched the ambition. Organizers expected around 1,000 participants and several thousand spectators, with the Thüringer Tischtennis-Verband saying roughly 150 volunteers and more than 90 referees were needed to run the event. The TT-Finals were promoted as the largest annual table tennis festival in Europe, backed by daily MDR TV and radio coverage, DTTB YouTube reporting and regional press attention. The timing also created a sharp complication for senior players, since the seniors world championships in Gangneung, South Korea, were scheduled for 5 to 12 June and overlapped with Erfurt. DTTB president Dr. Wolfgang Dörner called that clash unfortunate and said some players would have to choose. Erfurt has now become the center of German table tennis, hosting the finals for a third straight year and turning the city into the sport’s domestic showcase.