Annett Kaufmann wins the German table tennis title for the third time in a row

In the women's event, the strongest German players met in Erfurt. With her third consecutive title, Kaufmann cemented her top position in German women's table tennis. Winter, the best European player and two-time German champion from 2022 and 2023, had to admit defeat once again.

Qiu prevails in the men's final

In the men's final, Dang Qiu faced Patrick Franziska. Qiu, former European champion and former German number one, prevailed 4-1 (13:11, 7:11, 11:9, 11:7, 11:4). For 1. FC Düsseldorf – which, following Qiu's club change, is not explicitly confirmed here – it was the third national singles title after 2022 and 2023. Franziska, world number 18 and former team European champion, continues to wait for his first German championship title in singles – he had also lost the 2023 final against Qiu.

Winter and Ovtcharov with premiere in mixed doubles

In mixed doubles, Sabine Winter and Dimitrij Ovtcharov celebrated their first joint title at a German Championship on Saturday. The pair, which made its debut as a duo in Erfurt, defeated Nina Mittelham and Patrick Franziska 3-2 in the final. It was the first German championship title for both in this discipline.

Ovtcharov, 37, Olympic silver medalist in 2016 and bronze medalist in 2024, spoke after the title win about the strength of the opponents. "Sowohl Nina als auch Patrick sind sehr gute Doppelspieler. Gerade im ersten Satz waren sie unglaublich gut, Patrick hat die Bananen mit einer Geschwindigkeit gespielt, dass ich den Ball kaum gesehen habe", said the former world number one. As the match progressed, the duo adjusted its tactics: "Aber wir haben dann immer mehr zu unserer Taktik gefunden, haben das eine oder andere umgestellt und sind variabler geworden."

Strongly fielded tournament in Erfurt

Winter also commented on the future of the doubles project with a view to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. "Ich denke, es passt sehr gut und könnte sicher eine Option sein. Am Ende entscheiden das aber andere", the 33-year-old explained.

According to the organizers' assessment, the German Championships in Erfurt were as strongly fielded as they had not been in a long time. Several top players from the European elite took part, giving the title fights additional sporting significance. With the victories by Kaufmann, Qiu, and Winter/Ovtcharov, all three titles on offer this season went to established German top players.