Nordhorn Brettchen Open 2018 at 28./29.04.2018

Gilles Hébert sets two new records at the Nordhorn Brettchen Open Nordhorn (HH). With three out of four titles in the two main classes, the Belgian Gilles Hébert put his stamp on the Nordhorn Brettchen Open, the most important tournament for classic table tennis in Germany. Hébert became the first player on Saturday who won for the third time in a row with the Hardbat racket, and he also managed it as the only one to win on Sunday with the Clickball racket, too. On both days he reached with Michael Stefan Keller the double finals and came here to victory and defeat. Organizer SV Vorwärts Nordhorn played on both tournament days for the fourth time with uniform rackets. No player was allowed to use his own bat, but had to play with the racket lying on the table. In the fourth attempt Michael Stefan Keller, a German in the service of the Belgian first division club RCTT Excelsior Erquelinnes, managed for the first time the entry into the final of the Hardbat I competition, in which was played with pimped rubber bats as 60 years ago. The 3:1 success and thus the renewed title defense of Gilles Hébert of the Belgian Club Palette Castellinoise, he could not prevent. Both were the favorites also on Sunday, when was played with uniform sandpaper rackets as 100 years ago. But already in the group matches, both had to give up once beaten, with Keller was defeated by the best started Dutchman, Ronald Vijverberg of TTV Avanti Hazerswoude, and Hebert by his club mate Jacques Pietquin. In the semifinals Vijverberg prevailed against Pietquin and Hébert against Keller. But in the final, the underdog Vijverberg went with 2:0 games in front and had in the fourth game even a match ball before Hébert finally prevailed with 3:2 and proved to be clearly the strongest player with the classic bats. By winning the Clickball double together with Keller Hébert even came to the third title win this year in Nordhorn. The fourth he had missed on Saturday in Hardbats double final, where surprisingly Jacques Pietquin and Vincent Lotte (CTT Bosquet) prevailed against Hébert/Keller. In the lower Hardbat competitions the local players dominated on Saturday. Reinhold Nüsse (SpVgg. Brandlecht/Hestrup) won in the class up to Q-TTR 1600, until 1400 won - also in the doubles - Vladimir Nagel from the organizer SV Vorwärts Nordhorn and until 1200 his clubmate Markus Burghard prevailed. In the Clickball Class II to Q-TTR 1600 Sonja Schenk from the DJK/SC Concordia Pfungstadt reached the final for the third time in a row, but there she was unable to do anything against Pierre Laloux of the Belgian CTT Bosquet. In the doubles, however, she managed the revenge and thus the title defense, this time at the side of Dutchman Ron Hoogendam (TTV Pecos Oegstgeest), as they won against Pierre Laloux/Carmelo Spinali in two straight games.