‘In Holland you play tournaments based on your own skill level, but here essentially anyone can sign up,’ said Ronink, who studies industrial engineering and management. ‘That means you have some unbelievable players here that are the best in their own countries.’
Unfavorable pool
Thibats, who played under the University of Twente name, were drawn into unfavorable pool featuring Germans from Saarland, Brits from Sheffield, Czechs from Ostrava, and Turks from Istanbul, but the boys from Twente did have one tool in their arsenal that would give them some extra edge: Stephan Tromer, an Eredivisie Table Tennis aficionado who studies in Delft, joined the three Thibats members for the tournament in Coimbra. With Tromer on their side, the Twente-based team could punch above their own weight.
The first event on the cards was the team competition, which works as such: each team selects three players and puts them in a specific order in which they will play. Matches are then carried out between one member of each team until one of the teams has won three matches overall. In their opening match against the University of Maramara of Istanbul, Tromer immediately displayed his value during the decisive game of the first individual match when, down 10-6, he rallied for 6 points in a row to stun his Turkish opponent. Tromer would go on to win another match later in this tie, but ultimately Twente would go down 3-2.
Respectable third place
The subsequent match didn’t deliver much for the Dutch as the Czechs cruised to a 3-0 victory. After coming up just short against Sheffield 3-2, Twente played their final match of the group stage against the Saarland University, who had beaten Sheffield earlier on the day. It was here, in the trapped heat of the Pavilhão Jorge Anjinho, that Trung Nguyen and Rodink showed their class. Rodink played a grueling five-game match in which he came out on top after going into deuce in the decisive last game. Nguyen took a bit of an easier route and swept away his German counterpart after 4 games. With the win over Saarland, along with the number of sets they won throughout the day, Twente took a respectable third place in the pool.
‘Our victory over Saarland was the most beautiful moment of the tournament, especially because it was our only victory’, said Tromer, smiling.
Singles Tournament
Unlike the team tournament, there is no guarantee of playing more than one match in the singles tournament. Win, or you’re out. Rodink was the first to play and put up a decent battle against a highly ranked Frenchman. Rodink’s backhand caused some trouble for his opponent at times, but ultimately, the Frenchman finished off Rodink after three sets.
Up next was Nguyen, who, just like Rodink, drew a Frenchman from the University of Western Brittany. Twente’s players had all seen him play in the team tournament, and knew he was of another caliber.
‘Since France had won the world cup the night before, I was hoping he might show up drunk after a night of celebrating’, joked Nguyen. ‘He definitely wasn’t drunk for our match.’
Three sets was all it took to put away Nguyen, marking an end to his EUG campaign. Twente’s last hope in the singles tournament was Martijn Heemskerk, who had the pleasure of facing the highest-seeded player in the tournament, a Turk from the Nişantaşı University. After quickly going down two sets to none, the Turk let off the gas a little and gave the Dutchman a chance to return more balls. Heemskerk eventually managed an impressive point after an endless rally, and was rewarded with a standing ovation from the audience looking on.
‘I knew when i was going that I would be the lowest skilled player present, but I never expected the average level to be so high’, said Heemskerk. ‘Being here ignited a fire in me to up my own game.’
Just like Rodink and Nguyen, Heemskerk would fall in straight sets. Fortunately for the Thibats boys, their early exit didn't put a damper on their trip to Coimbra.
“It’s been a blast being here’, Heemskerk reflected. ‘I enjoyed every second it.’
