The ITTF Pro Tour in the Werner Schlager Academy in Schwechat – the door is the handle to the table tennis world.

 

Seven men players from the top 10 in the world.

 

Seven women players from the top 10 in the world.

 

 

World Champions, Olympic Champions, European Champions - in the middle China's aliens, Werner Schlager and another of the all-time variables: Greece's superstar Kalinikos Kreanga.

 

Paris 2003 – Werner Schlager elects to become world champion.  At the awards ceremony, next to him bronze medalist Kalinikos Kreanga.

 

2011 was a celebration, as the 39-year-old entertainer achieved one of his great successes, the long-awaited victory in the European Top 12 tournament.

 

Long it has been for Kreanga to appear on the Pro Tour: The last time he took part was in June, 2008 in Singapore. So it was great news and a delight for the organizers that Kreanga actually took the trip to Schwechat.  And he will not just be in attendance.

 

Wednesday evening and Thrusday morning Kalinikos Kreanga trained at the WSA as a wild man!  When asked why he would celebrate his comeback to the tour here, he said: “Sure, this is the best Pro Tour tournament of the year.  Because I want to be here.”

 

And also because he probably came to visit one of his best friends on the table tennis circuit: the host Werner Schlager.

 

Detailed information on the ITTF Pro Tour Austrian Open you can find at www.tt-austrianopen.com