(by Steve Hopkins)

The CCB Europe Top 16 Cup concluded in Montreaux, Switzerland today.  If you’ve been following this event recently, you’d remember that Darko Jorgic feels right at home here – playing his best on the biggest of European stages and taking home the title the last three years.

Felix Lebrun, the event’s top ranked player, fell 3-2 to Patrick Franziska.  But in the next round, Franziska fell to Felix’s older brother 3-1.  In fact, the elder Lebrun, Alexis, may have had two benefits of being in the same half of the draw as his younger brother.  Not only did Franziska end up potentially tired after needing five games to get past Felix in the Quarterfinals, but Alexis’s Quarterfinal match was against Dang Qiu who is a penholder like Felix, so Alexis has more time practicing against penholders that just about any other player on the tour.  After the win over Franziska, Alexis advanced to the Final.

In the other half of the draw, Jorgic had a tough 3-2 first round win over Ionescu, and then an easier 3-1 win over Jonathan Groth.  Moregard logged a 3-1 win over Alvaro Robles and a 3-0 win over Marcos Freitas.  When Jorgic dominated Moregard in the Semifinals for a 3-1 win, Darko Jorgic became the favorite to win his fourth consecutive Europe Top 16 title.

In the Finals, the scores were tight, but Alexis came through time and time again at key moments.  Alexi over Jorgic 11-8, then Jorgic evened the match with a 12-10 win, then 11-9 to Alexis.  And in the final game, tied 7-7, it was Alexis that scored three in a row.  Despite winning two more points to pull within one (10-9), Jorgic’s final backhand was a little long and the match was over.  As soon as Alexis one, he flew to the top of the table, a pose that Jorgic has now made into a tournament tradition having held the same position in the last three years.  But this year, its Alexis Lebrun on top – winner of the 2025 CCB Europe Top 16.

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