HITT Academy Malta has reasserted itself as Malta’s premier academy for table tennis throughout the Maltese National Table Tennis Championships held from the 25th to the 28th of April, proving once again to be “your best shot to success”.
The protagonist of the championships was undoubtedly Gabriel Grixti (HITT). The 25-year-old men’s national team player had a tournament to remember, claiming his third Men’s Senior Singles title in four years with a victory over reigning singles champion Daniel Bajada (MITTC) in an all action, end to end match. Grixti also celebrated a Men’s Senior Doubles title with teammate Conrad Puli (HITT), overcoming Bajada and fellow former national champion Andrew Gambina (Alpha TTK).
Pictured above from left to right, head coach Mario Genovese, Conrad Puli, Gabriel Grixti, resident coach Gautier Delaveau
Puli delivered a memorable performance, overcoming Gambina in the round of 16 before narrowly missing out on the final in a nail-biting semi-final loss to Bajada. Puli is currently Malta’s top junior player, as U21 Men’s Singles Champion, U21 Mixed Doubles Champion with Rachel Mifsud (Alpha TTK) and the U21 Men’s Doubles Champion with teammate Luke Bonello (HITT). Bonello, who capped off a strong performance with a quarter-final finish in singles and a semi-final finish in men’s doubles, currently holds all equivalent titles at the U19 level.
Grixti, Puli, and Bonello served as the main players for the 2024/2025 Division 1 winning team, HITT Academy W.H. Middle East, with Grixti as captain.
Rounding off the HITT quarter-finalists in Men’s singles is Sebastian Farrin-Thorne, who triumphed over his twin brother in the round of 16 with a comeback victory to set up an encounter with Grixti.
The success does not stop there. HITT Academy dominated the Veterans’ championships. With last year’s champion, HITT head coach Mario Genovese not playing, an open field allowed three HITT players to reach the semi-finals. An all HITT final took place between eventual winner Mark Azzopardi, and silver medalist Mario Saliba. Mark dominated the competition, dropping only one set on his way to victory, before sealing the deal with a comprehensive 3-0 final victory. They were joined in the semi-finals by Claudio Tufigno, also of HITT Academy.
Pictured above from left to right, veterans’ finalist Mario Saliba and veterans’ national champion Mark Azzopardi.
Elsewhere, HITT Academy was represented in Women’s Singles by semi-finalists Kira Axiaq and Haylie Bartolo, both of whom play for HITT Academy Tibhar. Bartolo also delivered a strong performance in Senior Mixed Doubles, reaching the semi-final alongside Sean Debono (HITT).
All these triumphs are a tribute to the hard work and determination of the players, the expert guidance of coaches Mario Genovese and Gautier Delaveau, and the support of all the training partners, family, friends, and supporters.