On the seventh day of the table tennis event at the 2023 European Games in Krakow the top-seeded teams embarked on their quest for a spot on the medal podium. The schedule for today featured the quarterfinal matches.
France (3) – Denmark (10) 3-0
Simon GAUZY Alexis LEBRUN – Jonathan GROTH Bergstroem CHRISTENSEN 3-0 (11-8 11-2 12-10)
Felix LEBRUN – Anders LIND 3-0 (13-11 11-5 11-8)
Alexis LEBRUN – Bergstroem CHRISTENSEN 3-0 (11-8 11-4 11-9)
Following their impressive performance in the singles event the talented brothers Felix and Alexis LEBRUN were joined by Simon GAUZY in the team event.
“It was a very nice start for our first doubles together. I just arrived so I needed a couple of points to get into the game and feel the atmosphere but I quickly found my rhythm. The doubles match set the tone for what turned out to be a one-sided affair ” said GAUZY.
Simon partnered with Alexis for the doubles match but he did not have the opportunity to compete in his singles match. The quarterfinal was swiftly resolved in just three matches cutting short the day’s play.
Explaining their partnership Simon shared “I have trained a lot with Alexis and we have been working on various strategies. We complement each other well especially with Felix who excels in playing close to the table. AKKUZU is also in great form at the moment and he has practiced doubles during training. So nothing is set in stone at the moment.”
Regarding Felix’s gold medal in singles and Alexis’ bronze GAUZY commented “They have been playing incredibly well for the past year so I am not very surprised by their singles performances. Every opponent they faced I never doubted their ability to win. They are truly exceptional.”
The LEBRUN brothers added “We took some time to rest but we are in good shape. The physiotherapists have been instrumental in helping us on a daily basis. We had a strong performance against a good team and we are very happy with the outcome.”
Portugal (4) – Ukraine (12) 3-1
Ines MATOS YU Fu – Anastasiia DYMYTRENKO Solomiya BRATEYKO 3-2 (2-11 11-4 11-9 5-11 11-4)
SHAO Jieni – Margaryta PESOTSKA 1-3 (3-11 11-9 7-11 7-11)
YU Fu – Solomiya BRATEYKO 3-1 (12-10 2-11 11-1 11-5)
SHAO Jieni – Anastasiia DYMYTRENKO (11-8 11-9 11-5)
Despite Ukraine putting Portugal under pressure they were unable to create an upset. As expected Margaryta PESOTSKA secured a victory in her singles match but Solomiya BRATEYKO and Anastasiia DYMYTRENKO were unable to overcome FU Yu and SHAO Jieni.
“We were a bit surprised that GAPONOVA did not play but perhaps they believed that SHAO Jieni and FU Yu were strong against defensive players. Overall we believe we have a stronger team so we were confident ” commented Ines MATOS.
SHAO Jieni analyzed her match against PESOTSKA stating “PESOTSKA was simply too good for me today and I found myself being too passive. I struggled to receive her serves effectively and she capitalized on my mistakes. Going into the final match I knew it was a crucial one so I gave my full focus and aimed to secure the victory.”
Germany (1) – Sweden (11) 3-1
SHAN Xiaona Nina MITTELHAM – Linda BERGSTROM Christina KALLBERG 3-0 (11-8 11-9 11-4)
HAN Ying – Filippa BERGAND 3-0 (11-1 11-3 11-1)
Nina MITTELHAM – Christina KALLBERG 1-3 (6-11 11-6 4-11 9-11)
HAN Ying – Linda BERGSTROM 3-2 (11-6 6-11 11-4 3-11 11-5)
The opening two matches unfolded smoothly in favor of Germany. However Christina KALLBERG managed to make a breakthrough by defeating Nina MITTELHAM. Linda BERGSTROM also exerted pressure on HAN Ying but HAN ultimately secured the victory in a decisive game.
“It was crucial for us that the girls won the doubles. Nina and ‘Nana’ performed exceptionally well. The first two games were almost too easy. However we lost a bit of tension afterward. Nina didn’t feel comfortable today her movement was hindered and she struggled to maintain focus. Linda always puts up a tough fight for Ying in defensive duels as we witnessed in the singles on Sunday. Nonetheless we managed to pull through and that’s what matters ” explained Women’s National Coach Tamara BOROS.
“I had a good start in the doubles today and I feel confident. It was my first match in this tournament and I adapted quite well. I tend to feel less nervous in doubles compared to singles ” added SHAN Xiaona.
Sweden (2) – Slovakia (11) 3-0
Kristian KARLSSON Truls MOREGARDH- Jakub ZELINKA Lubomir PISTEJ 3-0 (11-6 11-2 11-2)
Anton KALLBERG – WANG Yang 3-0 (11-5 13-11 11-6)
Truls MOREGARDH – Lubomir PISTEJ 3-2 (11-9 10-12 11-13 11-6 11-7)
The duel between Sweden and Slovakia began as a relatively quiet affair but the clash between Anton KALLBERG and WANG Yang and then between Truls MOREGARDH and Lubomir PISTEJ brought a heated atmosphere to the Hutnik Arena.
“I have great respect for PISTEJ’s skills even though I defeated him 4-0 in the singles event a few days ago. It was an extremely tough match as he played some fantastic shots. He thrives in such situations and remained highly focused with a lot of supporters cheering for him. It’s not always easy to face these unpredictable shots in close games but I did my best to handle the situation ” expressed MOREGARDH.
Earlier Anton KALLBERG emerged victorious against WANG Yang. MOREGARDH praised KALLBERG’s performance stating “Anton was fantastic against the defender so we had a slight advantage. Having just won against Tunisia he fulfilled his role as the team leader exceptionally well.”
PISTEJ playfully commented on their previous encounter in the singles event saying “I played against him in singles and I lost 4-0 but I wasn’t using my own racket. I managed to win all the nice points there even though I lost the match ” Lubomir said with a laugh. “Here I lost 3-2. It was a different match and I believe I can beat him because I enjoy playing against his style which I think disrupts his rhythm. Overall it was a good match for me and the spectators as well.”
France (3) – Poland (9) 3-0
Camille LUTZ Prithika PAVADE – Anna WEGRZYN Katarzyna WEGRZYN 3-0 (11-2 11-5 11-5)
YUAN Jia Nan – Natalia BAJOR 3-0 (13-11 11-5 11-5)
Prithika PAVADE – Katarzyna WEGRZYN (11-8 11-8 4-11 11-3)
After a straight matches victory France advanced to the semifinals paving the path to success with a quick win in the doubles.
“We had a tough match against Anna and Katarzyna at the European Championships when we last met in 2021 but this time it was different. We started off very well right from the beginning ” said PAVADE.
Prithika emphasized the significance of the match between YUAN Jia Nan and Natalia BAJOR.
“BAJOR had defeated YUAN in the quarterfinals of the singles event here in Krakow so her match today was crucial. It was a close contest initially but YUAN gradually took control. After her victory it was up to me to seal the overall win. I didn’t feel any pressure ” said PAVADE.
Portugal (4) – Romania (12) 3-0
Tiago APOLONIA Joao GERALDO – Darius MOVILEANU Eduard IONESCU 3-2 (11-9 11-9 9-11 12-14 12-10)
Marcos FREITAS – Hunor SZOCS 3-1 (11-7 11-6 11-13 11-6)
Joao GERALDO – Eduard IONESCU 3-2 (10-12 11-7 10-12 11-8 12-10)
Portugal managed to defeat Romania and advance to the penultimate stage despite two closely contested matches.
“To win both of my encounters in singles and doubles by the narrowest of margins was very tough. The difference between happiness and sadness is small. The victory in doubles helped me gain momentum for the singles match. I know that IONESCU experienced contrasting emotions and the defeat in doubles also affected him but in a different way ” explained Joao GERALDO after an intense match against Eduard IONESCU.
GERALDO continued “IONESCU came off a strong performance in the singles which didn’t go well for me. I believe that gave him extra confidence. Overcoming a young player who takes risks and can produce great rallies gave me the chance to redeem myself from my singles performance.”
In his clash against Eduard IONESCU Joao admitted struggling to maintain focus.
“It was a peculiar game. Sometimes he played good shots while other times the level of play was lower. I was still trying to find confidence in my game and towards the end I found it in my service. I realized that keeping it simple worked better for me. Also at 2-2 I started shouting as loudly as I could to push myself to be the best player I could be. As the match became tougher I played better ” said GERALDO.
Marcos FREITAS overcame Hunor SZOCS without much pressure.
“Romania was highly motivated after yesterday’s win. However Ovidiu IONESCU’s injury prevented him from helping them. He is the leader of Romania’s team and his absence made it easier for us. Nevertheless it was a challenging match. The doubles could have gone either way. We were trailing 8-10 and managed to win 12-10 in the fifth game. It was a close match and this generation of Romanian players is very talented ” stated Marcos FREITAS.
Romania (2) – Hungary (5) 3-0
Adina DIACONU Elizabeta SAMARA – Bernadett BALINT Mercedes NAGYVARADI 3-0 (11-6 11- 8 11-4)
Bernadette SZOCS – Dora MADARASZ 3-0 (13-11 11-8 11-4)
Elizabeta SAMARA – Mercedes NAGYVARADI 3-0 (11-8 11-7 11-5)
In a little over one hour Romania propelled themselves into the semifinals with a dominant performance against Hungary in the women’s team event.
“We had several options for the doubles but this time we decided that Adina and I would be the best pairing to face the Hungarian team. While we were considered favorites you should never underestimate them. Even when they are down 0-2 they keep fighting. Nothing can be taken for granted ” said Elizabeta SAMARA.
Tomorrow Romania will face France in the semifinals.
“It’s a 50-50 match and there are no clear favorites. France is strong at all three positions ” added SAMARA.
Belgium (8) – Germany (1) 0-3
Martin ALLEGRO Adrien RASSENFOSSE – Patrick FRANZISKA Dimitrij OVTCHAROV 2-3 (7-11 8-11 11-9 11-9 5-11)
Cedric NUYTINCK – QIU Dang 0-3 (7-11 7-11 5-11)
Adrien RASSENFOSSE – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV (5-11 7-11 6-11)
After a hard-fought opening match in the doubles Germany secured a smooth victory to advance to the semifinals where they will face Portugal.
“In the doubles we had a lead of 9-5 in the fourth game but ended up losing 9-11. I thought it would be similar to the singles tournament but thankfully we managed to regroup and win the match ” explained OVTCHAROV.
Jörg ROSSKOPF added “Belgium played a really strong match against Poland yesterday and turned things around after being behind. That gave them a lot of confidence. Winning the doubles was crucial for us today as it puts more pressure on our opponents in the singles matches.”
Timo BOLL who joined Germany’s team for the team event shared his thoughts “I feel that my level is better than I anticipated. Even though I haven’t played yet today I have had good training sessions. Since these are my first practice sessions with a partner here I am paying close attention to how my body feels. After a three-month break I still need to regain confidence in my body. But my level is already better than I expected. If there is a need I will definitely step in. We will see how it progresses day by day.”
