On the third day of play at the 2023 European Games in Krakow follow the matches of Round of 16 in Singles Men’s and Women’s Events as well as semi final clashes in mixed Doubles event. For the contesters in mixed doubles the importance of this event is even greater – the winners will book the place for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Kristian KARLSSON of Sweden (6) – Marcos FREITAS of Portugal (18) 3-4 (11-7 11-6 11-13 6-11 11-5 8-11 9-11)
The conclusion of the morning session in Krakow brought an unforgettable clash – a true jewel among the experienced contenders. In a nail-biting battle it was Marcos FREITAS who secured a spot in the quarterfinals.
“I had a very bad start. It’s hard to explain what happened but the truth is we know each other very well and we have even played together on the same team in France. He caught me by surprise. In the beginning I wasn’t able to keep the game short and low since the ball was bouncing high. Basically the first two games went by very quickly ” explained FREITAS.
Even the third game began poorly for FREITAS.
“I knew I had to take the third game so I called for a time-out when Kristian had a 9-8 advantage. I thought it was the last moment to stay in the match because if I had lost it I wouldn’t be able to make a comeback. Winning four games in a row against KARLSSON would be extremely difficult. I had to take a risk but I made it to 2-2. Then Kristian changed his tactics a bit; he started playing aggressively on the backhand. That secured him the fifth game but mentally I stayed focused ” explained Marcos.
Then the pendulum swung for the last time.
“I had a lot of ups and downs in the match; overall he won more points than me. However I showed a better game in close finishes and I had self-confidence that pushed me forward even when I was two games down. I am very happy with this victory ” said Marcos.
In the quarterfinals Marcos will face JORGIC.
“I lost against him on two previous occasions 2-3 in Macao and in the Champions League. He is very confident here; he plays very well in Germany and at tournaments… but despite him being the favorite I think it will be an open game.”
HAN Ying of Germany (1) – Linda BERGSTROM of Sweden (13) 4-2 (8-11 11-5 8-11 11-9 11-3 11-3)
Top-seeded HAN Ying overcame a very difficult hurdle on her way to the quarterfinals facing Linda BERGSTRÖM.
“It’s good that I won. I expected it to be a tough game. BERGSTRÖM improves every time we play and against players with a defensive style of play it’s generally a 50-50 game for me. I felt like I was playing a bit better than her but she hit everything in the first game – topspins and shots – it was very difficult for me. In the third game I made a comeback after being down 0-4 but then I made some stupid mistakes. In the fourth set even after leading 9-3 it got close again ” explained HAN.
Robert GARDOS of Austria (15) – Darko JORGIC of Slovenia (4) 2-4 (2-11 9-11 14-12 12-10 7-11 10-12)
Robert GARDOS once again proved that he is capable of overcoming almost any difficult situation. Although he lost to Darko JORGIC he made JORGIC work hard for the victory.
“I lost both games in which I had a 10-6 lead. You can never count GARDOS out when you play against him. I won the opening game easily before Robert increased the pressure. In the third and fourth games he made a comeback and won the games in which I had game points. I could feel that he really wanted to win this and he played very strongly. He has been in such big matches so many times and his vast experience is hard to deny. That’s why I had to force myself to calm down and be more cautious in the finishing stages ” said JORGIC.
YU Fu of Portugal (7) – Prithika PAVADE of France (17) (4-2 11-6 8-11 11-4 7-11 11-6 12-10)
YU Fu faced off against Prithika PAVADE in the Championship League and lost their encounter. However this time in Krakow Portugal’s star took control of the match.
“PAVADE is very dangerous in the first two balls after the service and her service game was very good. However in dangerous situations I opted for longer rallies to solve the problem ” explained YU.
Anders LIND of Denmark (seed no. 15) – Felix LEBRUN of France (8) 2-4 (11-13 10-12 11-6 7-11 14-12 5-11)
The duel between Felix LEBRUN and Anders LIND was a closely contested match that ended in favor of the French player after a shaky start.
“We both struggled with receiving the service in the opening games of the match. That’s why the first two games ended with a narrow margin. I managed to improve in the later stages of the match. The good thing is that we both had problems with receiving so I wasn’t worried that much ” said LEBRUN. “I had never played against LIND before but I watched him at the World Championships and I also studied some of his recorded matches so I expected a tough duel.”
Hana MATELOVA of Czechia (11) – Bernadette SZOCS of Romania (6) 2-4 (9-11 10-12 11-8 12-10 3-11 13-15)
Hana MATELOVA managed to put Bernadette SZOCS under pressure but the Romanian player remained calm and ended the close match in her favor. Her ability to change tactics and vary her game pushed her forward to the quarterfinals.
“It was a very close duel but I did not lose my head in difficult situations. I remained calm despite the great pressure Hana put me under. That made the difference in the decisive moments of the match. When it got tough I changed tactics. I always enter the match with a few tactics not just one so I always have an answer ” said SZOCS.
Bernadette looked at the challenge she went through in a positive way.
“In a few hours I will play the semifinal of the Mixed Doubles Event. Last time in Minsk I won silver and now I want the gold. It is good to have matches like this to wake you up. When you go through such challenges it makes you stronger.”
YUAN Jia Nan of France (5) – Solomiya BRATEYKO of Ukraine (31) 4-3 (11-2 10-12 11-9 5-11 11-6 7-11 11-6)
After a comfortable start the No. 5 seed YUAN Jia Nan faced difficulties in the match against Solomiya BRATEYKO.
“I had never played against Solomiya so from the second game she surprised me with her tactics. I had a 9-5 lead before she recovered to win that part of the match. I did not expect the game she showed and I needed some time to adapt. The problem was that BRATEYKO improved her game as the match progressed so I was under more and more pressure and made some mistakes. Eventually I found the answer and ended the match. It doesn’t matter if I did it in six or seven games; it is the victory that counts ” said YUAN.
Andrej GACINA of Croatia (7) – Cedric NUYTINCK of Belgium (30) 4-1 (10-12 11-8 11-4 11-9 11-6)
Andrej GACINA avenged his defeat in the Round of 16 at the 2019 European Games in Minsk against Cedric NUYTINCK and achieved his best result since Baku 2015 where he reached the quarterfinals.
“So far NUYTINCK and I have played against each other three times and on each occasion he narrowly defeated me in long-distance duels with scores like 12-10 or 11-9. I lost in Minsk against him after being up 7-2 in the seventh game ” GACINA recalled.
This time only the opening game was close and went in NUYTINCK’s favor.
“I attacked him with my service which worked very well. He also served well but in those situations I managed to engage in longer rallies to solve that problem ” stated GACINA.
