European Championships | 19 Oct 2024

SZOCS won first ever singles medal at the EC, POLCANOVA on her way to defend the title

Despite numerous international successes, it is only now at the LIEBHERR European Championships in Linz that Bernadette SZOCS has secured her first medal in the Singles Event at the European Championships. In the quarterfinals, Romania’s star overcame Charlotte LUTZ of France. Reigning champion Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria also secured her place in the semifinals.

No. 1 seed Bernadette SZOCS was under pressure tonight in the quarterfinals against Charlotte LUTZ, having already played a match against the defensive player Linda BERGSTRÖM of Sweden, along with a long doubles semifinal.

"It seemed like I had a few too many matches today. I'm tired, and it severely affected my movements. I couldn’t move as quickly as I should. I started the day with a really tough match against Linda. However, despite the difficulties, I’m happy that I stayed calm and found a solution to the challenge. Because of the way I moved, I couldn’t rely on my usual tactics, so I changed it up and made some variations," said SZOCS.

Commenting on her first singles medal at the European Championships, Bernadette said, "It’s my first; let’s make it a golden one."

Photo: Rémy Gros

In a re-run of the semifinal match at the 2022 European Championships in Munich (POLCANOVA won in the seventh game at 10-12), reigning champion Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria secured another medal in her match against Germany’s Sabine WINTER.

"I know that Sabine has problems with my serve, which is an advantage. I also tried to block her forehand because that helps me get into the game better, and from the second set onward, that worked well. Of course, it's not easy—we are good friends. We were even training together here on Monday, joking about the draw, saying we would meet in the quarterfinals and hope for a good match. I think that was the case today," said POLCANOVA.

In the all-German clash, Nina MITTELHAM dominated and beat Yuan WAN to secure her medal.

"A German-German duel is always a bit awkward. I had my tactics and got into the game very well, which gave me confidence. Because I know her, I played better than in the other matches and found my rhythm. I hope I can keep that up. Before the tournament, I had a bit of hope for a medal, but I didn’t really know how I would perform without competition practice and without much training. This afternoon, I moved the best I've moved so far, which is actually strange because the tournament has been going on for quite some time now. The last few months have been tough; it wasn’t an easy road, so I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished here. I have my boyfriend, friends, and family behind me, who have supported me well, and that’s nice. Mentally, I was well-prepared for the European Championships, knowing that I might not play as well — accepting that is not easy. But with each set, it’s getting better, and I hope tomorrow I can go to the table feeling fresh and rested," said MITTELHAM.

In a match that looked like a rollercoaster, Maria XIAO of Spain beat Jia Nan YUAN of France after seven games.

“I had nothing to lose today; she is an amazing player. I focused on my service and receive. She has a fantastic serve, and I told myself to think only about the next receive, the next two or three balls. It seemed to work,” said XIAO.

They had played against each other on a few previous occasions, but Maria had not won before.

“We met once or twice, and I had no chance. I couldn’t receive well enough. This time, that was the key and turning point: the good receive. She is one of the favorites, so all the pressure was on her,” said Maria, who also won her first medal in singles at the European Championships.

In the Round of 16, Bernadette SZOCS overcame Linda BERGSTRÖM of Sweden 4-2; Jia Nan YUAN prevailed against Andreea DRAGOMAN of Romania in straight games; Maria XIAO beat Georgina POTA of Hungary; Yuan WAN defeated Jieni SHAO of Portugal 4-1; Sofia POLCANOVA overcame Christina KALLBERG of Sweden 4-0; Nina MITTELHAM prevailed against Fu YU of Portugal 4-2; Sabine WINTER was forced to go the full distance against Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania and prevailed; Charlotte LUTZ overcame Izabela LUPULESKU of Serbia.

Quarterfinals

Maria XIAO (Spain) – Jia Nan YUAN (France) 4-3 (13-15, 11-8, 11-13, 13-11, 3-11, 11-7, 11-3)

Nina MITTELHAM (Germany) – Yuan WAN (Germany) 4-1 (11-6, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8)

Bernadette SZOCS (Romania) – Charlotte LUTZ (France) 4-2 (11-6, 7-11, 11-5, 8-11, 12-10, 11-9)

Sabine WINTER (Germany) – Sofia POLCANOVA (Austria) 1-4 (11-7, 8-11, 3-11, 8-11, 10-12)