International
European Table Tennis Championships: Franziska, Duda and Qiu reach the round of 16
Three Germans keep their medal hopes alive in the men’s singles at the European Table Tennis Championships in Ljubljana. On Thursday evening, Patrick Franziska (Saarbrücken) first won his second-round match, followed by reigning European Championship silver medallist Benedikt Duda (Bergneustadt) and former European champion Dang Qiu (Düsseldorf). Andre Bertelsmeier, however, was eliminated.
The 20-year-old from Bundesliga club TSV Bad Königshofen lost 0–4 to Sweden’s Truls Möregårdh, silver medallist at the Paris Olympics. The reigning U21 European champion had won his opening match in seven games. Wim Verdonschot, Ricardo Walther and Kay Stumper had already been eliminated in the opening round of the main draw.
Franziska was pleased with his performance after his 4–0 victory over Slovenia’s Deni Kozul, although he was less satisfied with the atmosphere in the arena. “There could definitely have been a few more spectators. Playing in front of a home crowd gives me extra motivation,” said the veteran, who won European Championship bronze in 2018.
Like Franziska, Duda (4–0 against England’s Tom Jarvis) and Qiu (4–0 against Denmark’s Jonathan Groth) comfortably secured their places in Friday’s round of 16. In the women’s singles, four German players, including top seed Sabine Winter, have reached the round of 16.
All matches of the European Table Tennis Championships in Ljubljana will be broadcast live on Dyn.
Source: SID
Featured image: BeLaSportfoto
