With a 4:1 (-7,8,3,8,10) quarter-final win against the German Sabine Winter, the defending champion secured at least bronze in the singles. In the doubles with the Romanian Bernadette Szöcs, she is at least guaranteed silver after reaching the final on Saturday, and Polcanova had already won mixed silver with Robert Gardos on Friday.
Before the singles quarter-finals, Polcanova had not settled in, preferring to rest a bit after the doubles semi-finals that had taken place a good two hours before. “So I didn’t have the right tension in the first set,” explained the 30-year-old in the APA interview. “From the second sentence onwards I thought to myself, now I have to really push.” And from then on things went in the well-attended TipsArena. Winter only had another chance in the fifth set, but Polcanova closed the bag.
The evening before, after the mixed medal ceremony, she drove home as quickly as possible, as she was a “home sleeper” during the title fights. “It’s really, really hard,” she said about the busy program. She has to play 15 or the maximum possible of 16 games during the tournament. “I’ve managed it so far. But now it’s not just mentally difficult, I can also feel my body.” She didn’t have time to think about the mixed doubles defeat. “I can’t afford that, the program is too tight for that.”
Final on Sunday
The singles quarterfinal was Polcanova’s fourth match of the day, her 13th of the tournament. At lunchtime she had clearly defeated Sweden’s Christina Källberg 4-0 (8,4,9,10) in the individual round of 16. The double quarter-final was won in the morning against Xiao/Adian Diaconu (ESP/ROU) 3:0 (7.13.9), the semi-final in the afternoon against the Serbians Izabela Lupulesku/Sabina Surjan 3:2 (-10.4 ,5,-5,3). In the final on Sunday (3:30 p.m.) the defending champions will face the Czech-Slovak pairing Hana Matelova/Barbora Balazova.
More on the topic
Sofia Polcanova” title=” Sofia Polcanova” width=”308″ height=”173″/>Polcanova also in the women’s doubles final at the Linz European Championships, Kolodziejczyk with bronze
Doppel-Bronze für Kolodziejczyk
Maciej Kolodziejczyk won another ÖTTV medal with Moldovan Wladimir Ursu, namely double bronze. There were also four medals for Austria at the Munich European Championships. In the semifinals, the qualifiers lost to the French Alexis and Felix Lebrun 0:3 (-5,-9,-3). Kolodziejczyk/Ursu secured the podium place with a 3-0 (9,14,10) against the Slovenians Peter Hribar/Deni Kozul. According to the Austrian, it was not so easy to maintain concentration in preparation for the game against the Lebruns because of winning the medal.
“But then we were able to play our tactics, but they played back very quickly and only made two or three slight mistakes. You’re passive the whole time,” said Kolodziejczyk. His parents came for the semifinals. “I think success gives me self-confidence in singles as well,” he is certain.
The Lebrun brothers, Olympic bronze medalists in Paris, will meet the Swedes Anton Källberg/Truls Möregardh in the final on Sunday. This quartet was also involved in the individual quarter-finals later on Saturday evening, in which Källbergs duel with Möregardh. Otherwise four Germans made it to the last eight. In addition to defending champion Dang Qiu, Patrick Franziska, Benedikt Duda and Dimitrij Ovtcharov also advanced to the round of the last eight.
This article was updated at 9:04 p.m.
