2024-10-20 10:29:00
Defending champion Sofia Polcanova is also in the singles final at the Linz European Table Tennis Championships, her third final appearance in these title fights. She won mixed silver with compatriot Robert Gardos on Friday. On Sunday (3:30 p.m.) with the Romanian Bernadette Szöcs, the doubles will also be about defending the title. The individual final is scheduled for 4:50 p.m., after a 4:1 (10.7,-10.4.6) over the German Nina Mittelham against Szöcs.
“I don’t know what to say now,” said Polcanova in an ORF interview about her success. “No matter what happens today, I’m very grateful for this tournament. If I had thought something like that on Wednesday, I wouldn’t have believed it myself.” The tension was very high and she didn’t sleep much the night before. You have to build up the tension, but not be too tense. But she believed in herself. “I have a good record against Nina, maybe that had a positive effect on the match.”
In the final there will be a duel for gold between the top seeded world number 13. Szöcs against the local hero, who is ranked second in the world rankings and is ranked 14th. In the head-to-head, Polcanova is clearly ahead and she has never lost against her good friend Szöcs. Both were in extremely strong form over the course of the week, Szöcs prevailed 4-1 in her semi-final against the Spanish Maria Xiao. “My goal was my first European Championship semi-final, my first individual medal. Now I also want gold,” explained the 29-year-old Eastern European.
Against Mittelham, as in the quarter-finals on Saturday against her compatriot Sabine Winter, Polcanova fended off her desired revenge for the 2022 European Championships in Munich, where she defeated Winter 4-3 in the semi-finals. In the final, Mittelham had to retire with a set deficit of 0-2 due to a shoulder injury. Before Polcanova goes for the golden final point in the TipsArena, it is possible to win the double title again against the Czech Hana Matelova and the Slovakian Barbora Balazova.
Polcanova went head-to-head 5-1 against Mittelham, but had to fend off two set points – especially with her dangerous backhand. In the second round, after being 6:7 behind, they didn’t allow any counter points. This was followed by Polcanova’s only second set loss in the singles tournament, to which she responded with a confident win in the fourth round. With this advantage behind her, Polcanova carried out her mission. Polcanova: “The first set was very important. In the second set I thought I had to play even more aggressively.”
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