Annett Kaufmann marks her triumph in a significant EM takeover event
Table Tennis Prodigy Annett Kaufmann Alongside Patrick Franziska Reaches Semi-finals in Linz, Locks in First Individual European Championship Medal.
Annett Kaufmann and her partner, Patrick Franziska, erupted into celebration after the latter's thundering forehand winner clinched the match point. Germany's young table tennis sensation, teamed with veteran Franziska, is now assured of at least a bronze in Linz's European Championships following their successful journey to the semi-finals. For the 18-year-old, this marks her maiden individual Medal at the EM.
"I had faith in us today, we strategized extraordinarily well," Kaufmann shared post their 3-0 (13:11, 11:8, 12:10) mixed doubles semi-final victory over England's Liam Pitchford and Wales' Anna Hursey. The 18-year-old exhibited remarkable composure in the third set, even astonishing her more seasoned partner, who was 1:7 behind early on. "We were down 1:7, but Annett declared, 'We're still going to win this set,'" Franziska recounted. "I trusted her, it was a fantastic match. We had hoped for a medal, but you never know what draws you get."
The pair will face off against Austria's Robert Gardos and former European champion Sofia Polcanova in the semi-finals on Friday (12:30 PM). "They're solid, but we're impressive too," said Kaufmann. Before their bout against the home team, Franziska added, "We're thrilled to compete in their venue." The final will also occur on Friday (9:00 PM).
Franziska/Kaufmann had already demonstrated an outstanding performance in the round of 16, defeating the second-seeded Romanian pair of Ovidiu Ionescu and Bernadette Szőcs 3-1 (12:10, 11:7, 6:11, 11:3). "Our fourth set was, by far, our finest yet," said Franziska. Kaufmann had already claimed gold twice with the German women's team at the European Championships, and she had won all the U21 singles titles. She will also compete in the singles event later today against Romania's Elena Zaharia, and she advanced to the doubles quarter-finals with former European champion Nina Mittelham earlier in the day.
Annett Kaufmann is on the brink of securing her first individual gold medal at the European Championships, having advanced to the semi-finals of the singles event. The European Championships, where Kaufmann and her partner Patrick Franziska have already secured a bronze medal in the mixed doubles, continue to showcase the young table tennis prodigy's potential.
