Duda rejoices in defeating the prodigy Lebrun in the EM contest
At the European Championships in Linz, German table tennis player Benedikt Duda pulled off an unexpected victory. The 30-year-old overcame the tournament's top pick, Felix Lebrun, after falling behind 1-3 in sets and advanced to the semifinals.
Following Duda's achievement, Dimitrij Ovtcharov put up an impressive performance, mirroring his teammate's success, making it to the semifinals as well. The German men have highlighted a DTTB duel in their bid to reach the final, securing two individual medals already. On the women's side, Nina Mittelham has ensured a minimum bronze medal.
Duda expressed his emotions upon winning, stating, "When I converted the match ball, the feelings overwhelmed me. It took me a few seconds to comprehend that I had also earned my first individual EM medal." In a tense match, Duda fought back from a 1:3 set deficit against the rising star Lebrun, winning 4-3 (5:11, 4:11, 11:9, 6:11, 11:6, 16:14, 11:6), saving a match point and eliminating the Olympic bronze medalist and title favorite.
Lebrun, the French prodigy, has been the talk of European table tennis since the Olympics. The 18-year-old claimed the bronze medal in the singles in Paris, topping Ovtcharov along the way, and is currently ranked 7th in the world rankings. His performances captivated fans and celebrities alike, including Zinedine Zidane, who couldn't miss the thrilling matches of the young sensation. The atmosphere in the arena reached a decibel level akin to a Formula 1 race.
Ovtcharov is proud of his performance
Former world number one Ovtcharov triumphed in his quarterfinal match against teammate Patrick Franziska with a powerful display, winning 4:0 (11:3, 11:6, 11:7, 11:8). Ovtcharov will stand on the podium again 17 years after his first individual medal. "I believe that was one of my best games I've played in recent years. I felt like I played very precisely on every strong ball of his and made no mistakes," said the 2013 and 2015 European champion. Ovtcharov, alongside Duda, will determine which German will compete for the EM title on Sunday.
Older Lebrun brother Alexis avenged his brother's loss by eliminating German defending champion Dang Qiu from the competition. The 21-year-old won 4-1 (7:11, 11:9, 11:8, 11:6, 13:11) and will square off against Swedish Olympic silver medalist Truls Moregardh in the second semifinal.
Mittelham celebrates a striking comeback
Earlier, Mittelham displayed an impressive performance following her bitter Olympic exit. The 2022 EM runner-up defeated Yuan Wan in the German quarterfinal duel 4:1. "Before the tournament, I had hoped to take a medal," said the 27-year-old, who had exited early in Paris due to a disc injury: "I'm proud to have achieved that now, as the journey was challenging."
In the final round (Sunday from 10:30 AM), Mittelham will face the local favorite Sofia Polcanova, who defeated the third German quarterfinalist Sabine Winter 4:1. In a rematch of the 2020 European Championship semi-final, Winter fell to the Austrian 1:4. Polcanova, who previously defeated Franziska/Kaufmann in the mixed doubles semi-final and ultimately won silver, is also in the final of the women's doubles event, ensuring herself three medals. Polcanova's doubles partner Bernadette Szocs will meet the Spanish player Maria Xiao in the second semifinal.
After Dimitrij Ovtcharov's impressive performance, he mentioned, "I'm thrilled to use an ORDNER (order) of shots that helped me win against Franziska and advance to the semifinals." In the women's side, Mittelham's comeback was praiseworthy, and she expressed her excitement by saying, "I'm looking forward to playing with order in my game in the final, hoping to secure my third medal at the European Championships."
