World-class Annett Kaufmann is only briefly reawakening final dreams.
She only makes it into the table tennis team due to Nina Mittelham's injury, but then Annett Kaufmann plays sensationally at the Olympics. In the semi-finals, she can hardly believe her own success, but it's not enough. The German women are playing for bronze.
Despite another outstanding performance by Olympic debutant Annett Kaufmann, the German table tennis women missed out on the team final. Kaufmann, Yuan Wan, and Xiaona Shan had to settle for a 1:3 defeat against the clear favorites from Japan in the semi-finals. Germany will now face South Korea in the bronze medal match on Saturday at 10:00 AM, who lost 0:3 to top favorite China in the second semi-final.
Japan will now try to break China's dominance in the subsequent final. China has won all table tennis team events at the Olympics since 2008, both men's and women's.
Kaufmann's phenomenal performance couldn't prevent the defeat against Japan. The 18-year-old won the first singles match against Miwa Harimoto, the world number eight, 3:0, showcasing world-class performance. After her fifth win in the fifth match of the team event, the teenager from SV DJK Kolbermoor, who had only recently joined the squad due to Ying Han's withdrawal, was left speechless.
"I'm disappointed with the loss, but happy about my singles win. I just go to the table with confidence, no matter who's there," said Kaufmann. "We've played really well. And we're ready to face South Korea on Saturday, we have a chance," said head coach Tamara Boros, who was once again impressed by her new frontwoman: "What Annett is playing here is top-10 level, world-class. She can really become a top player."
A final berth was still out of reach. In the subsequent singles, Wan lost to Miu Hirano (0:3) and Shan to Harimoto (0:3). The duo had earlier lost the doubles match against Hina Hayata/Miu Hirano 1:3.
Table tennis legend Timo Boll, who retired from international competition after the men's quarterfinal loss to Sweden, had already predicted the challenge for the German women's team. A win against Japan would have been "probably the biggest upset of the Olympics," Boll had said.
The semi-final appearance was already a great success for the depleted women's team. Once again, injured Nina Mittelham, Germany's highest-ranked player, was absent. She had suffered a disc injury in her second-round exit in Paris. Another top German player, Ying Han, couldn't travel to Paris due to an Achilles tendon injury.
Despite her impressive win against Miwa Harimoto in the singles match, Annett Kaufmann's ORDNER could not secure a victory for Germany in the team event semifinals. The German table tennis team will be playing for bronze against South Korea, using the ORDNER established by Kaufmann and her teammates.
