With a 4:0 win

Polcanova easily in second table tennis round!

Sofia Polcanova(Bild: GEPA)

European table tennis champion Sofia Polcanova has easily overcome her opening hurdle in the Olympic singles tournament! The 29-year-old Upper Austrian defeated the Mexican Arantxa Cossio Aceves 4:0 (4,3,4,8) on Sunday evening at the Games in Paris, seeded number 15.

In the second round, Austria's No. 1 will face Jieni Shao, who plays for Portugal and is ranked 30th. Daniel Habesohn from Vienna will play his opening singles match on Monday (10 a.m.).

"I managed to stay in the moment!"
Cossio Aceves and Polcanova know each other from the Austrian Bundesliga, the North American plays for Kufstein. "She's always in Linz and we see each other all the time," said Polcanova. "So it was a bit strange that we were now playing against each other at the Olympics. I was really nervous. But I managed to stay in the moment. The mental state plays an important role for me." She tried to push herself right from the start, only losing her concentration in the fourth set due to shouts of "Vamos Mexico".

"Every day is different, I have to keep fighting!"
Polanova expects "a 50:50 match against the 30-year-old Shao. It's really close, we've played each other so many times. I lost the last time at the World Championships, but I really didn't play well then either. Every day is different, I have to keep fighting." The wish for a one-day break due to a slight sore throat was not granted, but the world number 23 was able to enjoy the excellent atmosphere in the "Süd Arena" once again. "The hall is great, great fans. France is known for its table tennis enthusiasm."