European Table Tennis Championships

Gold! Polcanova is once again European singles champion

Sofia Polcanova is once again European table tennis champion!

(Bild: APA/AFP/JOE KLAMAR)

Upper Austrian Sofia Polcanova is once again the European singles table tennis champion. The 30-year-old successfully defended the title she won in Munich 2022 in Linz on Sunday, beating Bernadette Szöcs 4:1 (8,-11,10,6,9) in the final.

Just over an hour earlier, Polcanova had lost the doubles final with the Romanian against the Czech Hana Matelova and the Slovak Barbora Balazova 2:3 (-7,7,-9,7,-6). She had also won silver in the mixed. Thanks to this success with compatriot Robert Gardos on Friday evening and the doubles bronze medal by Maciej Kolodziejwczyk alongside Moldovan Wladimir Ursu, Austria's federation (ÖTTV) has now won four medals at the home title matches. Only in 2005 in Aarhus had there been more for red-white-red with five. Back then in Denmark, Liu Jia and others had won individual gold, otherwise only Polcanova's two titles were to be celebrated in the singles for ÖTTV players. A total of 47 ÖTTV medals were won at 43 European Championships - 11 in gold, 15 in silver and 21 in bronze.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

(Bild: APA/AFP/JOE KLAMAR)

Duel of the friends
The singles final was a duel between the number one (Szöcs) and number two seeds. The situation was special not only because the finalists are friends and play doubles together, but also because they had just missed their first chance at gold that day. Both have been in very strong form over the course of the tournament, with Polcanova winning their last meeting convincingly 4-0 in the Olympic round of 16 in Paris on July 31. And in this year's duel in the TipsArena, the Olympic fifth seed was also more confident and dominant.

After winning the first set, Szöcs equalized the score and the 13th-ranked player in the world took a 7:1 lead. However, Polcanova - a 4:1 winner against the German Nina Mittelham in the semifinals at lunchtime - caught up and secured her probably decisive second set win. In her 16th match at these title matches - the maximum possible for her - she took even more command from then on and didn't allow Szöcs to make any real headway. The third match point went in. For Szöczs, her first European Championships medal in the singles at least remains as consolation.

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"I don't know what to say now," Polcanova had already said in the ORF interview after the singles semifinals. "Regardless of what happens today, I'm very grateful for this tournament. If I had thought something like this on Wednesday, I wouldn't have believed it myself." The tension was very high and she hadn't slept much the night before. You have to build up the tension, but you can't be too tense. But she believed in herself.

Before the doubles final, Polcanova had described her opponents as "beatable". However, Matelova/Balazova were in excellent form and largely played their match. Szöcs/Polcanova made too many easy mistakes, especially Szöcs. They did not succeed in taking the momentum away from their opponents, who had been playing together for 13 years. After quickly taking the lead in the deciding set, Matelova/Balazova pulled through, but an intermediate run by Szöcs/Polcanova from 2:8 to 6:8 was not enough. "Our first European Championship medal, gold straight away - unbelievable," said Balazova.