Europe’s table tennis queen is Sofia Polcanova. The Linz native celebrated gold in singles, silver in mixed doubles with Robert Gardos and silver in doubles with Bernadette Szócs (ROU) at the Liebherr European Table Tennis Championships 2024 in the Linz TipsArena. A sold-out TipsArena celebrated the old and new European champion, who now has ten European Championship medals. The Austrian Association was also able to celebrate double bronze from the EC debutants Maciej Kolodziejczyk/Vladimir Ursu (MDA). The European Championship attracted a total of 14,500 visitors.
What a mega performance from Sofia Polcanova: She clearly defeated her top-seeded doubles partner Bernadette Szócs by 4-1 in the final. The 30-year-old achieved her masterpiece in the third heat when the score was 1:1 in games: the European champion started an incredible comeback to 9-9 after being down by 1-7, fended off a game point and took a 2-1 lead after 12-10. “The third game was definitely the crucial point. I was able to turn it around, I don’t know how, but then I knew that I could do it,” said Polcanova afterwards.
Pushed by this, “Sonia” completed the final with 11-6 and 11-9, converted her third match point, sank happily to the ground, then she hugged team boss Zhang Jie and husband Peter lifted his wife into the air. “I really have no words. I am so grateful to my family, my husband, my mother, and of course my dad, who gave everything so that I could be here today. I am grateful to the whole team at the Olympic Center. The match was very difficult. I feel very sorry for Bernadette, I would have loved a victory for her too. After the defeat in the doubles, I cried so much in the locker room and didn’t know how I was going to manage to play in the singles final.”
Silver after gold in the women’s doubles
Polcanova/Szócs had previously lost by 2-3 in the doubles final to the tournament’s No. 2, Barbora Balazova/Hana Matelova (SLK/CZE). The defending champions were able to equalize twice and forced the decider. But then Barbora Balazova/Hana Matelova turned things around and took the lead with 8-2, winning 11-6 to take the title.
Lebrun Festival in the men´s turnament
In the men’s singles, Alexis Lebrun (FRA) first shot Olympic silver medalist Truls Möregardh (SWE/2) off the court by 4-0 in the semifinals and then he gave the German Benedikt Duda (10) – who had defeated Dimitrij Ovtcharov (GER/6) by 4-2 in the semifinals – no chance in the final, won 4-0 (5, 8, 6, 2). Together with his brother Felix, the number seven of the tournament also won the doubles title, defeating the Swedes Anton Kallberg/Truls Möregardh (2) by 3-0 in the final. The day before, the French had eliminated the European Championship debutants Maciej Kolodziejczyk (Ö)/Vladimir Ursu (MDA), who were able to celebrate bronze.
LIEBHERR EUROPEAN TABLE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Women´s Final:
Bernadette Szócs (ROU/1) – Sofia Polcanova (Nr. 2) 1:4 (-8, 11, -10, -6, -9)
Women´s Double, Final:
Sofia Polcanova/Bernadette Szócs (Ö/ROU/Nr. 7) – Barbora Balazova/Hana Matelova (SLK/CZE/2) 2:3 (-7, 7, -9, 7, -6)
Men´s, Final:
Alexis Lebrun (FRA/7) – Benedikt Duda (GER/10) 4:0 (5, 8, 6, 2)
Men´s Double, Final:
Felix Lebrun/Alexis Lebrun (FRA/1) – Anton Kallberg/Truls Möregardh (SWE/2) 3:0 (2, 6, 8)
Mixed, Final:
Sofia Polcanova/Robert Gardos (Nr. 4) – Maria Xiao/Alvaro Robles (ESP/3) 0:3 (-8, -9, -10)
