Austria produced one of the biggest surprises of the Men’s Team Round of 32, defeating India 3-0 in a tie that turned out far more one-sided than many expected.
It all started with a real battle. Robert GARDOS had to dig deep against Manush SHAH in a match full of momentum swings. After losing the opening game, GARDOS settled in, using his experience and clever serve variation to take control of the rallies.
The drama peaked in the deciding game. SHAH looked in command at 7-2, but couldn’t close it out. A few mistakes opened the door, and GARDOS stepped right through it, staying calm under pressure to snatch the game 13-11 and put Austria ahead.
That moment seemed to shift the whole tie.
Daniel HABESOHN came in with confidence and never really let Manav THAKKAR settle. The Austrian controlled the pace from the start, taking initiative in the rallies and cruising to a straight-games win that put Austria within touching distance of victory.
With the momentum fully on their side, Andreas LEVENKO made sure there would be no comeback. Facing Sathiyan GNANASEKARAN, he stayed aggressive and composed, taking charge early in each game and closing out the match in straight sets to complete the sweep.
Robert GARDOS reflected on Austria’s strong team performance and the importance of the opening win:
“I think all three of us are in very good shape at the moment. As a team, we are quite balanced, we are all playing at a similar level, and when everyone performs well it gives us a lot of confidence. In many of our matches there has always been a bit of pressure in the opening match, and today was the same. Winning that first point gave us extra energy and belief for the rest of the tie.
I had some difficulties at the beginning. My timing was not perfect in the first game because this was already the fifth hall we have trained and played in during the week, so we had to adjust again. Also, the new balls felt uncomfortable early in the match. But after that I found a really good rhythm and feeling.
SHAH is a very good player and he managed to come back into the match, but in the fifth set I found my concentration again, I found my focus, and in the end I think I played very well.
After that, Daniel and Andreas played great matches. They prepared very well tactically and technically, and together we achieved an important win.”
Austria now move on to the Round of 16, where an even bigger challenge awaits against Korea Republic.
Austria – India 3-0
- Robert GARDOS – Manush SHAH 3-2 (6-11, 11-7, 11-3, 8-11, 13-11)
- Daniel HABESOHN – Manav THAKKAR 3-0 (11-7, 11-5, 11-6)
- Andreas LEVENKO – Sathiyan GNANASEKARAN 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-9)
