In tomorrow’s final of the Mixed Doubles Event at the 2023 European Games in Krakow Germany’s QIU Dang and Nina MITTELHAM will face Hungary’s Nandor ECSEKI and Dora MADARASZ. The winners will not only compete for the gold medal but also secure a ticket to the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. Additionally Spain’s Alvaro ROBLES and Maria XIAO will face Romania’s Ovidiu IONESCU and Bernadette SZOCS for the bronze medal.
Ovidiu IONESCU and Bernadette SZOCS of Romania (1) – Nandor ECSEKI and Dora MADARASZ of Hungary (7) 0-3 (9-11 6-11 6-11)
Romania’s Ovidiu IONESCU and Bernadette SZOCS the silver medalists from the last European Games and top seeds have been eliminated. Nandor ECSEKI and Dora MADARASZ secured their place in the final with a straight games victory.
“At the beginning I struggled to find the right response to Ovidiu’s service. It caused me great trouble but eventually I managed to adjust very well and it worked for me. We made some variations in our tactics to put extra pressure ” said Dora MADARASZ. “We played against them in Amman and we lost so we learned something from that defeat.”
Tomorrow they will face QIU Dang and Nina MITTELHAM.
“They are in the top 20 of the World Rankings so clearly they are the favorites in the mixed doubles as well. We will study their game to be prepared ” said ECSEKI.
QIU Dang Nina MITTELHAM of Germany (4) – Alvaro ROBLES Maria XIAO of Spain (2) 3-1 (11-9 11-4 9-11 11-8)
Without great difficulties QIU Dang and Nina MITTELHAM prevailed in the opening match of the mixed doubles semifinal.
“That was a strong performance from Nina and me. They are an incredibly strong mixed pair and as left-handed players they were very challenging especially since ROBLES is one of the best doubles players in the world. We really wanted to make it to the final because we didn’t want to play for the third-place match ” said QIU.
“We had already defeated them once last year in Lima but in such a championship it’s a completely different situation. We had a great start and our coordination worked perfectly. It was a very good game for us ” added MITTELHAM.
