The top seed in the Round of 32 in the Men’s Singles event QIU Dang of Germany was in the fast lane in his opening encounter at the European Games in Krakow. QIU prevailed against Paul DRINKHALL of England in straight games (9 7 8 9).
“The opener is always difficult no matter who it is against. Paul is a familiar opponent for everyone. He can play at a beastly level although he didn’t reach that today. I was able to impose my game on him and I am very happy with the result. It was important that I won the fourth game and saved some energy. I didn’t come into this match 100 percent fresh. The long bus rides to the hall took a toll on my energy and I have the added burden of singles and mixed events. But I have to live with that ” said QIU.
In the clash between the young star Alexis LEBRUN and experienced Greek Panagiotis GIONIS the French player prevailed 4-2 (5 -8 6 -9 4 8).
“I enjoy playing against players with a defensive style but GIONIS put me to a severe test. It was a difficult match. I had to vary the pace of the game and make tactical adjustments to find the right approach ” explained LEBRUN.
In the Round of 16 LEBRUN will play against Dane Jonathan GROTH who overcame Lubomir JANCARIK of Czechia (10 -7 8 9 4).
“We played against each other last time in Oman and he was injured then. I will have to study his game again ” said LEBRUN.c
Another young star emerged successfully in the Round of 32. Romania’s Eduard IONESCU overcame Alvaro ROBLES of Spain (8 16 -10 7 10).
“Finally! I made it this time. In Durban at the World Championships I was up 3-1 against Simon GAUZY and ended up losing 3-4. This time I managed to maintain my advantage. It also helped that my teammate Ovidiu is his doubles partner so I have many valuable matches to study ” said IONESCU.
Eduard already played in the Preliminary round and defeated Serbia’s Szolt PETE.
“It gave me self-confidence both the win itself and the opportunity to get a feel for the venue and the ball here. I adapted to the conditions which gave me an advantage ” said IONESCU who is the European champion in youth categories. “This is my best result in seniors. I am so happy.”
In the Round of 32 Andrej GACINA beat Deni KOZUL of Slovenia in six games (-9 7 -9 7 2 9).
“Since this is the opening match of the tournament for me I am satisfied. We both struggled with each other’s services but after 2-2 I changed the pace. I played a bit slower kept my patience to see where the service would go and it paid off ” said GACINA.
Marcos FREITAS of Portugal overcame Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia (9 7 7 -7 -9 1).
“Tomislav did not start well. I felt that he was not very confident with his game and I took advantage of it. His service game improved and the match became much closer. After he won the fourth and fifth games I talked with my coach and decided to play more aggressively. I took the sixth game in a furious style and I am proud of myself for elevating my game to the next level when it was most needed ” explained FREITAS.
