Paris 2004 Day 2: Good Day for LEBRUN Brothers; QIU Gives No Birthday Gifts to APOLONIA

Although known to be extremely polite and well-mannered Dang QIU did not give any birthday gifts to the Portuguese player Tiago APOLONIA on his 38th birthday. On the second day of play in the Round of 64 Dang QIU lost the first game 2:11 to the 2015 European Championship bronze medalist after a nervous start but then significantly improved his performance winning the next four games deservedly with 11-3 11-2 11-6 12-10. With this world-class performance Germany’s most consistent player of the last two years improved his international record against APOLONIA to 7:0. He had only lost to APOLONIA twice in the Bundesliga.

Olympic debutant Dang QIU celebrated his victory with a raised fist and expressed great satisfaction with his first singles match. He quickly overcame the poor start:

“2-11 was not an optimal Olympic start but APOLONIA played well too. I knew he would come out fighting here. I had to raise my level extremely and played great so I handled the 2-11 pretty well.”

Dang QIU had already learned from a prominent source that initial tension and nervousness need to be overcome at the Olympics:

“Dima OVTCHAROV told me: Eventually you shake off the nervousness. Once I’m moving the engine hopefully runs and then only the gameplay needs to work. For me that’s the most important thing: When the gameplay works I have a lot of confidence in my game and then opponents need to play at a high level to beat me. This certainty has given me a lot of confidence over the past few years and I hope it will be the same at the Olympics.”

Now QIU will play Kazakh Kirill GERASSIMENKO today at 8 PM.

The fantastic but extremely loud atmosphere in the hall created by the parallel match of Frenchman Alexis LEBRUN was taken in stride by Dang QIU. It only partially influenced his game:

“You couldn’t hear the ball hit anymore. You couldn’t hear anything. But somehow that’s also awesome I have to say. That’s just the Olympic feeling and it’s fun. Especially when you win it’s fun. The LEBRUN brothers have worked just as hard for this and deserve every victory lap they can take.”

It was a good day for the LEBRUN brothers in Paris. Alexis LEBRUN raced into the round of 32 of the Men’s Singles with a speedy 4-0 (11-6 11-5 11-6 11-6) win over Santiago LORENZO. Alexis follows his brother Felix into the round of 32; he clocked his win in at 26 minutes two minutes faster than Felix’s match.

It took Felix LEBRUN less than 30 minutes to dispatch Harmeet DESAI securing his place in the round of 32 with a straight games win (11-8 11-8 11-6 11-8). It was a dream Olympic debut for the teenager and World No.5 but he will now be focused on keeping the show going. Next up for Felix LEBRUN is Sweden’s Anton KALLBERG.

In women’s singles World No.75 Hana MATELOVA of the Czech Republic beat World No.15 Xiaoxin YANG of Monaco in six games (15-13 11-2 8-11 6-11 11-5 11-7). Next up for MATELOVA is a showdown with Dutch star Britt EERLAND in the round of 32.

World No.74 only 17 years old Milosz REDZIMSKI of Poland reached the Round of 32 after his victory over Mohamed EL-BEIALI of Egypt ranked at position No.47.

Related News

33rd Finlandia Open – Everything You Need to Know

The traditional Finlandia Open returns this year, welcoming over 160 players from 27 countries to the enchanting home of Father Christmas. Hosted at the Kisakallio Sports Institute, just an hour’s...

Read more

ETTU Announces Key Updates and Initiatives

The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) has unveiled significant updates following decisions made at the 2024 Congress. From ranking system changes to new hosting opportunities and support for female coaches,...

Read more

ETTU JOB OPENINGS: PART-TIME FINANCIAL MANAGER (20H/WEEK)

Location: Luxembourg Position Overview: ETTU is looking for a skilled Financial Operations Manager to handle daily financial tasks, including accountancy, budget management, and liaising with auditors. Based in Luxembourg, this...

Read more

ETTU JOB OPENINGS: MARKETING ASSISTANT (30H/WEEK)

Location: Remote + travel and work on-site at various events. Position Overview: ETTU is looking for a Marketing Assistant to ensure that all marketing activities, particularly at events, are implemented...

Read more

Contact

About Us

Privacy Policy

Terms and Conditions

The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) is the governing body of the sport of table tennis in Europe, and is the only authority recognized for this purpose by the International Table Tennis Federation. The ETTU deals with all matters relating to table tennis at a European level, including the development and promotion of the sport in the territories controlled by its 58 member associations, and the organization of continental table tennis competitions, including the European Championships.

Powered By

All Competitions

Senior Competitions

Club Competitions

Youth Competitions

More Competitions