Linz. The success story continues! Annett Kaufmann and Patrick Franziska also won the mixed quarter-finals of the 2024 European Championships against Liam Pitchford (England) and Anna Hursey (Wales) and have already secured the bronze medal in their first tournament together.
As they did this morning, the Germans started strongly in the opening set, but after leading 9:5 and 10:8 they even conceded a set point before winning the round in extra time. They then made a furious comeback in the third set when they turned a 2:9 deficit into the much celebrated 12:10. “It was important that we closed the first set,” said Patrick Franziska. “We stole the third set, but Annett said at 1:7 that we would still take the set. We then took more risks and also hit important balls, for example Annett’s amazing banana at 3:9.”
After the confident victory in the round of 16 this morning against the vice-European champions from Romania Ovidiu Ionescu and Bernadette Szoczs, the newly formed DTTB duo of the 18-year-old and the 32-year-old left nothing to be desired in the quarter-finals – no one can take the bronze medal away from them . “We flirted with the medal, but certainly didn’t expect it. But we knew from the start that we would work well together,” says Franziska.
But will there perhaps be more? In the semi-finals tomorrow at 12.30 p.m. there will be a duel against local heroes Sofia Polcanova and Robert Gardos, who only barely reached the quarter-finals with two wins in the 5th set, but then confidently secured the medal against Izabela Lupulesku and Dimitrije Levajac from Serbia. Annett Kaufmann is of course confident going into the semi-finals: “Polcanova and Gardos can play, of course, but so can we. It’s a left-right combination and a different game again – but they both have to win against us first.” In the event of a win, the mixed final would take place tomorrow evening at 9 p.m.
Mixed semi-finals
Friday, 12.30 p.m.: Annett Kaufmann/Patrick Franziska. Sofia Polcanova/Robert Gardos AUT
Friday, 12.30 p.m.: Pritikha Pavade/Simon Gauzy FRA – Alvaro Robles/Maria Xiao ESP
Final on Friday, 9 p.m
Mixed quarterfinals
Annett Kaufmann/Patrick Franziska – Liam Pitchford ENG / Anna Hursey WAL 3:0 (11,8,10)
Mixed round of 16
Annett Kaufmann/Patrick Franziska – Bernadette Szoczs/Ovidiu Ionescu ROU 3:1 (10,7,-6,3)
Mia Griesel/Andre Bertelsmeier – Alvaro Robles/Maria Xiao ESP 1:3 (-4,-5,5,-10)
LinksEuropean Championships in Linz: The line-up of the German Table Tennis Association
Men’s singles
Main draw: Dang Qiu (Borussia Düsseldorf, world ranking 13th), Patrick Franziska (1. FC Saarbrücken TT, WR: 12), Dimitrij Ovtcharov (TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell, WR: 16), Benedikt Duda (TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt, WR: 28 )
Qualification: Andre Bertelsmeier (1. FC Köln, WR: 135), Fanbo Meng (TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell, WR: 151)
Women’s singles
Main field: Nina Mittelham (ttc berlin eastside, WR: 20), Sabine Winter (TSV Dachau, WR: 57), Annett Kaufmann (SV DJK Kolbermoor, WR: 103), Franziska Schreiner (TSV Langstadt, WR: 106), Yuan Wan (TTC Weinheim, WR: 108)
Qualification: Sophia Klee (TSV Langstadt, WR: 232), Mia Griesel (ttc berlin eastside, WR: 253), Elisa Nguyen (DJK Sportbund Stuttgart, WR: 501)
Women’s doubles*
Main draw: Annett Kaufmann/Nina Mittelham, Yuan Wan/Sabine Winter
Men’s doubles*
Main draw: Benedikt Duda/Dang Qiu
Qualification: Fanbo Meng/Andre Bertelsmeier
Mixed doubles*
Qualification: Patrick Franziska/Annett Kaufmann, Andre/Bertelsmeier/Mia Griesel
*A maximum of two combinations may be registered per nation for the doubles competitions
Sports management
Richard Prause (sports director)
Women’s coaching team
Tamara Boros (national coach women), Zoltan Batorfi (assistant national coach women), Lara Broich (national coach youth squad 1 female / U19)
Men’s coaching team
Jörg Roßkopf (national coach men), Lars Hielscher (DTTB head coach Düsseldorf), Dustin Gesinghaus (national coach youth squad 1 male / U19)
Medical department
Dr. Thomas Garn (team doctor), Birgit Schmidt, Annette Zischka (physiotherapists OSP Hessen)
Organization leader
Kolja Rottmann (DTTB competitive sports)
Presse
Manfred Schillings
referee
Michaela Hübener (Deputy Chief Referee, Hürth), Nico Zorn (Bremen)
