Table Tennis World Cup
For Austria’s table tennis, it didn’t work out on Thursday with the first World Cup medal since Werner Schlager’s sensational title in 2003. Sofia Polcanova and her Romanian partner Bernadette Szöcs were clearly beaten by the duo Jeon Ji Hee/Shin Yu Bin 0:3 (-9, -13, -4) in the doubles quarterfinals in Durban. With no match for third place, the South Koreans are assured of the bronze medal.
Exactly 20 years ago to the day in Paris, Schlager was the last European to win individual gold at the World Cup. It was the last precious metal at a world championship for Austria’s table tennis association (ÖTTV). Together with Szöcs, Polcanova had the chance to at least follow in the footsteps of the now 50-year-old by beating Jeon/Shin. In the end, it was the third defeat against the South Korean duo this year for the European champions of 2022.
Polcanova/Szöcs had already lost twice against Jeon/Shin on the World Tour. The two 28-year-olds fought doggedly in the first set and saved a total of three set points before the South Koreans just got the upper hand. The second sentence then became the crux of the matter. Polcanova/Szöcs were initially 7:2 ahead and then missed four set points, Jeon/Shin used their second chance to make it 15:13 after a mistake by Polcanova.
The third set was only balanced up to 4:4. The South Koreans made seven points in a row and were able to celebrate their first medal at a World Cup. Polcanova was the last actor to hold up Austria’s flags, so all ÖTTV aces are just spectators in the medal fight. Polcanova, seeded number ten, surprisingly failed in the first round in singles.