Defending champion and record winner Timo Boll is only one win away from a medal at the European Table Tennis Championships in Munich.
Due to a significant improvement in form compared to his difficult start, the 41-year-old third in the World Cup did not lose a set in two matches on the way to the quarter-finals and can count on a good chance of his ninth individual triumph in continental title fights.
In the game for a medal, Boll has to compete against his clubmate Dang Qiu, who is 16 years his junior. Also after two more victories, the former Russian legionnaire Dimitrij Ovtcharov in the round of the top eight against the Swedish double world and European champion Kristian Karlsson is on the podium. Patrick Franziska and Benedikt Duda, on the other hand, had to bury their hopes of winning precious metal in the round of 16.
“The day could hardly have gone better”
After his first-round thriller against the Pole Samuel Kulczycki, Boll stormed into the round of the top eight in seven-league boots. With his completely unchallenged 4-0 wins in round two against the Czech Lubomir Jancarik and in the round of 16 against the Slovakian Wang Yang, the old champion radiated a sovereignty and enthusiasm almost like in the very best of times.
“The day could hardly have gone better,” Boll commented on his clean record. The former world No Boll and added jokingly: “Since then, his great development has made him a completely different player – and unfortunately so have I.”
Dang confirmed Boll’s appreciation in the round of 16 in a first team-internal duel with Duda with a 4:1. Ovtcharov, on the other hand, had to go into the deciding set in the difficult win against the Portuguese veteran Marcos Freitas.