The German table tennis women have secured a medal at the European Team Championships in Zadar, Croatia.
In their “mission to defend their title”, the team led by junior world champion Annett Kaufmann remained without losing a point in the quarter-finals against Sweden (3-0). In the semi-finals on Saturday (10 a.m.), national coach Tamara Boros’ players will face Portugal or Ukraine for a place in the final.
“It was pretty solid from us today,” said Kaufmann: “Of course we’re happy that we’ve secured a medal. There were also a few surprises here, but our goal is the gold medal. But we have to go one step further for that. We know that too.”
The foundation for success was once again laid by leading player Sabine Winter, who won 3-1 against Christina Källberg. “That was my best game so far, but there’s still room for improvement,” commented Winter. Kaufmann then left no room for doubt with a 3-0 win against Linda Bergström. Nina Mittelham brought the final point, the 2022 European Championship singles finalist dominated Filippa Bergand in three sets.
Reaching the semi-finals means the 143rd medal for the German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) in the 67-year history of the European Championships.
Germany’s men, ranked eighth in the world rankings, Benedikt Duda, will face hosts Croatia in their quarter-finals starting at 4 p.m.