In the Round of 32 in the Men’s Singles Event at the LIEBHERR European Championships top-seeded Felix LEBRUN of France easily prevailed against Mathias FALCK of Sweden in straight games.
When asked to comment after the match Felix was honest: “I do not know what I could say much about the tactics I am just happy that I won. Everything went smoothly and fast and it gives me great confidence for the future. I played my game being fast during the points and in between the points.”
Alvaro ROBLES of Spain pulled off a fantastic recovery to beat Ivor BAN of Croatia in a duel where he was down 0-3. When asked what had happened he replied with a laugh:
“I’d like to know that too! If I had figured it out I might have reacted earlier. It was all about finding my rhythm. It seemed impossible—I just couldn’t control the match. There was no chance to put pressure on him. At that moment I couldn’t find any solution against BAN; he was dominating. After 0-3 I changed something in my positioning and it led to an absolute turnaround. I started to dominate; I was in control…it was completely the opposite of the first three games. In situations like this I usually start the fourth game just to try and if I hit the same wall I’d tell myself it’s just a bad day and tomorrow will be better. But this time it was so close and I fought so hard. Mostly I challenged myself not to give up. Winning battles like this gives an enormous psychological boost ” stated ROBLES.
Dimitrij OVTCHAROV also showed that he is in good shape by securing a straight-games victory over Martin ALLEGRO of Belgium.
“He took a lot of risks and hit many ralies especially in the first game. But I was very consistent stable and had a solid game plan. It was a comfortable 4-0 win although the third game was a bit on the edge. Now I have plenty of time to prepare for tomorrow. I like taking walks doing some physiotherapy and video analysis ” said OVTCHAROV.
After yesterday’s drama in the match against Balasz LEI of Hungary when Darko JORGIC was down 2-3 and 8-10 today he justified his status against Borgar HAUG of Norway recording a 4-1 win.
“I am really thrilled that I’m back on the right track. I took the opening game in an express way maybe with a bit of luck then stayed in the same rhythm in the second and third games. However Borgar raised his game and took the fourth set with powerful shots from both forehand and backhand. It triggered a bit of panic as HAUG started to make a difference in the fifth game with 5-7 and 8-10. I could already see the same episode as yesterday but luckily I recovered and sealed the match ” explained JORGIC.
The clash between two Swedes Kristian KARLSSON and Anton KALLBERG went in favor of KALLBERG who won the five-game contest.
Croatia’s Andrej GACINA beat Anders LIND of Denmark in another seven-game thriller. He was down 0-2 won the next three games then LIND leveled the match but GACINA withstood his recovery to clinch the win in another close finish.
“I should have finished the match at 3-2. I had match point at 10-6 but I failed. Mostly I’m the one to blame for that. It gave LIND a chance to return. I saw from his body language that he became relaxed. He had already buried the match but I allowed him to come back. He played without pressure and with his service—which is one of the best at the tournament—it became extremely difficult. I raised my game put on extra pressure to come back. He is so difficult to beat with his specific style ” explained GACINA.
Joao GERALDO of Portugal had a dream start against Patrick FRANZISKA but after the first game the German player shifted gears to win the duel 4-1.
“I really had to battle with myself. We were quite disappointed after the mixed doubles and my leg took a hit during that match. When I lost the first set I thought it could get tight. But I stayed super focused and played great after that. I’ve lost to him several times before so I had to be really smart. He plays aggressively sometimes even recklessly with incredible athleticism. I’m glad I won those two tight sets at the end and I’ll be happy to lie down and get a massage now. GACINA is very experienced and I haven’t played him in a long time. My whole family is here which is great—it helps me forget losses faster. I’d love to have them at every tournament ” said FRANZISKA.
Seeded No. 21 Milosz REDZIMSKI of Poland beat No. 12 seed Simon GAUZY of France in straight games. “It was the first time we played against each other. I’ve always liked how Simon plays. I love the way he feels the ball and the way he has fun. I was very excited when I saw he was in my part of the draw. We played many good rallies today and I tried to attack all the time. I managed to keep the match under control. I’m just doing what I always do moving well around the table and attacking ” explained REDZIMSKI.
Tomislav PUCAR of Croatia forced Marcos FREITAS to go the full distance before securing his spot in the Round of 16.
