Germany defended their title at the 2023 European Games Krakow. In the final they prevailed against Sweden. Bronze medalists are France.
Sweden (2) – Germany (1) 1-3
Truls MOREGARDH Kristian KARLSSON – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV Patrick FRANZISKA 3-2 (3-11 11-9 15-13 11-8)
Anton KALLBERG – QIU Dang 0-3 (5-11 9-11 9-11)
Kristian KARLSSON – Patrick FRANZISKA 2-3 (11-6 5-11 13-11 8-11 9-11)
Anton KALLBERG – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV 0-3 (7-11 8-11 8-11)
After all the drama of the Women’s final the Men’s final commenced as a comparatively quiet affair with OVTCHAROV and FRANZISKA dominating the start in the doubles. However it did not take long before KARLSSON and MOREGARDH gained a grip on the match. In a tense five-game battle Sweden secured the first point in the match.
QIU Dang faced Anton KALLBERG to assert his position as a leader of the German team. After a straight games duel he leveled the score.
The clash between KARLSSON and FRANZISKA initially favored Kristian but the momentum shifted back and forth. In the end the match was resolved in a decisive game in favor of the German player.
In a powerful display OVTCHAROV sealed the match.
National coach Jörg ROSSKOPF commented “The doubles were very close. All the matches were at a very high level with great rallies. Franz’s match against Kristian was particularly important and Dang also played with great focus after the doubles. Dima certainly played his best match here in Krakow against Anton. It was a great final and it demonstrates that we are still the number one team in Europe.”
Dang QIU remarked “It was the tough match we expected against Sweden. I believe Franz’s win was incredibly important and it was highly competitive. Sweden deserved to win as well. However in the end Dima did what he does best which is to close the game! We are very happy that we won. We are the number one team in Europe and we wanted to maintain our position!”
Patrick FRANZISKA added “After the doubles where we played well but still made a few mistakes Dang’s win was crucial to get us back on track. Of course my own match was important as losing it would have put us 1-2 behind. Personally it’s always challenging for me to play against Kristian so I’m extremely happy to have won the match so closely in the end.”
Dimitrij OVTCHAROV reflected “There is often talk about emerging nations in Europe and everyone was waiting for Germany to lose. But in the end it was also a statement that earns us respect once again. We went through the tournament with confidence and although we lost the doubles today our singles performances were really strong showcasing our overall strength as a team.”
Sweden and Germany previously faced each other in the Teams event final in Minsk back in 2019 with Kristian KARLSSON being the only player on duty from today’s team. On the other side were Timo BOLL Patrick FRANZISKA and Dimitrij OVTCHAROV.
KALLBERG expressed “We commenced the final with a win in doubles which was a huge victory. Unfortunately the match didn’t go our way. We couldn’t replicate the fantastic achievement like the win against France yesterday – Germany has an incredibly strong side. Individually I had a poor day today losing 0-3 twice. I couldn’t keep up with QIU’s and OVTCHAROV’s level of play. It’s not a good day for me. It’s a pity that Kristian KARLSSON couldn’t win the close match against Patrick FRANZISKA.”
Truls MOREGARDH expressed his disappointment but promised “As a team we want to forget about this final as soon as possible. Germany is always a strong team and now they are stronger than us unfortunately. We will look forward to beating them in Malmo at the European Championships.”
Bronze medal match
France (3) – Portugal (4) 3-2
Simon GAUZY Aleis LEBRUN – Marcos FREITAS Tiago APOLONIA 0-3 (10-12 10-12 3-11)
Felix LEBRUN – Joao GERALDO 3-0 (11-6 11-6 13-11)
Alexis LEBRUN – Tiago APOLONIA 1-3 (8-11 11-4 9-11 11-13)
Felix LEBRUN – Marcos FREITAS 3-1 (11-8 9-11 13-11 11-7)
Simon GAUZY – Joao GERALDO 3-0 (11-8 11-9 11-6)
It took five games before France claimed the bronze medal in a clash against Portugal. Portugal had a better start with the doubles but Felix LEBRUN proved too strong for Joao GERALDO and Marcos FREITAS. Eventually Simon GAUZY sealed the duel with a win over GERALDO.
“The match was filled with tension and playing a duel that starts at 11 am is never easy. I sealed the match with a victory in the decisive encounter and that means the match could have gone either way. Everything was open and we could have left Krakow without a medal but we have an amazing player in our team who helped us come back after losing the doubles and win both matches today. Felix was the key to our victory ” stated GAUZY.
GAUZY have a positive record against Geraldo.
“I have beaten him three or four times but it created extra pressure for me today. I did not want to lose against Joao for the first time in a match for a medal. I played really well and he struggled with my service and receive ” said GAUZY.
Felix concluded the European Games undefeated. As a gold medalist in singles he pushed France to the medal rostrum in the team event as well.
“It is unbelievable for me that I won each and every match here ” said younger brother LEBRUN. “In both matches today against left-handers GERALDO and FREITAS my service game was the most important factor for success. I played well on the first ball and I was aggressive. Winning the third game against Marcos which I won 13-11 gave me extra confidence to win the match.”
Alexis LEBRUN lost his match against Tiago Apolonia.
“I wasn’t at the top of my game but Simon played very well and Felix played amazingly so that’s what matters in the end. We won the medal and that is an unbelievable experience. Now I have to work even harder to prepare for the next challenges ” said Lebrun.
