The Austrian men’s team is in most enviable shape at the European
Championships in St. Petersburg. Werner Schlager, Robert Gardos and
Chen Weixing overcame Romania in impressive fashion at the
quarter-final stage to secure at least the bronze medal.
In
the penultimate round against Germany, the Austrians will not be
favourites but a semi-final place might not be the final destination
for the team in red.
Will Gardos Make the Difference?
The
Austrian team has one advantage, Robert Gardos. "We do not know who
will be lined up where", German coach Richard Prause confessed admiring
Austria’s well balanced team. With Robert Gardos playing outstanding
for several weeks now, Austria should at least be able to cause their
neighbours problems.
The Germans, for their part, overcame the
host nation Russia. Timo Boll won twice and Bastian Steger remained
unbeaten. Who knows? However, Germany versus Austria might be decided
between Steger and Gardos.
Hungary’s Women in Top Form
At
the European Championships, the title holders in the Women’s Team event
have not lost any match in St. Petersburg so far. Hungary prevailed for
the fourth time in a row 3-0, in the quarter-finals against Austria.
Once
again Peter Teglas’ team was not only superior but cool in the crucial
moments. Six of 12 matches were won by the Hungarians in the fifth
game.
Hungary has not lost to any European team since 2006,
which means a winning streak at two World Team Championships (6th in
Bremen, 5th in Guangzhou), one European Championships (1st in Belgrade)
and one World Team Cup (3rd in Magdeburg).
The only close
result in the quarter-final stage of the Women’s Team event was between
Italy and Romania. The Romanians, almost eliminated in the round robin,
won again thanks to Elizabeta Samara. The 19 year old rising star beat
Nikoleta Stefanova as well as Wenling Tan Monfardini.
Men’s Teams - Championship Division
Quarter-finals:
Germany - Russia: 3-1
Romania - Austria: 0-3
Belgium - Sweden: 3-2
Denmark - Belarus: 1-3
Women’s Teams - Championship Division
Quarter-finals:
Hungary - Austria: 3-0
Czech Republic - Croatia: 0-3
Italy - Romania: 2-3
Spain - Netherlands: 0-3
Source: www.ittf.com
