Victory against girlfriend

Quarterfinals! Polcanova remains on course for a medal

Sofia Polcanova(Bild: GEPA)

European table tennis champion Sofia Polcanova (No. 15) has reached the quarter-finals at the Olympic Games and is still two wins away from a medal. The 29-year-old from Upper Austria impressively defeated her good friend and long-time doubles partner Bernadette Szöcs (No. 5) from Romania 4-0 (10,4,11,9) in the round of 16. 

Polcanova became European doubles champion with Szöcs in Munich in 2022. Now the reunion at the Olympics in Paris - with the better end for Polcanova.

"We were both very nervous. You could tell when we played in. We both wanted to win and it's always difficult to play against her. She's a very, very good friend of mine. I've often been to Romania to train and slept in her apartment. I couldn't really be happy because I also felt sorry for her. Of course it's a shame that we met in the round of 16," said Polcanova after her victory. 

Semifinals on Thursday
The semi-finals will be played on Thursday against the second seeded Chinese player Chen Meng or the Dutch player Britt Eerland.

What else is in it for the Upper Austrian? Polcanova: "I don't like to talk about my goals, I'm quite happy. I'll make sure I get some rest and then I'll move on. Just give it my all!"