A very busy day at the European Table Tennis Championships in Ostrava, Czech Republic, all the individual events, doubles and singles had two rounds today.

The doubles started with both Mens Doubles Pairs moving through to the next round, Danny Reed and Liam Pitchford beat Casper Ter Luun /Boris De Vries at the very last gasp coming back from match points down to take the fifth set 12-10.  Paul Drinkhall and Darius Knight dispatched the two Turks, Gencay Menge and Halil Haciin three comfortable games.

In the last 32 of the Mens Doubles Paul Drinkhall and Darius Knight were dominated from start to finish by the Czech pair of  Dmitrij Prokopcov and Tomas Konecny losing in three straight games. At the other end of the hall Danny Reed and Liam Pitchfordhad a titanic battle with the French pairing of  Christophe Legout and  Abdel-Kader Salifou.

Danny and Liam took the first game but the French responded taking the next two games and then stood 6-0 ahead in the fourth game. Danny and Liam then played 8 superb points in a row and proceed to close the fourth game out 11-9. In the fifth game the French took an early lead again, could lightning strike twice, the answer of course no and both England pairs are now out of the Mens doubles.

In the Womens Doubles Kelly Sibley and Joanna Parker lost in the last 64 to a strong Ukranian pair of Tetyana Sorochynska and Ganna Gaponova, Kelly and Joanne managed to take the third games but it only delayed a 3 game to 1 defeat. Hannah Hicks and Karina le Fevre however had an excellent 3-2 win over Maria Krazelova and Andrea Daubnerova of Slovakia.

Hannah Hicks and Karina le Fevre moved on the the last 32 where the were due to face the No 2 seeds Nikoleta Stefanova and Tan Montfardi Wenling. The Italians had an injury problem however and did not appear at the table so Hannah and Karina now face a strong Czech Pair of Iveta Vacenovska and Renata Strbokova at 10am tomorrow morning in the last 16.

The Womens Singles was next on the table but no success was to be had, Joanna parker lost in four straight games to Yulia Prokhorova of Russia, Hannah Hicks had no answer to the skill of the Netherlands/Russian Chopper Elena Timina and Karina le Fevre fared no better against Ana Maria Erdelji of Serbia.

Kelly Sibley also faced a Serbian, an old adversary, Gabriella Feher, Kelly won the first game and stood 8-4 ahead in the second but lost her way losing the game 11-9. Kelly powered back again taking the third game to stand 2-1 ahead but the Serb was playing some superb stuff as was Kelly. There was little Kelly could do to stop the Serbian taking the next three games and with it the match at 4-2. Everbody out the Womans Singles in the last 128.

Better news in the Mens Singles, Darius Knight found Austrian star Werner Schlager just too powerful and went down in four straight games, Liam Pitchford faced another fast improving player Pavel Platonov of Belarus, the first game went to Liam but powerful hitting from both wings took the next three games for the Belarus player, Liam recovered to take the fifth game but normal service in the Platonov two wing driving resumed in the sixth and final game  and the Belarus won 4-2.

Better news for our other two players both of who won in 6 games, Danny Reed has a very familar adversity in Daniel Zwickl of Hungary, regular visitor to the Sheffield centre where he trains with the England Squad, Zwickl took the first comfortably but Danny edged the next three games all at 11-9, Zwickl took the fifth but another cliff hanger game in the sixth went Danny Reed’s way 12-10. Paul Drinkhall also had and excellent win over Simon Gauzy of France, the first four games were shared but Paul played some superb shots in the fifth and sixth games winning both to take the match.

The round of the last 64 was also played tonight, Danny Reed had a hard task in playing Adrian Crisan of Romania, world no 32, the winner over both Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford in the team event. The Romanian was just too strong, Danny played very well but was unable to find those last two points which are so vital, he got a good start in the fourth game moving to 4-1 but that was soon recovered and normal service was resumed, Crisan took the match 4-0.

Paul Drinkhall faced Jens Lundqvist of Sweden, the world no 46, and could not match the power and spin of the Swede, he was overrun in the first game but the next four were much much closer, Lundqvist had the edge however in those games, Paul managed to take the third at deuce but that was it and he lost 4 games to 1

Nobody left in the singles, only Hannah and Karina to keep the English flags flying today.

Results

Mens Singles

Last 256

ISMAYILOV, Farkhad (AZE) lost to PITCHFORD, Liam (ENG) 11:9, 6:11, 4:11, 4:11, 6:11

Last 128

PITCHFORD, Liam (ENG) lost to PLATONOV, Pavel (BLR)   11:8, 9:11, 11:13, 8:11, 11:9, 6:11

REED, Daniel (ENG) beat ZWICKL, Daniel (HUN)   5:11, 11:9, 11:9, 11:9, 8:11, 12:10

KNIGHT, Darius (ENG) lost to SCHLAGER, Werner (AUT)  8:11, 10:12, 8:11, 5:11

GAUZY, Simon (FRA) lost to DRINKHALL, Paul (ENG)   8:11, 13:11, 8:11, 11:6, 7:11, 12:14

Last 64

REED, Daniel (ENG) lost to CRISAN Adrian (ROU)   6:11, 10:12, 8:11, 7:11

DRINKHALL, Paul (ENG)  lost to LUNDQVIST Jens (SWE)  2-11 9-11 12-10 8-11 9-11

Womens Singles

Last 128

PROKHOROVA, Yulia (RUS) beat PARKER, Joanna (ENG)   11-4 11-6 11-5 11-8

LE FEVRE, Karina (ENG) lost to ERDELJI, Ana Maria (SRB)  5:11 3:11 1:11 5:11

SIBLEY, Kelly (ENG) lost to FEHER, Gabriela (SRB)    11-5 9-11 11-8 5-11 8-11 8-11

TIMINA, Elena (NED) beat HICKS, Hannah (ENG)    11-2 11-3 11-6 11-2

Womens Doubles

Last 64

KRAZELOVA, Maria/DAUBNEROVA, Andrea (SVK)  lost to
LE FEVRE, Karina/HICKS, Hannah (ENG)    9-11 9-11 11-8 11-5 7-11

PARKER, Joanna/SIBLEY, Kelly (ENG) lost to
SOROCHYNSKA, Tetyana/GAPONOVA, Ganna   4-11 3-11 11-7 7-11

Last 32

LE FEVRE, Karina/HICKS, Hannah (ENG) beat
STEFANOVA, Nikoleta/TAN, Wenling (ITA)   w/o

Mens Doubles

Last 64

REED, Daniel/PITCHFORD, Liam (ENG) beat
TER LÜÜN, Casper/DE VRIES, Boris (NED)   9-11 5-11 11-3 11-5 12-10

HACI, Halil/MENGE, Gencay (TUR) lost to
DRINKHALL, Paul/KNIGHT, Darius (ENG)    9-11 4-11 6-11

Last 32

PROKOPCOV, Dmitrij/KONECNY, Tomas (CZE)   beat
DRINKHALL, Paul/KNIGHT, Darius (ENG)    11:9, 11:6, 11:4

REED, Daniel/PITCHFORD, Liam (ENG)  lost to
LEGOUT, Christophe/SALIFOU, Abdel-Kader (FRA)  11:7, 7:11, 5:11, 11:9, 4:11

Photo: Danny Reed – had a good win over Daniel Zwickl – courtesy Dr S Roscher

By Malcolm Macfarlane

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