Para Table Tennis: Baus/Schmidberger Secure Semifinal Spot After Nail-biting Match
The third-place finishers at the World Championships, Valentin Baus and Thomas Schmidberger, have guaranteed their first Paralympic medal in Paris. The German duo advanced to the semifinals on Thursday after a nerve-wracking match. In the mixed events, one out of four German teams still has a shot at the medals, with Sandra Mikolaschek and Thomas Brüchle securing a solid win on Thursday.
Baus/Schmidberger Triumph in Thrilling Quarterfinal Match
German Para Table Tennis European champions Valentin Baus and Thomas Schmidberger fought through five fiercely contested sets in the Paralympics semifinals of the MD4 class. The second-seeded teammates and friends from Düsseldorf prevailed over the Chinese duo of Fu Liu and Xiang Zhai with a score of 3:2 (6:11, 12:14, 11:9, 11:9, 12:10) in a 52-minute battle.
The eleventh-seeded pair, featuring the 2021 Team Paralympics champion Xiang Zhai and the 2023 Asia champion Fu Liu, started the quarterfinal match aggressively and offensively. The Germans struggled to handle the intense play and appeared increasingly frustrated by Liu’s loud cheers. Additionally, they made some unforced errors, complicating their game.
In the third set, with the Chinese leading 9:7, it seemed like the Germans were on the brink of defeat. However, Baus and Schmidberger displayed resilience and managed to turn the tide. The same scenario unfolded in the fourth set, with the Germans trailing 7:8. In the decisive fifth set, the top-ranked Baus and second-ranked Schmidberger maintained a lead over the eighth-ranked Zhai and sixteenth-ranked Liu but were unable to pull away. The jubilation was palpable as they converted their second match point to secure a 12:10 victory.
Semifinal Showdown with Turkish Duo
In the semifinals on Friday, the Germans will face the sixth-seeded Turkish pair of Abdullah Öztürk and Nesim Turan. With their semifinal berth, the Germans have already secured a medal, as there is no bronze medal match in case of a loss. Both semifinal losers will receive bronze. If they advance to the final, Baus/Schmidberger could potentially face the Chinese superstars Ningning Cao and Panfeng Feng.
Mixed Doubles: Brüchle/Mikolaschek Dominate
The German Para Table Tennis mixed duo of Thomas Brüchle and Sandra Mikolaschek has advanced to the quarterfinals of the XD7 class. Out of the four teams that started on Thursday, Brüchle/Mikolaschek were the only ones to emerge victorious. On the other hand, Thomas Rau and Juliane Wolf (XD17 class), Björn Schnake and Stephanie Grebe (XD17 class), and Valentin Baus and Jana Spegel (XD7 class) all missed out on the quarterfinals.
With a commanding 3:0 (11:9, 11:3, 11:3) victory, Sandra Mikolaschek and Thomas Brüchle stormed into the mixed doubles quarterfinals at the Paralympics. The fifth-seeded Germans defeated the British duo of Thomas Matthews and Megan Shackleton on Thursday evening. The pivotal moment in the match was the hard-fought first set, which the Germans clinched with a nerve-wracking 11:9 score. This victory shattered the resistance of the British pair, and the win was sealed after 24 minutes.
In the quarterfinals, Mikolaschek/Brüchle will face the third-seeded Thai pair of Yuttajak Glinbancheun and Wijittra Jaion on Friday. A win in the quarterfinals would guarantee a medal for the Germans.
Rau/Wolf Lose Grip in Quarterfinals
Rau and Wolf made a valiant effort in their match against the Croatian duo of Borna Zohil and Mirjana Lucic but ultimately fell short with a 0:3 (8:11, 2:11, 11:13) defeat. They managed to keep it competitive in two sets, leading at various points. In the third set, the German pair even had a set point at 10:9 but couldn’t capitalize, allowing the Croatians to snatch victory with their second match point after 19 minutes.
Schnake/Grebe Outmatched by Dutch Pair
Schnake and Grebe faced an uphill battle from the start against the Dutch duo of Jean Paul Montanus and Kelly van Zon. They lost all three sets decisively with scores of 2:11, 3:11, 6:11. The German pair only held a lead once throughout the three sets—in the third set with a 2:1 scoreline. After just 15 minutes, Schnake/Grebe were sent packing with an early exit.
Grebe and Wolf Secure Final Berth
While Rau and Schnake were eliminated early in their men’s doubles, Grebe and Wolf have reason to celebrate as they secured a medal in the women’s doubles. The German duo won the semifinals of the WD14 class on Thursday evening and will vie for gold in the final on Friday.
Baus/Spegel Miss Quarterfinals
In another mixed doubles match on Thursday, Paralympic singles champion Valentin Baus and Jana Spegel were eliminated in the XD7 class by the South Korean pair of Young-Gun Kim and Mi Gyu Lee. The German pair entered the match as underdogs and could only spring a surprise in the fourth set, which they won 11:9.