The English number one had been void of any real form in 2017 and came into these championships as an unlikely medal contender. Chapman had opened her Euro account beating Portugal’s Sonia Goncalves in two easy games but that result in itself was no indication that the English woman was in the kind of form to trouble second seed Corrales today. 

Corrales, if we lay it on the line, had struggled in her opening match only scraping by Mariya Mitsova I three games. That being said you don’t get to world number 20 with luck so the Spaniard would have been confident against Chapman today. 

The opening game was essentially one way traffic as Chapman took the set 21-13 untroubled. Everyone expected a typical Corrales revival with the Spanish fighting spirit she is known for. The game did get that revival but Chapman was not to be phased and in the crucial junctures of the match stayed calm and collected to utterly frustrate Corrales. 

Even at 19-19 in the second the smart money would have been on Corrales to win and take the match to a decider, after all that is how she sailed so often these past weeks so why should today be an different. In the end it was Chapman who stood tall as she rattled off the two points need to send the second seed packing and get herself within a match of a medal. 

“I was so excited to play today. I could feel something good. I knew in the second game when it got close at the end that she was the one that had to win so the pressure was on her. That thought settled me a bit more. Beatriz is a player that must warm into a match so I knew she would come back at me. I felt I had to take it in two and that is what I did.” 

To watch Fontaine Chapman’s full post-match interview click HERE

Chapman will now play Sabrina Jaquet for a medal. The Swiss athlete has been most dominant this week so far and just may be the one to trouble Marin as Kjaerslfelt, Poulsen and Gilmour struggle through the tournament in a barrage of close three set encounters. 

Just as Chapman was dealing the first real body blow in this tournament Evgeniya Kosetskaya followed the English women’s giant killing exploits shortly after taking down third seed Linda Zetchiri. The men’s singles to was not without some drama. Pablo Abian. Many’s favourites to troubles the Danish this week, fell at the hands of Mark Caljouw (pictured above). The Dutchman is rapidly becoming one of the players of the season and on current form is a real threat to the podium. There is just the matter of a small match against super star Viktor Axelsen tomorrow for Caljouw in his attempt to put a Dutch men’s singles player back in the limelight. 

Magee fairy tale continues

Ireland’s Sam & Chloe Magee (pictured below) continued their journey to the medals with another impressive win after taking down Arends and Piek in the opening mixed doubles round. With Chloe now concentrating fully on mixed doubles it is clear the Irish have taken a step closer to Europe’s elite with their performances this week in Kolding. 

Today’s victims were French duo Kersaudy and Palermo with the Irish coming through in three games. The Irish now play Polish veterans Mateusiak & Zieba for a medal and lest we forget the Magee siblings have a good record against the quality Poles. It was at the European’s last year where the pairs last met with the Irish winning in round one. 

Elsewhere Denmark advanced all four men’s doubles pairs into the quarter finals with the home nation having no fewer than 15 players/pairs involved in medal matches tomorrow. 

For all results from day three in Kolding click HERE

For a full photo gallery of the day’s action click HERE