Events

Tearful Lansac secures second medal
Date: 3/30/2013 10:34 AM
Published by : Manuel Røsler
Dephine Lansac secured a minimum of a bronze medal in the women’s singles event this afternoon after an epic three game battle against local favourite Cemre Fere. The young French wonder kid defied all the odds as she saved three match points to add a minimum of bronze to the to the team silver she won earlier in the week.

Lansac has had her fair share of drama this week after playing 12 matches in just 7 days with a large proportion of those games going the full three set distance. Today’s quarter final against Fere had the tension and drama off all the previous 12 matches combined as Lansac came through not only against Fere but also the partisan home support.

Fere got off to a flying start and Lansac was unable to match the speed of the Turks attack. Fere took the opening game 21-18 and looked to have everything under control deep into the second game. One thing Fere did not account for was the never say die attitude of the tiny French girl. Any who have played Lansac know that the game is never over until the last point shuttle has hit the ground and this could not have been more true in the epic battle.

The French revival came while trailing 20-17 in the second game after Lansac won a long rally which gave her the self-belief that she needed. All of a sudden Lansac could not put a foot wrong and with every successful point won she turned to her team mates sitting in the stand directly behind her. Once Lansac had tied the game at 20-20 it felt that the gods were now on her side and she took the second game 25-23 with a fierce smash down the back hand side of Fere.

The body language said it all in the third game, Fere’s shoulders were hanging and Lansac was bouncing on her toes in every rally. Lansac led the deciding game from the start and on winning match point threw her racket in the air and immediately broke into tears. “This was a very emotional match for me. I looked to be beaten but I just said to myself keep fighting as there is a European medal at stake. Winning the second game gave me new hope and belief and it was hard to control the emotions and feelings inside when I won. It really was an unbelievable felling to win that match” said Lansac immediately after.

End of the Rhode for Natalia

The dreams of gold ended this afternoon for another one of the well fancied women’s singles players as Natalia Koch Rhode fell at the sword of Stefani Stoeva. The Bulgarian clearly has the credentials to win this European title with a game that is almost error free coupled with a fitness level that leaves many of her trailing in her wake.

After a tense opening game victory Stoeva gave her opponent no chance in the second game as she ran out an easy 21-9 winner. “For me to be calm and focused on court is important. I was working a lot with my coach during the match and I was able to adapt my tactic to beat her. I served short and also took some power off my smash and used more slice which worked against her”

There is still one Dane in the women’s singles draw and in Line Kjaersfeldt Denmark have a true mutli disciplinary star. Kjaersfeldt was so comfortable in her two game win over Martina Repiska that she did not even need a coach in her corner for the entire game. The Dane is justifiable favourite now to lift the title but from tomorrow on she will come up against stiffer opposition from the other remaining trio of Yigit, Stoeva and Lansac.

Fab Fabian follows in Lansac’s footsteps

Germany’s Fabian Roth pulled off a Delphine Lansac style comeback in his semi-final against Finn Kalle Koljonen and in doing so secured himself a second medal of these European Championships. Roth trailed 20-15 in the second game after losing the opener and looked dead and buried as the Finn looked to be heading to the semi-final. The Germany game back point by point and the look of disbelief on Koljonen’s face told the story as Roth tied it up 23-21.

As is so often the case the German, now with the momentum, powered on in the third game and fell to his knees in sheer disbelief as he booked his semi-final spot and with it a guaranteed bronze.

“I could hardly believe it myself when I won the second. I just kept fighting and just told myself stick to the plan and take one point at a time. I was really motivated for this game after he beat me so bad in the team match so to win this match was a great success” said a happy Roth after his victory.
Guaranteed two medals for Stoeva

After her convincing victory in her earlier singles semi-final, Stefani Stoeva followed up that success with her second quarter final win of the day alongside sister Gabriela. The Bulgarian, while securing her second medal, ended the double attempt of Turkey’s Neslihan Yigit which now leaves the Turk with only one thing on her mind, an historic gold in the singles for Turkey.

All the action continues tomorrow from Ankara as the tournament heads into the quarter finals with the pick of the matches will be streamed live on BETV from 9.30am local time.

For all today’s results from Ankara click HERE
For full photo gallery from today’s play follow Badminton Europe on Facebook by clicking HERE
To view all the action on demand from today’s play and watch LIVE action from tomorrow’s semi-final play log on to Badminton Europe TV by clicking HERE

Article and Image by Mark Phelan (Live in Ankara)
©badmintoneurope.com. All rights reserved.

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