EURO TEAMS 2010 – Germany but only by a Whisker

By Mark Phelan (Live) Photos: BadmintonPhoto.com (Live in Warsaw)

Germany, led by Marc Zwiebler, looked to have their match against Russia under complete control after Zwiebler set them on their way with 21-9, 21-9 win over Malkov. Marcel Reuter, deputising for Dieter Domke as second men’s singles, gave the Germans a 2-0 lead after his epic 2-set win over Vladimir Ivanov. Reuter took the opening set 22-20 and came back from 2 set points down in the second to take the match with a 25-23 win.

With a 2-match cushion under their belt, the Germans appeared to be cruising to a semi-final date with Denmark but a slip up in the third men’s singles, where Stanislav Pukhov steamrolled over Fabian Hammes 21-14, 21-7, obviously injected new life into the Russians and they were always then going to pose a threat heading into the doubles deciders.

In the first of the men’s doubles, Durkin and Nikolaenko were in devastating form against the vastly experienced German duo of Fuchs and Kindervarter. The Russians dominated from start to finish and for the duration of the 37 minutes on court, the Germans only managed to lead once.  A 21-17, 21-15 win for the Russians set the tie up for a nail biting finale with the prize of a semi-final spot up for grabs.

The Russian pair of Dremin and Pukhov took the opening set to 16 and it was clear at this point that the comeback was on the cards and an upset was definitely on the books. But who better to have on your team, when your backs are to the wall, other than Kristof Hopp and Johannes Schoettler (pictured top). The German stalwarts have been there and done it all and were never going to go down without a fight. And fight they surely did!

The edged their way back into the match, never panicking, and managed to close out the second set 21-19. Midway through the deciding set, the German pair found themselves trailing yet again and had to call on all their experience to pull the match back from the brink. At 16-14 ahead, the German duo pounced to race into a clear lead, which was an advantage they were never going to surrender at this pivotal point of the set. They closed out the set 21-15 to the sheer delight of their team-mates and follow the example set by their female compatriots early in the day by advancing to the semi-final.

In a less dramatic but nonetheless impressive match on the adjoining court the Ukraine (pictured) ended the run of the Dutch men’s team with a 3-0 victory. The Dutch players will readily admit a complete gulf in class between the teams as only Saber Afif offered any sort of resistance to the Ukrainian machine in taking a set in the third men’s singles.

The Ukraine now advance to meet Poland in the semi-final and are sure to reap the benefits of only spending less than 2 hours on court as they prepare for the semi showdown tomorrow. In all only two countries have managed to advance both their men’s and women’s teams to the semi-finals, they being Denmark and Germany. The notable absentees from the business end of the tournament are without doubt the English, who surely have many questions to be asked and answered on the back of this disappointing European display.

For all results, click HERE