MADRID, 21 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish men’s table tennis team defeated the Scottish team 3-0 this Tuesday at the start of the qualifying phase for the next absolute European Team Championship, which will be held from October 12 to 19 in Zadar (Croatia). ).
For their debut on this Stage 1, the group directed by Víctor Sánchez showed in Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) the projection of young paddlers. The first point against Scotland went to Daniel Berzosa from Burgos, who beat Kailun Yuan 3-0 (sets of 11-1, 11-7 and 11-6).
Rafael de las Heras also stood out against Danny Bajwa, in a duel also resolved in three sets by 12-10, 11-9 and 11-9. The Madrid native had mettle in the decisive moments, achieving the second point for Spain before the Catalan Albert Vilardell sealed the overall victory with another 3-0, after his 11-2, 11-8 and 11-9 against Calum Morrison.
Víctor Sánchez himself praised his pupils. “A game to take advantage of and give way to the younger players, who get into the competition with the senior team. We played quite well and it was a good debut,” said the national coach after the matches.
In a talk with the official media of the Royal Spanish Table Tennis Federation (RFETM), Sánchez also alluded to the upcoming challenges in this competition. “Türkiye and Bulgaria are the two most complicated rivals, but we are prepared for the battle,” he concluded.
This qualifying phase brings together 24 men’s teams in four groups of six members. Each team plays a round-robin format between January 21 and 23, and the top four in each group will advance to the second phase. “The leaders of each group will qualify directly for the final phase in Croatia, while the second-place teams will compete in a ‘playoff’ to define the remaining places,” the RFETM finally recalled in its press release.