Qiu Dang hits a return during his men's singles round of 32 match against Sharath Kamal Achanta at the WTT Star Contender Doha 2022 in Doha, Qatar, March 28, 2022. (Photo by Nikku/Xinhua)
German paddler Qiu Dang, whose parents are both former Chinese table tennis players, won his first major tournament title at the European Championships.
BERLIN, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- German table tennis player Qiu Dang claimed his first major tournament on Sunday, winning the 2022 European Championships men's singles title by defeating Darko Jorgic from Slovenia 4-1 in the final in Munich, Germany.
Jorgic won the first set narrowly, but Qiu fought all the way back in the following four sets, eventually sealing the win 10-12, 14-12, 11-8, 11-9, 11-2.
"This is the biggest achievement I've ever had," Qiu said. "I feel like I'm the happiest person on earth right now. It's incredible."
Qiu was born into a table tennis-playing family in Germany. His parents are both former Chinese table tennis players and used to play in the German league. His brother Qiu Liang is also a table tennis player and currently plays in league 2.
"When I turned the second set, I knew I had the momentum and the audience was always on my side," said Qiu. "Luckily I played really well after that and somehow won all the sets. That boosts my self-confidence. Many legends have won this tournament before and now I'm one of them."
Qiu eliminated eight-time European champion Timo Boll in the quarterfinals and double gold medalist Mattias Falck of Sweden in the semifinals en route to the final.
As for Qiu's next target, the world No. 10 discussed the World Championships and Olympic Games. "I have to keep my results consistent, otherwise this title means nothing," he said.
In the women's singles final, Sofia Polcanova of Austria won the first set 11-9 before her opponent Nina Mittelham of Germany had to retire halfway through the second set with a shoulder injury.
This is Polcanova's second title at the 2022 European Championships, after the 27-year-old collected the women's doubles gold and a bronze in the mixed doubles.
