What a way to kick off a major tournament! Portugal’s table tennis teams made a splash this Sunday at the European Team Championship in Zadar, Croatia. Both the men’s and women’s squads showed their strength right from the start. The men’s team secured a solid victory over Greece, and the women’s team followed suit, dominating Belgium in their opening match. It was a day to remember for the Portuguese athletes.
The men’s team faced a challenging Greek side, but they rose to the occasion. João Geraldo set the tone, digging deep to win a five-set thriller against Ioannis Sgouropoulos. The scores were 12-14, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 11-7, a true test of nerve. João Monteiro then stepped up, battling Gionis Panagiotis in another tight five-setter, ultimately losing 2-3 (11-8, 7-11, 7-11, 11-8, 8-11). However, Tiago Abiodun put Portugal back on track with a decisive 3-1 win over Konstantinos Konstatinopoulos, claiming sets 11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6. With the pressure on, João Monteiro returned to the table and delivered a crucial 3-1 victory against Ioannis Sgouropoulos, sealing the overall win with scores of 11-6, 11-8, 7-11, 12-10.
Not to be outdone, the women’s team brought their A-game against Belgium. Fu Yu led the charge, sweeping Lilou Massar aside with a commanding 3-0 performance, with set scores of 11-7, 11-5, 11-5. Jieni Shao continued the momentum, swiftly defeating Margo Degraef 3-0, posting scores of 11-2, 11-5, 11-4. While Matilde Pinto put up a fight, she ultimately fell 1-3 to Julie van Hauwaert (12-10, 2-11, 9-11, 7-11). But Jieni Shao wasn’t finished. She returned to the table to face Lilou Massart and closed out the team’s victory with another impressive 3-0 win, taking the sets 11-5, 11-4, 15-13. Both Portuguese teams showed they mean business, making a powerful statement on the championship’s first day.