by Simon Daish

Georgina Pota (Hungary) and Yulia Prokhorova (Russia) beat Marina Matsuzawa and Mariko Takahashi of Japan in an exciting end-to-end final. If you cast your mind back a couple of days you may remember that the European pair very nearly didn’t even make it past their opening match at the Open, requiring a comeback victory in the Round of 16.

Neither of the two partnerships in the final had encountered any real trouble along the way, besides Pota and Prokhorova’s slight hiccup in the opening round, so a tight match between the two teams was expected and the spectators were treated to exactly that.

The opening end went to Pota and Prokhorova by a two point margin, but almost straightaway the Japanese opposition of Matsuzawa and Takahashi shifted momentum in their favour with back-to-back game wins.

Matsuzawa and Takahashi were blending well and looked set to take the De Haan title with their 1-2 lead. Pota and Prokhorova, however, found their way back into the final and went on to steal the gold medal for themselves (11-9, 8-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-5).

“This title is a big surprise. It’s the first time that I play together with Yulia (Prokhorova). The final was a difficult match, but we were able to find the good tactics at the right moment against the Japanese girls (Marina Matsuzawa and Mariko Takahashi). Normally I play with Matilda Ekholm from Sweden. We recently won the Czech Open. So, I think I can say that I am a good player in doubles” – Georgina Pota (Hungary).

While it may not have been the easiest of journeys to the Women’s Doubles title for Georgina Pota and Yulia Prokhorova, the level of determination that they have demonstrated to claim victories from difficult scenarios as seen in their opening and closing matches, could lead to some people labelling Pota and Prokhorova as worthy champions.

2016 ITTF World Tour Belgium Open Day 5 Quotes

Latest Results

Saturday 24th September: Women’s Doubles – Main Draw