by Ian Marshall

Make no mistake, it was a most disciplined performance against a worthy opponent; Danielle Rauen is both a World champion and Paralympic Games medallist.

Alongside, Bruna Alexandre, she was a member of the Brazilian outfit that won bronze in class 6-10 at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and gold at the 2017 World Para Team Championships in Bratislava.

Equally, Danielle Rauen is a most testing opponent, she uses long pimpled rubber on the backhand; it causes many adversaries nightmares!

“It was very, very difficult, my first Paralympic Games and my first match; nobody in Hungary that I play against uses long pimples!” Alexa Svitacs

Quite simply, Alexa Svitacs had to be patient, she had to adjust; to her credit with a television camera focused on the contest, she remained calm.

“My head, I just tried to think next point, fight for the next point; today I woke up at 5.00 am, I think I was in the training hall at 6.30 am. Now it’s back to the village, eat and rest. Now I feel really good; the goal to win a medal.” Alexa Svitacs

Success on debut for Alexa Svitacs but she is no stranger to the international scene.

From 2006 to 2017 she was a familiar face on the international scene, before suffering a life threatening injury, she lost her left forearm and all her toes

Now over a decade ago, she was present at the World Junior Championships in Cairo in 2006. In 2007 she competed in the Spanish Junior and Cadet Open in Platja d’Aro, before the following year making three ITTF World Junior Circuit appearances. She played in Germany, Egypt and Poland.

Notably, in early 2012 she visited Tehran, the capital of Iran to compete in Fajr Cup, before on home soil in 2014 in Szombathely, she competed at the Hungarian Open. In 2015 she played in the Universiade in Gwangju, Korea Republic, before in 2017 once again being on duty at the Hungarian Open.

Alexa Svitacs had experience on her side, it Tokyo that could prove a crucial factor.