Six months ago, in Swechat for the 2013 European Championships, the team composed of Gionis Panagiotis, legend Kalinikos Keanga and Konstantinos Papageorgiou, reached the final by surprising all the spectators.
Yesterday, the Greece players met the WTTTC's hosted country, and the third seed here in Tokyo, Japan, in the first day of the 2014 ZEN-NOH World Team Championships.
Jun Mizutani gave Japan the first point by overcoming Kalinikos Kreanga (8-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9, 11-5).
Then, backhand-defender, Gionis Panagiontis levelled to score by beating Seiya Kishikiwa, remake of a 2012 Olympics Games match, he defeated him in five games. (5-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7).
“It was a very difficult match against Seiya Kishikawa, I started not so well in the first game but after that I found my rhythm”, said Panagiotis Gionis.
Konstantinos Papageorgiou, who gave us a interview few months ago, made Greece leading, he beat 2013 WTTC quarter finalist, Kenta Matsudaira (12-10, 11-13, 11-9, 6-11, 11-9). Jun Mizutani returned the encounter to 2-2 after beating Gionis Panagiotis (11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 11-6).
And the victory finally came to Greece after the defeat of Seiya ishikawa against Kalinikos Kreanga. “After the close first game I felt really good, I lost the first match against Mizutani but I was very confident in the last match”, said Kalinikos Kreanga. “Against Mizutani I was not ready to run so much and I was a little bit surprised that the ball kept coming back, of course I know that he’s a player who can keep returning the ball but I was not ready in the first match.”
Videos by ITTF Youtube Channel Photos credits to www.gillesdurandstudio.com
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