Romania's Ionescu secures medal at 2018 ITTF-European Table Tennis Championships in Alicante

Romania's Ovidiu Ionescu secured a medal in the men's singles event of the 2018 ITTF-European Table Tennis Championships in Alicante (Spain), after qualifying for the semifinals.

Ionescu defeated on Friday reigning champion Emmanuel Lebesson of France and Saturday defeated 6th seed Danish Jonathan Groth, with a score of 4-2. In the quarterfinals, the Romanian national managed to defeat Vladimir Samsonov (aged 42) of Belarus, three-times European champion in men's singles (1998, 2003, 2005) and runner-up in the 1997 World Championships.

Ovidiu Ionescu will play on Sunday for qualifying in the final with Swedish Kristian Karlsson, silver and bronze medalist at the European Championship in men's double and bronze medalist at the World Team Table Tennis Championships.

Ionescu's track record also includes a bronze medal for mixed doubles in 2016, alongside Bernadette Szocs. Romania's last European men's singles medal was secured by Adrian Crisan, who won the bronze medal in 2012 in Herning (Denmark).

In women's singles, Bernadette Szocs was defeated on Saturday by Chinese-Polish Li Qian, with a score of 4-1.

Saturday results
women's singles round of 16
Daniela Dodean Monteiro - Katarzyna Grzybowska-Franc (Poland) 2-4
Bernadette Szocs - Nina Mittelham (Germany) 4-0
women's singles quarterfinal
Bernadette Szocs - Qian Li (Poland) 1-4

men's singles round of 16
Ovidiu Ionescu - Jonathan Groth (Denmark) 4-2
men's singles quarterfinal
Ovidiu Ionescu - Vladimir Samsonov (Belarus) 4-3
men's singles semifinal
Ovidiu Ionescu - Kristian Karlsson (Sweden)

women's doubles quarterfinals
Adina Diaconu / Irina Ciobanu - Sofia Polcanova (Austria) / Iana Noskova (Russia) 2-4
Eliza Samara / Bernadette Szocs - Nina Mittelham / Kristin Lang (Germany) 3-4

men's doubles quarterfinal
Ovidiu Ionescu (Romania) / Alvaro Robles (Spain) - Patrick Franziska (Germany) / Jonathan Groth (Denmark) 2-4
AGERPRES (RO - editor: Mihai Tenea; EN - editor: Rodica State)

Photo source: Romanian Table Tennis Federation / Facebook