Robin Tabeling and Selena Piek have beaten the third seeds Mark Lamsfuss and Isabel Herttrich at the European Games today.
The Dutch won in straight games as they put the match to bed, with a heavy scoreline on the German pair’s shoulders, (17-21, 8-21).
An Amazing feeling!
Tabeling believes that they put their opponents in an unfamiliar position, not allowing Lamsfuss and Herttrich to play how they wanted to.
- I felt amazing on court. We were a little bit surprised that the score was that easy. We were very dominant; we almost gave nothing away, Piek revealed.
- There were no unforced errors and you can see that our confidence has raised there. I am so happy to show this kind of quality in our match, she added.
- Especially in the second set, we closed up the frontcourt and their lifts were very short, and our attack was strong today, Tabeling said.
Tabeling believes that the pair are forward thinking and that is a big factor to the win today.
- We are one step ahead, every time, taking initiative, finding the gaps, where Mark is usually pretty good at that. We brought them out of their comfort zone, the 25-year old stated.
The partnership is going strong
The new pair have settled really well since announcing the partnership in late 2018, and this can be backed up by their results on court.
Tabeling and Piek believe that a lot of it is down to mental ambitions and confidence, to get them where they have so far.
- I think it is all about having the right mentality, and the will to work very hard for each other, Piek said.
- From the beginning, we have believed in this partnership, which I think is very important, and the results have come as well, she added.