Ni Xia Lian, 63, saves her best for fifth match point to reach European Championships last 16 in Ljubljana

Luxembourg's 63-year-old Ni Xia Lian continued her remarkable run at the European Table Tennis Championships in Ljubljana on Thursday, 15 October, beating Ukraine's Margaryta Pesotska 4-3 to reach the women's singles last 16. Her reward is a generational clash with Germany's 20-year-old Annett Kaufmann, scheduled for Friday, 16 October. It is her second main-draw win of the week, after an earlier victory over France's Charlotte Lutz.

Five match points needed

Ni led 3-1 in games before Pesotska fought back to force a seventh game. In the decider, the veteran moved 10-5 ahead, only for her opponent to save four match points in a row. Ni finally converted her fifth to win the game 11-9.

A two-time European champion, in 1998 and 2002, Ni admitted she had not played a competitive match for a year, had a metal implant in her hand and had been unable to train as much as she wanted. She said she had never imagined reaching this stage.

Her next opponent, Kaufmann, is a former junior world champion who beat Monaco's Xiaoxin Yang 4-2. The age gap is 43 years. Ni, who won a world team title with China in 1983 before switching to represent Luxembourg in 1991, became the oldest player to win an Olympic singles match at the Paris 2024 Games and has spoken of aiming for a seventh Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

Favourites advance in women's singles

Defending champion Sofia Polcanova of Austria beat Croatia's Hana Arapovic 4-1, and top seed Sabine Winter of Germany swept Croatia's Lea Rakovac 4-0. Romania's Bernadette Szocs beat France's Alexia Nodin 4-0, and France's Prithika Pavade defeated Romania's Adina Diaconu 4-2.

Also through were Germany's Nina Mittelham, Ying Han and Kaufmann, Romania's Andreea Dragoman and Elena Zaharia, Wales' Anna Hursey, Poland's Natalia Bajor, Slovakia's Tatiana Kukulkova, France's Jia Nan Yuan, Italy's Gaia Monfardini and Elizabet Abraamian. Mittelham meets Dragoman in another confirmed last-16 tie. The Slovakian Kukulkova beat Portugal's Jieni Shao 4-1, while Hursey needed six games to get past France's Nina Guo Zheng.

Mixed doubles final set

In the mixed doubles, France's Alexis Lebrun and Charlotte Lutz came through a five-game semi-final against Sweden's Kristian Karlsson and Christina Kallberg, winning the decider 11-9. They will meet Germany's Benedikt Duda and Nina Mittelham, who were far more comfortable, beating Romania's Eduard Ionescu and Bernadette Szocs 3-0 (11-8, 11-4, 11-2).

The final is scheduled for Friday, 16 October. Both losing semi-finalist pairs, from Sweden and Romania, take bronze, as there is no third-place play-off.

Watching from Malaysia

Ljubljana is six hours behind Malaysia, so afternoon play in Slovenia takes place during the Malaysian evening.

Key takeaways

• Ni Xia Lian, 63, beat Margaryta Pesotska 4-3 on her fifth match point to reach the last 16.
• She now faces 20-year-old Annett Kaufmann of Germany.
• Polcanova, Winter, Szocs and Pavade all advanced in women's singles.
• Lebrun-Lutz meet Duda-Mittelham in the mixed doubles final on 16 October.

FAQ

How old is Ni Xia Lian? She is 63 and represents Luxembourg. She won European singles titles in 1998 and 2002.

Who does Ni Xia Lian play in the last 16? Germany's Annett Kaufmann, a 20-year-old former junior world champion.

Who is in the mixed doubles final in Ljubljana? France's Alexis Lebrun and Charlotte Lutz face Germany's Benedikt Duda and Nina Mittelham.

Sources: European Table Tennis Union, L'essentiel, DPA via Yahoo Sports