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National player Benedikt Duda
Photo: Revierfoto / imago images/Revierfoto
A false positive corona test deprived the German table tennis national player Benedikt Duda of a possible title chance at the WTT feeder tournament in Düsseldorf.
The European team champion from TTC Schwalbe Bergneustadt was not allowed to play in his semi-final match against Brian Afanador from Puerto Rico on Saturday after a positive quick test.
A subsequent PCR test later gave a negative result for the 27-year-old.
"It was rather bitter to get such news in the morning," said Duda.
»I was totally surprised by the result because I felt super fit.
Of course I'm very disappointed that I wasn't able to play for the tournament victory due to these circumstances, I was in a very good mood.
But there are still a lot of titles to come, and you have to see the positive side.
It's good that I tested negative.«
Afanador lost the final against Austrian Robert Gardos in 1:4 sets.
In the women's final, German national player Shan Xiaona from TTC Berlin Eastside lost 4-3 to Slovakia's Barbora Balazova.
Another competition in the "World Table Tennis" (WTT) series of tournaments will be held in the German Table Tennis Center in Düsseldorf next week.
aha/dpa