By Francesca Bullock
Rob Davies described his securing of another Paralympic final as “awesome” as he made his way into the gold medal showdown of the men’s class 1 singles final of the Para Table Tennis in Paris.
The Welsh star – Paralympic champion in 2016 – produced another great performance to reach the final for Great Britain.
Davies beat Hungary’s Endre Major, 3-1, in his semi-final and will now face Yunier Fernandez of Cuba in Friday’s final.
"I’ve had a tough few years & I haven’t really got to that level where I want to be – but I had enough today & I’ve got to try & do that again on final day” @robbie_tt after MS1 SF winhttps://t.co/MHPO4abypC@ParalympicsGB @uk_sport @TNLUK @walesTT @dsw_news @LottoGoodCauses
— British Para TT (@BritishParaTT) September 4, 2024
Davies and Major have had some great battles in the past with the Hungarian world number four winning their most recent two matches including the final of the European Championships last September which denied Davies a fifth consecutive title.
“It feels pretty awesome (to beat Major) to be honest,” said 40-year-old Davies, from Brecon.
“We’ve got a lot of respect for each other, but this is the time to do it I guess and I’m just thankful that I did manage to do it.
“It was a battle, and I had to fight all the time for every point. I seemed to get a little bit more composure this time as opposed to the previous match, but it would have been nice to have finished it in three all the same.
“It was really important to make a good start as Major is the European champion and he beat me in the final.
“We know he’s got quality and he’s a difficult player to beat and I’m just glad I had the right tactics and got it right. Speaking to Rushy (coach Andrew Rushton) we practiced what we needed to do, and I came through, luckily.
“In the fourth set it was a case of just doing what you can for the next point and when he got the serve, I had to make sure I got a good return back to him – just one point at a time.
“That’s what we’re here for – those pressure moments – and I do like them I’ve got to admit so I enjoyed it. I’ve obviously got to prepare now for the final and I’ll look forward to that.”
Into the final! @robbie_tt will play for gold in the men’s para table tennis MS1 singles after he beat Endre Major 3-1 in the semis 🏓#Paris2024 #Paralympics pic.twitter.com/LvXAESY3ba
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) September 4, 2024
After winning gold in Rio Davies was unable to defend his title in Tokyo due to injury and has worked hard to get back to form and fitness.
“I just didn’t think I’d be here before coming out to be honest,” he said.
“Everybody said they had confidence in me and I could do it still. I’ve had a tough few years and I haven’t really got to that level where I want to be – I still probably haven’t – but I had enough today and I’ve got to try and do that again on final day.”
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Davies began strongly, taking the first two sets 11-6, 11-6 but Major came back to take the third 11-9.
Davies led 7-2 in the fourth, but Major is a great competitor and drew level at 7-7 with some clever play.
Davies had two match points at 10-8 but Major saved them both and then had three set points which Davies saved.
Another match point came and went before Davies finally put away a smash to clinch the set 16-14 and the match 3-1.
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