Despite some victories for Team Hellas in men’s water polo, it was a tough day for others in basketball and tennis at the Paris Olympics.
Basketball
Greece suffered a 84-77 defeat to Spain in the men’s basketball on Tuesday, July 30.
The men’s national team had a gripping comeback from Spain’s 16-point lead from the first half and tied the score with four minutes left, but Spain prevailed in a nail-biting ending.
Coach Vassilis Spanoulis got another thrilling game by Giannis Antetokounmpo with 27 points, but the comeback fell short of closing the gap.
Greece’s last chance to advance in the tournament relies on a win against Australia this Friday, August 2.
Tennis
Maria Sakkari was officially eliminated from the Olympics tennis tournament after her women’s singles and doubles losses.
In the women’s single event, Sakkari lost to Marta Kostiuk with a final match score of 1-2. The match was a two hour, 47 minute battle of passion.
In her last attempt at Olympic distinction, Sakkari and Despina Papamichael also lost against the USA’s Kravczyk and Collins in 2-0 sets in the women’s doubles.
Kravczyk and Collins set the pace, controlling the game throughout. Papamichael and Sakkari found more points in the second set, however the effort was not enough to prevent defeat. The American women took the second set 6-3 and finished the game, taking the qualification to the round of 16.