Bayley clinched a tight 11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 11-9 win that also punched his ticket to Paris.
Will Bayley believes he has emerged stronger from his pre-Tokyo injury nightmare after booking his place at his fifth Paralympic Games at the English Institute of Sport on Thursday night.
The 35-year-old, who won a silver medal in the Japanese capital less than a year after ripping his ACL in a freak accident during filming for the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, beat the Netherlands’ Jean-Paul Montanus to win his first European para-table tennis title since 2011. After clinching a tight 11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 11-9 win that also punched his ticket to Paris, Bayley celebrated by kicking over the court-side hoardings to embrace his supporters, emulating his raucous celebrations in Rio in 2016 when he marked his first Paralympic gold by leaping onto the table.Having safely extended an unbeaten run that stretches back to the Tokyo final which he lost to China’s Yan Shuo, Bayley told the PA news agency: “I’m feeling emotional because it means a lot to me.
“I’m at the peak of my powers and I’m the best player in the world, and I can’t wait to prove it . I want Yan Shuo. I know I’m better than him. Whoever I play, I know I will beat them.“I’m getting older and more mature. I had a year out after my injury and I worked really hard.
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