Serbia’s Reka BEZEG produced one of the biggest surprises of the Women’s Singles group stage at the European Championships in Ljubljana on Monday, defeating Wales’ Charlotte CAREY in straight games. The second day of competition also brought a dramatic comeback from Italy’s Nicole ARLIA and victories for Slovenian players Sara TOKIC and Ana TOFANT in front of the home crowd.
BEZEG, seeded 114th and ranked 273rd in Europe, faced a difficult task against CAREY, the 55th seed and world No. 69 in the European ranking. However, the Serbian player delivered an impressive performance to claim a 3-0 victory and keep her hopes of reaching the main draw alive.
The result was even more remarkable considering BEZEG’s disappointment on the opening day, when she lost 3-1 to Bulgaria’s Tsvetelina GEORGIEVA despite making a promising start.
“Yesterday, against GEORGIEVA, I was leading 1-0 in games and 7-3 in the second, but unfortunately I ended up losing the match. Having lost my opening group match 3-1, I was in a more difficult position today and felt even more pressure. Nevertheless, I managed to stay calm and focused, stick to my game and give everything I had.
“I think that approach was exactly what helped me achieve a 3-0 victory against Charlotte. My qualification for the next stage will depend on tomorrow’s match between the other two players in the group, so all I can do now is wait for the result and hope for the best,” said BEZEG.
While BEZEG celebrated an unexpected victory, Italy’s Nicole ARLIA experienced a very different kind of battle against Valeriia KOTSIUR (of Russia.
The Italian, seeded 34th, recovered from 1-2 down in games and 1-5 in the decider to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory (11-9, 13-15, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9).
Afterwards, ARLIA gave a remarkably candid account of the tactical difficulties she had faced and the crucial advice she received from her coach in the closing moments.
“I knew it was going to be a very difficult match, so I started extremely focused. I was leading in the first game, and the second was incredibly close, with lots of nets and edges. At 1-1, I told myself that we were starting again from zero.
“I continued trying to play my game, but then she changed her tactics and I didn’t know how to respond. For a game and a half, I was completely lost. I kept asking myself what I should do. Then I decided I had to try something different, and I think that was the key to turning the match around.
“In the deciding game, I was 5-1 down, but I kept fighting. Point by point, I managed to come back. At 9-9, I had the serve and turned to my coach, telling him I didn’t know what to do. He told me how to serve, and I won the point. Then I asked him again, and he gave me the same advice.
“I am really happy because I managed to change my game and find a way to win. Coming back like that was an amazing feeling, and it gives me a lot of confidence for the matches ahead,” said ARLIA.
For the Slovenian supporters at Arena Stožice, there was plenty to celebrate as Sara TOKIC and Ana TOFANT both recorded victories.
TOKIC, seeded 48th, defeated England’s Ella PASHLEY 3-0, but the Slovenian admitted that the score did not tell the full story. After her disappointment in Mixed Doubles, she had needed time to reset mentally before returning to the table.
“After losing in mixed doubles, I quickly accepted that there was nothing I could do to change the result and that I had to move on. I told myself to focus on the doubles with Ana and my singles matches. I took the night to process the defeat and reflect on everything. When I came to the arena this morning, I felt like a completely different person.
“I’m happy with how I played today. It may have looked like a straightforward win, but it was much tougher than it seemed. I still feel some pressure, and sometimes I lose my focus, but I manage to regain it when it matters most. I think that made me a little stronger today,” said TOKIC.
Her compatriot TOFANT also made a successful start, overcoming the Netherlands’ Emine ERNST 3-1 (11-4, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6).
Romania enjoyed a particularly strong session, with four players opening their campaigns with victories. Elena ZAHARIA defeated Sweden’s Angelina BEBAWY 3-1, while Adina DIACONU was convincing against Slovenia’s Katarina STRAZAR, winning 3-0. Ioana SINGEORZAN overcame Hungary’s Judit NAGY in straight games, and Bianca MEI-ROSU also recorded a 3-0 victory against Sweden’s Siri BENJEGÅRD.
Poland’s Katarzyna WEGRZYN and Zuzanna WIELGOS both made winning starts. WEGRZYN defeated Latvia’s Sabina MUSAJEVA 3-0, while WIELGOS recovered from losing the opening game to beat Sweden’s Nomin BAASAN 3-1.
Spain’s Maria BERZOSA also made a confident start to her Women’s Singles campaign, recording a straight-games victory in her opening group-stage match.
“I was a little nervous at the beginning because I was expected to win both the match and my group. The first game was close, but once I took a 1-0 lead, I started playing better and managed to win 3-0,” said BERZOSA.
Looking ahead to her next group match, the Spaniard remained optimistic but cautious.
“I will face the second-ranked player in my group tomorrow. The opponent I beat today had already defeated her, so on paper it should be manageable, but we will see.”
BERZOSA also spoke about competing alongside her brother in Mixed Doubles.
“It is very exciting, although I get more nervous playing with him than with other partners. We have already played a couple of tournaments together, so we understand each other much better now. Yesterday’s match gave us a lot of confidence, and hopefully we can carry that into the main draw.”
Germany’s Franziska SCHREINER was equally impressive, conceding just eight points in the final two games of her 3-0 victory over Latvia’s Aleksandra JERSOVA.
Luxembourg’s experienced NI Xia Lian overcame Slovenia’s Lara OPEKA 3-1, while Elizabet ABRAAMIAN of Russia defeated Bulgaria’s Maria YOVKOVA in straight games.
France’s Alexia NODIN recorded one of the most dominant results of the day, defeating Kosovo’s Shega HASHANI 3-0 and conceding only two points across the three games.
Other winners included Sweden’s Filippa BERGAND, Austria’s Nina SKERBINZ, Belgium’s Lilou MASSART, Türkiye’s Ece HARAC and Özge YILMAZ, Ukraine’s Solomiya YAREMCHUK, Spain’s Maria BERZOSA, the Netherlands’ Shuohan MEN, Greece’s Aikaterini TOLIOU and Luxembourg’s Enisa SADIKOVIC.
Serbia’s Aneta MAKSUTI also secured a 3-0 victory over Slovenia’s Tjasa NOVAK, setting up a meeting with Poland’s Anna BRZYSKA on Tuesday.
