Sweden’s Siri BENJEGARD and AIN players Amina ILIMBETOVA, Alisa USMANOVA and Varvara TOLMACHEVA secured their places in the semi-finals of the Under 15 Girls Singles event at the European Youth Championships in Gondomar, guaranteeing themselves at least bronze medals.
BENJEGARD ended France’s hopes in the opening quarter-final, overcoming Albane ROCHUT in five games. After racing into a two-game lead, the Swede briefly lost momentum before reasserting control to book her place in the last four.
“The key to the victory was having a very good tactical plan before the match, and I managed to execute it really well,” explained BENJEGARD. “I’ve played against her many times, so I knew what to expect. I focused on sticking to the tactics and fighting for every point. The main idea was to keep the ball short, take the first attack whenever I could and use a lot of variation with my serve. I think that made the difference.”
ILIMBETOVA produced the most convincing performance of the round, defeating France’s Lisa ZHAO in straight games. Never allowing her opponent to establish any rhythm, she dictated play from the opening point to reach the semi-finals without dropping a game.
“It was a very difficult match because my opponent was very strong, but I felt comfortable throughout and I’m happy with the way I played,” said ILIMBETOVA.
The closest encounter of the day came in the all-AIN clash between USMANOVA and Daria KHARLOVA. After building a 3-1 lead, USMANOVA saw her opponent fight back to level the match before producing a composed display in the deciding game to prevail after seven games.
In the remaining quarter-final, TOLMACHEVA overcame Lucja KOBOSZ of Poland in six games. The AIN player recovered from losing the second game and held her nerve in a closely contested sixth to complete the semi-final line-up.
Under 15 Girls Singles Quarter-finals
- Siri BENJEGARD (Sweden) – Albane ROCHUT (France) 4-1 (11-8, 11-3, 10-12, 11-4, 11-6)
- Amina ILIMBETOVA (AIN) – Lisa ZHAO (France) 4-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-6, 11-9)
- Alisa USMANOVA (AIN) – Daria KHARLOVA (AIN) 4-3 (7-11, 11-3, 11-4, 11-4, 15-17, 9-11, 11-3)
- Varvara TOLMACHEVA (AIN) – Lucja KOBOSZ (Poland) 4-2 (11-3, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6, 8-11, 11-9)
