The second day of competition at the ROMSTAL European Under 21 Championships saw the top seeds enter the Women’s Singles event, and it did not take long for one of the tournament’s biggest surprises to arrive.
In Group 2, Moldova’s Alexandra CHIRIACOVA, seeded No. 18, produced a sensational performance to defeat second seed Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine 4-0 (11-3, 12-10, 13-11, 14-12).
MATIUNINA arrived in Cluj-Napoca as one of the leading contenders, having won the European Under 21 title in 2024 and finished runner-up last year in Bratislava. Yet CHIRIACOVA showed no signs of nerves, winning three tightly contested games after taking the opener comfortably to big victory of her career.
The Moldovan admitted she was far from optimistic when she first saw the draw.
“Actually, I was very sad when I saw the draw. In previous years I had difficult draws, and when I saw this group with Veronika MATIUNINA and Bianca MEI ROSU, I thought, ‘OK, I will just do my best and show everyone how I can play.'”
CHIRIACOVA also felt that her experience from Stage 1 helped her settle more quickly into the match.
“Veronika maybe didn’t feel so comfortable because it was her first match, while I had already played in the previous stage. I was relaxed and I managed to keep the ball on the table.”
The other match in the group saw Romania’s Bianca MEI ROSU make an impressive start, defeating Spain’s Eugenia SASTRE 4-0 (11-7, 12-10, 11-8, 11-4).
Competing in front of a home crowd, MEI ROSU was delighted to begin her Stage 2 campaign with a victory.
“It’s very special. I think this is my third time playing here and I really enjoy competing in front of the home crowd. I want to show my best game and prove myself.”
The Romanian felt her familiarity with the group helped her approach the match with confidence.
“When I saw the group, I knew I could play well because I had already played all three adversaries before. I knew this match would be a tough one, but I managed to focus on my game and my tactics.”
Meanwhile, Group 1 largely followed the seeding predictions.
Defending champion and top seed Anna HURSEY of Wales opened her title defence with a 4-1 victory over Belgium’s Julie VAN HAUWAERT. After dropping the first game, HURSEY quickly settled into her rhythm and won the next four to secure the win.
In the group’s second match, Poland’s Natalia BOGDANOWICZ also recovered from a slow start to defeat Romania’s Alesia Sofia SFERLEA 4-1.
With the seeded players now entering the competition and the first major upset already recorded, the battle for places in the knockout stage is beginning to take shape in Cluj-Napoca.
In Group 5 Germany’s Koharu ITAGAKI and Czechia’s Veronika POLAKOVA moved into strong positions in the race for qualification.
ITAGAKI was forced to work hard for her victory against Luxembourg’s Enisa SADIKOVIC, eventually prevailing 4-2 in a closely contested encounter. After exchanging games throughout much of the match, the German found the decisive answers in the closing stages to secure the win.
Despite falling behind at different moments, ITAGAKI never lost belief.
“I was expecting a difficult match. I just told myself to stay calm and that I could still win even if I was behind. I managed to stay positive and that was very important.”
According to the German, a tactical adjustment proved decisive.
“The key was changing my serve towards the end of the match. It was effective and helped me win some easier points.”
The other match in the group produced a convincing victory for Czechia’s Veronika POLAKOVA, who defeated Belgium’s Lilou MASSART 4-0.
PHOTO by: Mihaela-Ionela BOBAR and Simion Sebastian TĂTARU
