2016 Czech Junior and Cadet Open in Hodonin,
Japan’s Kana TAKEUCHI and Yukiya UDA clinched the titles in their respective Girls’ and Boys’ Singles Event at the 2016 Czech Junior and Cadet Open in Hodonin.
In the final of the Boy’s Event ,UDA beat Slovenia’s Darko JORGIC. Occupying the no.4 seeded position in the draw, UDA overcame the top seeded Slovenian in six games (7-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-5, 11-6, 11-7) to secure the first ITTF Junior Circuit Boys’ Singles title of his career.
At the quarter-final stage he beat Austria’s Andreas LEVENKO, the no.6 seed (11-3, 13-11, 5-11, 12-10, 11-7), before ousting Aliaksandr KHANIN of Belarus, the no.5 seed (18-16, 6-11, 11-4, 1-11, 11-3, 11-9) to reserve his place in the final.
Darko JORGIC accounted for Poland’s Tomasz KOTOWSKI, a player who had been required to negotiate the qualification stages (11-7, 3-11, 11-1, 12-10, 6-11, 11-6), prior to reserving his place in the final courtesy of success in opposition to Russia’s Nikita YARUSHIN, the no.13 seed (11-6, 11-2, 11-8, 12-10).
Darko JORGIC won the silver medal in the Boys’ Doubles competition. Partnering the host nation’s Tomas POLANSKY and occupying the top seeded position in the event, they experienced a four games defeat in the final, losing to the combination of Austria’s Andreas LEVENKO and Romania’s Cristian PLETEA, the no.2 seeds (11-8, 13-11, 5-11, 13-11).
Earlier at the semi-final stage, LEVENKO and PLETEA had beaten Japan’s Takeru KASHIWA and Yu KAYAMA, the no.10 seeds, (4-11, 11-5, 13-11, 6-11, 12-10); whilst rather more comfortably JORGIC and POLANSKY had overcame the Romanian partnership of Alexandru MANOLE and Rares SIPOS (11-7, 12-10, 11-6).
The no.5 seed Japan’s Kana TAKEUCHI beat Marie MIGOT of France, the no.4 seed in the final, to win the Junior Girls’ Singles event at the 2016 Czech Junior and Cadet Open. It was a hard fought victory, the 16 year old needed the full seven games to secure success (13-15, 11-4, 14-12, 10-12, 5-11, 11-5, 11-2).
Earlier, at the quarter-final stage, Kana TAKEUCHI overcame Audrey ZARIF, the no.3 seed (11-7, 11-7, 11-2, 15-13), prior to causing an even bigger upset by overcoming Romania’s Adina DIACONU, the top seed, in the penultimate round (11-7, 11-8, 13-11, 11-6).
Marie MIGOT at the quarter-final and semi-final stages needed six games to secure success. In the round of the last eight she beat Serbia’s Izabela LUPULESKU, the no.13 seed (5-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-7, 16-14, 11-9), before reserving her place in the final courtesy of success against Yuko KATO, like Kana TAKEUCHI from Japan and the no.7 seed (11-3, 8-11, 11-3, 11-4, 10-12, 12-10).
Notably, Yuko Kato was a player in form; in the quarter-final round, she had ousted Romania’s Andreea DRAGOMAN, the no.2 seed, by the very closest of margins in a seven games thriller (8-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 9-11, 15-13, 11-9).
Silver for Marie MIGOT in the Junior Girls’ Singles event, earlier in the day in the Junior Girls’ Doubles competition it had been gold. Partnering compatriot Oceane GUISNEL (the no.3 seeds), the top step of the podium was secured at the final expense of Serbia’s Tijana JOKIC and Dragana VIGNJEVIC the no.14 seed. At the semi-final stage MIGOT and GUISNEL overcame Romania’s Adina DIACONU and Andreea DRAGOMAN, the top seeds. Tijana JOKIC and Dragana VIGNJEVIC in the second round accounted for the French partnership of Leili MOSTAFAVI and Audrey ZARIF, the no.2 seeds (11-8, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9), before overcoming Romania’s Andreea CLAPA and Mihaela PLAESU, the no.6 seeds (11-4, 5-11, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6) to reserve their place in the penultimate round.In the semis they overcame Croatia’s Ema MARN and Andrea PAVLOVIC, the no.8 seeds (7-11, 12-10, 14-12, 5-11, 11-8) to reserve their place in the final.
