The 2021 GAZPROM European U21 Championships commenced today in the Centre Sportif de Warfaaz in Belgium’s Spa with the qualification Stage. The top 8 players in both Men’s and Women’s Singles Event are yet to feel the heat of the matches tomorrow.
The best seeded players are warming up whilst keeping one eye on the Group matches. Still fresh from her successful premiere in TTC Berlin eastside no. two seed Sabina SURJAN is among them.
“I cannot wait for tournament to start for me. I am so disappointed with the performance at the European team Championships in Cluj; we had three COVID positive cases and among them it was our coach too. It all affect our performance and we showed less that we could ” said Sabina.
The winner of the Top 10 in Tours three years ago and silver and bronze medalists from the team’s events at the European Youth Championships proved that she is in good shape last week in the matches played in Berlin eastside’s jersey.
“We reached the quarterfinal of the Champions League and I had three wins against Andrea TODOROVIC Helga DARI and Tatiana GARNOVA; I lost only to Janet EFFIOM. I believe I came here in good shape ” said SURJAN.
The competition is fierce; at the top of the list is Mariia TAILAKOVA and among the top seeds are also Tatiana KUKULKOVA of Slovakia Ozge YILMAZ of Turkey Jamila LAURENTI of Italy Anastasia kOLISH of Russia Tijana JOKIC of Serbia Nikoleta PUCHOVANOVA of Slovakia.
“It is far from the end of list of big favorites here. Among the players who are required to play the qualifications are Annett KAUFMANN and Sophia KLEE of Germany Andreaa DRAGOMAN and Tania PLAIAN of Romania…The competition is very strong.”
Sabina will play in doubles with Tijana JOKIC. They were third at the EYC in Cluj.
“I teamed up with Mateo MUTTI in Mixed Doubles. It is first time that we are play together it is yet to see how it will work ”explained Sabina SURJAN.
