Last year’s Europe Top 16 runner up Britt EERLAND of Netherlands is no. three seed at the forthcoming 2021 POMEGRANATE Europe Top 16 Cup. It will be her third appearance at the event.
“It is one of the most prestige’s tournaments. So far it was always well organised with great atmosphere. It is one of the most important tournaments in Europe and one of my favorites to be honest ” explained EERLAND.
Last year EERLAND was seeded only at the position no. 10 but she reached the final before she lost to Petrissa SOLJA of Germany.
“I have great memories of that tournament. Every match was fantastic. I played good I was fighting hard; eventually I clinched the medal at Europe Top 16 and that was a dream come true ” said EERLAND.
Like every time the competition will be fierce. Reigning champion is missing but beside Petrissa SOLJA only two more names from the top 16 are missing.
“The competition is hard but the Top 16 is all about that– the competition for the top players. The only way to win something is to beat the best so it is normal that I expect very hard competition and a top challenge. I am looking forward to that ” added EERLAND.
Last year EERLAND set the bar very high by reaching the final.
“With adversaries at such high level it is impossible to predict anything especially to promise the medal. My first though is to manage to save my spot and maybe to go little bit further although I am not sure how realistic is that. It is a very high goal. Only a month ago it was confirmed that we will play and I had only two weeks to prepare. I am the kind of player who likes to split year into few periods and to have three months in order to prepare for the main event in that period.”
EERLAND lost in the Round of 16 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
“I played very well at the Olympics. We had a pre – camp before the Olympics and it was really tough and long period. It is difficult first you have to compete for the seed at the tournament then you have long preparations it is all nervous wrecking but at the end it ended well. It is a perfect experience. I felt the atmosphere in the Olympic village. It was stressed intense but I played well I fought hard and for me everything was good in Tokyo.”
The brake was very short.
“After the Olympics I had two or three weeks for rest but it is not enough. It was a very long period since we had a break an Olympic year is very heavy. On the other side I did not want to miss the Top 16. This summer I spent one week with my father on vacation and had a long weekend with my boyfriend in Belgium ” concluded Britt EERLAND.
