European Championships | 25 Jan 2024

Favorites Tested in Skopje

Titleholder Hana ARAPOVIC of Croatia recorded two wins in Stage Two of the Women's Singles Event at the European Under 21 Championships in Skopje. Unlike the number one seed, Nicole ARLIA of Italy faced more pressure and lost a match against Luciana MITROFAN of Romania. ARAPOVIC overcame Anastasia STERNER of Austria and Mari BALDWIN of England, while in Group B, last year's semifinalist ARLIA prevailed against Josephina NEUMANN of Germany before losing to MITROFAN.

“In the first game, my adversary played more defensively, but after I returned and gained a 2-1, 3-1 lead, I saw that she wanted to attack more and win more points. I think that she was not focused enough. She lost focus because of her disappointment, and I, on the contrary, was focused all the time, especially when attacking, and that made the difference. After I won a couple of poiunts, I saw that she was upset, angry, even kind of lost, and I managed to keep my thoughts together. I am very satisfied with my game and the results, and I hope to improve my game and results here,” said MITROFAN.

Reigning European Under 19 champion Elena ZAHARIA is heating up, and she overcame Sara TOKIC of Slovenia and Lena HOCHART of France, who also suffered at the hands of the 19-year-old Nomin BAASAN of Sweden.

“I was really nervous in the 6th set, but I tried to stick to the tactics. Sometimes I have these moments in matches, and that made an impact on my serve and my game, and the adversary controlled the match in those moments. After that, I reminded myself that I need to stick to the tactics. I can cope with such tense moments, follow my tactics, and not change anything unless it’s not working,” said BAASAN.

Helena SOMEROVA of Czechia created an upset by beating Martine TOFTAKER of Norway, the number 4 seed. Similarly, Zuzanna WIELGOS of Poland overcame Ines MATOS of Portugal, the number 7 seed.