Nina GUO ZHENG and Alexia NODIN of France, together with Zlata TEREKHOVA and Aleksandra BOKOVA of AIN, booked their places in the semi-finals of the Under 19 Girls Singles event at the European Youth Championships in Gondomar.
GUO ZHENG overcame Eseniia SHIROKOVA of AIN in five games, winning 4-1 (11-8, 11-4, 15-13, 9-11, 11-5). The French player controlled much of the contest, with the third game proving particularly important as she edged it 15-13 before closing out the match.
Having lost 3-0 to SHIROKOVA when they met in Tunis in February, GUO ZHENG produced a much more effective tactical performance this time.
“I played against her in February in Tunis and lost 3-0. I really had no chance because she was too fast and took the ball very early, almost on top of the table. This time I knew I had to change the rhythm because she likes to play at the same pace and attack every ball. I tried to add more spin and variation instead of giving her the same tempo, and I think that made the difference,” said GUO ZHENG.
TEREKHOVA also recovered from losing the opening game to defeat France’s Leana HOCHART 4-1 (9-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-9, 11-5).
“I prepared very seriously for this match because my adversary was not an easy one. She is a French player, and France is one of the strongest countries here. In fact, there are so many strong players at this tournament – every country has a very high level,” said TEREKHOVA.
“From my very first match, I was afraid of losing to anyone because this is my first European Championships, so I approached every match with great responsibility.
“I am very happy that we were given the opportunity to compete at the European Championships. We had been waiting for this for a very long time and preparing for it, so I fought for every single point. No matter what happened, I wanted to give absolutely everything because I had been working towards competing at an international event like this for about five years.”
NODIN secured her place in the last four with a 4-1 (12-10, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-7) victory over Poland’s Katarzyna RAJKOWSKA.
BOKOVA completed the semi-final line-up after edging defending champion Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania in a dramatic seven-game encounter. She prevailed 4-3 (11-9, 11-5, 4-11, 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 12-10), surviving a spirited comeback from the Romanian before sealing victory in the deciding game.
Under 19 Girls Singles Quarter-finals
Nina GUO ZHENG (France) – Eseniia SHIROKOVA (AIN) 4-1 (11-8, 11-4, 15-13, 9-11, 11-5)
Alexia NODIN (France) – Katarzyna RAJKOWSKA (Poland) 4-1 (12-10, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-7)
Zlata TEREKHOVA (AIN) – Leana HOCHART (France) 4-1 (9-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-9, 11-5)
Aleksandra BOKOVA (AIN) – Bianca MEI ROSU (Romania) 4-3 (11-9, 11-5, 4-11, 11-8, 8-11, 7-11, 12-10)
