SKST Plus Hodonín claimed a narrow 3-2 victory over TTC Novi Sad in the opening leg of the Women’s Europe Cup quarterfinal, taking a slim advantage ahead of the return match in Serbia.
Binyue ZHANG gave the Czech side a strong start with a straight-games win over Sara RADAK, but Novi Sad quickly leveled the tie as Aneta MAKSUTI defeated Karin GROFOVA in four games. Marketa SEVCIKOVA restored Hodonín’s lead by overcoming Reka BEZEG, before MAKSUTI once again responded for the visitors with a convincing victory against ZHANG. The decisive fifth match went Hodonín’s way, as GROFOVA secured a straight-games win over RADAK to seal the overall success.
Karin GROFOVA said: “The match was definitely affected by the incomplete line-up of the opponents, but this is not our problem. We are happy with the win, but I think we should have won 3:0 or 3:1. I personally am very sorry about the loss to Aneta Maksuti. This is probably the third match I have lost to her so closely. But Markéta Ševčíková won an important point, so it turned out well in the end. But it will be very difficult in Novi Sad.”
SKST Plus Hodonín – TTC Novi Sad 3-2
- Binyue ZHANG – Sara RADAK 3-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-4)
- Karin GROFOVA – Aneta MAKSUTI 1-3 (11-13, 11-9, 8-11, 10-12)
- Marketa SEVCIKOVA – Reka BEZEG 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-5)
- ZHANG Binyue – Aneta MAKSUTI 0-3 (3-11, 5-11, 9-11)
- Karin GROFOVA – Sara RADAK 3-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-5)
