After overcoming the top seed and then one of her most familiar adversaries, Amina ILIMBETOVA emerged as the Under 15 Girls Singles champion at the European Youth Championships in Gondomar. She defeated her AIN teammate Varvara TOLMACHEVA 4-1 (12-10, 11-6, 5-11, 11-4, 11-8) in the final, while Sweden’s Siri BENJEGARD and AIN’s Alisa USMANOVA completed the podium.
The final brought together the two AIN representatives after both had impressed in the semi-finals. ILIMBETOVA made a strong start by edging a tight opening game before taking control of the match. Although TOLMACHEVA responded by claiming the third game, ILIMBETOVA quickly regained the initiative to secure the European title.
Reflecting on her success, ILIMBETOVA underlined just how demanding the tournament had been.
“The matches were all very difficult, none of them were easy. Playing the final against Varvara was a great honour. We’ve faced each other many times at home, where we’re the number one and number two players, so our matches are always very close. That’s why I would say this was one of the toughest matches of the entire tournament. Varvara played extremely well, and I’m equally happy for both of us.
The previous match was also very difficult because I was playing against the top seed. I’m pleased that I managed to come through both challenges and win the title.”
ILIMBETOVA booked her place in the final by producing one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, defeating top seed Siri BENJEGARD of Sweden 4-1 (12-10, 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-5). Seeded No. 35, she displayed remarkable composure throughout the contest to overcome the tournament favourite.
“I was playing against the top seed, so of course I felt a little nervous before the match. But that’s something you have to overcome. She’s the top seed, while I’m nowhere near the top of the rankings, so it was definitely a difficult challenge. In the end, though, it came down to character and mentality. Maybe she made a few mistakes, maybe I had a bit of luck at certain moments, but I think matches like this are decided more by psychology than anything else. I’d say it’s 50 per cent mental strength, 25 per cent table tennis, and 25 per cent physical fitness.”
The second semi-final saw No. 23 seed TOLMACHEVA defeat teammate Alisa USMANOVA in straight games, 4-0 (13-11, 11-5, 11-2, 11-8). Despite the scoreline, the match demanded complete concentration from both players, who know each other’s games extremely well.
“Because we’re from the same team, we play against each other quite often at different tournaments. That actually makes these matches very difficult because we know each other’s game so well. Fortunately, I managed to come out on top today. Alisa has a defensive style of play, and I generally feel more comfortable playing against that type of adversary than against an attacking player. I stayed patient, waited for my opportunities, and that helped me secure the win.”
Final
- Amina ILIMBETOVA (AIN) – Varvara TOLMACHEVA 4-1 (12-10, 11-6, 5-11, 11-4, 11-8)
Semi-finals
- Amina ILIMBETOVA (AIN) – Siri BENJEGARD (Sweden) 4-1 (12-10, 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-5)
- Varvara TOLMACHEVA (AIN) – Alisa USMANOVA (AIN) 4-0 (13-11, 11-5, 11-2, 11-8)
