In the quarterfinal of the Under 15 Girls Singles Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava, two-time European U15 Singles champion Hanka KODET of Czechia lived up to expectations in front of the home crowd by defeating seed no. 8 Josephina NEUMANN of Germany in straight games.
“It’s a really good feeling, especially because I lost to her in the team event, so there was a lot of pressure on me,” said KODET. “I’m really happy I made it. It was a difficult match, even though the score may not look like it. Despite winning in straight games, I found it tough. In the fourth game, I really wanted to finish the match, so it was very close. Before the match, my coach advised me not to play too much to her backhand, but funnily enough, in the last game I did exactly that—but it worked. To be honest, I’m heading into the final with a clear head and fully focused.”
Two French players exceeded expectations and rankings with impressive performances. Just 12 years old, Albane ROCHUT of France (seeded no. 45) stunned Romania’s Patricia STOICA (no. 4 seed) to reach the semifinals.
“I’m really happy I won—I still can’t believe it,” said ROCHUT. “The second and third games were the most difficult for me. I didn’t change my tactics during the match, I just played my own game. I’m only 12, so reaching the semifinals is a huge success. This is my first time competing in the U15 category, and it’s incredible that I’ll take home a medal. In the semifinal, I’ll try to play my best table tennis and win for sure!”
Lou-Anne BOCQUET of France (no. 41 seed) continued her strong form by defeating Siri BENJEGÅRD of Sweden (no. 5 seed). BOCQUET will face KODET in the semi-final.
In the other semi-final, top seed Koharu ITAGAKI of Germany will play against ROCHUT. ITAGAKI secured her place by beating Spain’s Renata SHYPSHA (no. 6 seed).
