MIRÓ Ganxets Costa Durada confirmed their place in the Europe Cup Women semifinals after edging Croatia’s STK Dr. Časl 3-2 in the second leg. Following their straight matcehs victory away from home two days earlier, the Spanish side needed just two points to secure progression, and they delivered.
The tie opened with Guo RUICHEN putting the hosts in front, overcoming Jiaqi LIU in four games with a confident display. However, experienced Xia Lian NI responded for the Croatian side, defeating Olga VOROBEVA in a tight encounter, highlighted by a dramatic 15-13 finish in the fourth game.
Andrea TODOROVIC restored the advantage for the Spanish team with a straight-games victory over Szandra PERGEL, bringing MIRÓ Ganxets Costa Durada within touching distance of qualification.
Although NI Xia Lian struck again, beating Guo RUICHEN to level the score at 2-2 on the day, the overall qualification was already secured thanks to the earlier points. The final match provided extra drama, as Olga VOROBEVA battled Jiaqi LIU in a five-game thriller to seal the 3-2 victory in front of the home crowd.
“The second leg was a bit more tense because Dr. Časl changed their lineup. They decided to put Ni Xia Lian against Olga VOROBEVA. Olga had her chances and could even have won the match, but Ni justified her status.
At 1-1, I managed to beat Szandra PERGEL, which was the second point we needed to secure our place in the semifinal. However, we continued playing and the fourth match was very close. Two days ago, Ruichen GUO defeated Ni 3-2, winning 6-4 in the deciding game, so this time Ni took her revenge.
One of the difficulties was that we started celebrating a bit early because we already knew we had qualified for the next round, and it was not easy to maintain full focus. I would also like to praise Olga VOROBEVA for her effort in the decisive match. She defeated the Chinese player Jiaqi LIU in the fifth game of the fifth match by the death point,”explained Andrea TODOROVIC.
With a 3-0 win in Zagreb and a 3-2 success at home, MIRÓ Ganxets Costa Durada advance confidently to the semifinals.
MIRÓ Ganxets Costa Durada – STK Dr. Časl 3-2
- Guo RUICHEN – Jiaqi LIU 3-1 (11-6, 8-11, 11-8, 11-3)
- Olga VOROBEVA – Xia Lian NI 1-3 (8-11, 11-7, 8-11, 13-15)
- Andrea TODOROVIC – Szandra PERGEL 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-7)
- Guo RUICHEN – Xia Lian NI 1-3 (3-11, 11-9, 5-11, 9-11)
- Olga VOROBEVA – Jiaqi LIU 3-2 (6-11, 13-11, 11-9, 1-11, 6-5)
Opening leg
STK Dr. Časl – MIRÓ Ganxets Costa Durada 0-3
- Jiaqi LIU – Olga VOROBEVA 1-3 (10-12, 6-11, 13-11, 5-11)
- Xia Lian NI – Ruichen GUO 2-3 (11-7, 10–12, 14-16, 11-9, 4-6)
- Szandra PERGEL – Andrea TODOROVIC 1-3 (6-11, 11-7, 9-11, 4-11)
