The opening day of the women’s singles competition at the ROMSTAL European Under 21 Championships produced plenty of drama, with one favourite battling back from the brink and another suffering an unexpected defeat.
See pictures here.
Portugal’s Matilde PINTO recovered from an opening-round loss to keep her hopes alive in Group 1. After falling to Croatia’s Dora COSIC 3-1 in her first match, PINTO responded when it mattered most, defeating Sweden’s Alice NILSSON 3-2 in a tense encounter decided by the narrowest of margins in the fifth game.
The Portuguese player held her nerve at the crucial moments to secure a 12-10 victory in the decider.
“The important part is to stay focused on what I have to do and not the result.”
Despite remaining in contention for qualification, PINTO admitted she is approaching the tournament cautiously due to physical issues.
“Not so much expectation. I’m injured, so I just try to play my best.”
Asked what she would like to improve ahead of her next match, PINTO kept her answer simple.
“Play better than the match before, not anything specific.”
The biggest surprise of the session came in Group 2, where Belgium’s Lilou MASSART opened with a 3-1 victory over Jersey’s Hannah SILCOCK before suffering a heavy 3-0 defeat to Denmark’s Mille STOFFREGEN.
STOFFREGEN, who won 11-8, 11-8, 11-2, was not surprised by the outcome.
“I played against her before, so I knew I could beat her. In the meantime I changed to anti-spin on my backhand, so I made a lot of progress since the last time we played.”
The victory significantly boosts the STOFFREGEN’s chances of progressing and provides a welcome confidence boost heading into the remainder of the group stage.
“It gives me a lot of confidence.”
Romania’s Patricia STOICA produced a remarkable comeback to knock out one of the tournament favourites, Lilou MASSART.
The Belgian looked to be in control after winning the first two games and appeared on course to secure the result she needed. But STOICA refused to give up. The young Romanian gradually found her rhythm, turned the momentum around and won the next three games to complete a memorable 3-2 victory.
It was a result few would have predicted at the start of the day.
For STOICA, the key was trusting the plan even when things were not going her way.
“I tried to follow the tactic even though it didn’t feel like it was working in the first two sets. I tried to leave all the thoughts behind because I knew it was my last match.”
That belief paid off as she completed one of the most impressive comebacks of the day.
“I always like comeback victories. It’s not unusual for me because I always try to fight until the end, but this win gives me great satisfaction.”
What makes the achievement even more remarkable is how quickly STOICA is adapting to a much higher level of competition. Just a year ago, she was competing in the Under 15 category.
“I was shocked by the level here because last year I was competing in Under 15. But I am taking this amazing opportunity to give my best and learn as much as possible for the coming years.”
