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.
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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 England’s Hannah SILCOCK before suffering a heavy 3-0 defeat to Germany’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 German’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.”
