Romania secured a place on the podium at the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals after defeating France 3-1 in the women’s quarterfinals on Friday evening in London. With the victory, Romania guaranteed at least a bronze medal and advanced to the semifinals, where they will face China for a place in the final.
France made the stronger start as Yuan Jia NAN edged past Adina DIACONU in five games. Romania quickly responded through Bernadette SZOCS, who recovered after losing momentum in the fourth game to defeat Prithika PAVADE in the decider.
Andreea DRAGOMAN then put Romania ahead with a confident 3-1 win over Charlotte LUTZ before SZOCS sealed the overall victory in the fourth match. The Romanian star came through another hard-fought battle against Yuan Jia NAN, winning the decisive fourth game in deuce to send Romania into the semifinals.
“This medal means more to me than words can truly describe. Winning a medal at last year’s World Championships gave me valuable experience and helped me handle the pressure much better this time. Before today’s match, I already knew what it feels like to fight for a World Championship medal, and that experience allowed me to stay calm, focused and confident throughout the day,”said SZOCS reflecting of Busan’s defeat in quarters against Japan.” From the first point until the last, I just wanted to fight for every ball and give absolutely everything I had to help bring this medal home for Romania.”
SZOCS continued: “What makes this achievement even more special is the incredible unity within our team. In the difficult moments we supported each other, stayed together and managed to complement one another perfectly. I am extremely proud of my teammates and our staff because together we achieved something truly historic.I also want to thank everyone who supported me during this journey. The encouragement and belief people showed in me really meant a lot.”
France – Romania 1-3
- Yuan Jia Nan – Adina DIACONU 3-2 (7-11, 13-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5)
- Prithika PAVADE – Bernadette SZOCS 2-3 (7-11, 9-11, 13-11, 11-5, 2-11)
- Charlotte LUTZ – Andreea DRAGOMAN 1-3 (6-11, 7-11, 11-6, 6-11)
- Yuan Jia Nan – Bernadette SZOCS 1-3 (12-10, 6-11, 4-11, 12-14)
