In the quarterfinal of the ETTU Europe Cup Women, top seeds KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL Tarnobrzeg confirmed their favorites’ status with a composed 3-1 away victory over fourth-seeded Etival ASRTT. The Polish side, last year’s semifinalists and four-time champions, relied on their quality and experience to take firm control of the tie.
Etival ASRTT, last season’s quarterfinalists, lined up with strong individual credentials, led by Jieni SHAO (no. 9 in Europe) and Christina KALLBERG (no. 22 in Europe). However, Tarnobrzeg answered with an equally impressive roster featuring Ying HAN (no. 4 in Europe) and Xiaoxin YANG (no. 40 in Europe) and HE Zhuojia.
HAN Ying set the tone for the visitors by overturning the opening game deficit to defeat KALLBERG in four games. HE Zhuojia then delivered a dominant performance against SHAO to double Tarnobrzeg’s lead.
The hosts stayed in contention thanks to Liu YANGZI, who edged a dramatic five-game duel against YANG Xiaoxin. Any hopes of a comeback were quickly halted as HE Zhuojia returned to the table to overcome KALLBERG in straight games and seal a valuable away success.
“I’m happy with the win in the first match. My players were very focused and fought for every point. Now we look ahead to the return leg, where we are aiming for another victory and qualification for the Final Four, which will be held in Tarnobrzeg,” said coach Zbigniew NECEK.
Etival ASRTT – KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL Tarnobrzeg 1-3
- Christina KALLBERG – Ying HAN 1-3 (11-8, 6-11, 7-11, 7-11)
- Jieni SHAO – Zhuojia HE 0-3 (6-11, 6-11, 6-11)
- Liu YANGZI – Xiaoxin YANG 3-2 (12-14, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7, 6-4)
- Christina KALLBERG – Zhuojia HE 0-3 (5-11, 4-11, 8-11)
