In a dramatic clash Bulgaria pulled off a major upset by defeating Spain and securing a spot in the quarterfinals of the Under 19 Girls’ event at the ORLEN European Youth Championships in Gliwice. In the next round they will face the host team Poland.
Spain the winners of their group in the opening stage started with the same style we witnessed in the previous two days and found themselves trailing 0-2 at first. Viktoria PERSOVA’s victory over Silvia COLL gave Bulgaria a dream start.
“I was down 0-1 and 7-10 in the second game but I managed to recover. Maybe I was a little bit nervous ” said PERSOVA.
Tsvetlana GEORGIEVA continued in the same fashion overcoming Eugenia SASTRE. However Ainhoa CRISTOBAL brought Spain back into familiar settings by defeating Dalma HASANOVA in the third match.
“CRISTOBAL was way too strong. We couldn’t stop her. Unfortunately Tsvetlina also lost to COLL so I had to play the decisive match. Despite being nervous I managed to stay focused and most importantly patient ” explained PERSOVA.
Tomorrow Bulgaria will face Poland who overcame England in straight matches with Ilona SZTWIERTNIA Wiktoria WROBEL and Zuzanna WIELGOS leading the charge.
Last year’s runner-ups Romania faced no major difficulties against Italy especially when Elena ZAHARIA defeated Nicole ARLIA. However Irene MORETTI managed to secure a point for Italy with a victory over Bianca MEI ROSU in five games. At the end it was ZAHARIA who prevented any further drama.
“My match against ARLIA was crucial. I don’t know if she was slightly injured but I expected more of a fight. I knew I had to beat her to give my team stability and relieve the pressure and I was prepared for that duel ” said ZAHARIA.
As the top seeds Romania will face Slovakia with Adriana ILLASOVA Ema CINCUROVA and Dominika WILTSCHKOVA leading their team to another upset by halting the progress of Croatia. Hana ARAPOVIC won both of her matches but the rest of the Croatian team couldn’t follow suit.
Portugal’s Matilde PINTO Ines MATOS and Patricia SANTOS overcame Belgium in straight matches.
“Our strongest asset is our team spirit. We cheer for each other and our motto is ‘all for one.’ We scream for each point and support each other ” said Ines MATOS. “When I’m playing I’m aware of the support I receive from my teammates and that gives me extra power. It’s very important for me.”
In the next round they will face France.
“Last year in Belgrade we lost to them in the Round of 16 but I think this time we are better prepared. It will be a difficult clash and we will have to fight hard but we will give our best ” promised MATOS. “I think we have a better chance against this year’s lineup in the French team.”
Agathe AVEZOU Clea DE STOPPELIEIRE and Else PUJOL overcame Türkiye 3-0.
“I think our strong fighting spirit and effective service game were the keys to our success ” said AVEZOU.
Clea DE STOPPELIEIRE added “We showed a brave face. Now we will prepare for Poland. They are a very strong team and we respect them.”
Ukraine halted Czechia’s progress in a thrilling five-match encounter. Iolanta YEVTODII Veronika MATIUNINA and Olga PONKO all recorded wins. They will face Germany in the quarterfinals. Anna HURSEY justified her status but Germany maintained their composure to overcome Wales. Mia GRIESEL Lea LACHENMAYER and Naomi PRANJKOVIC did not falter in their matches against Elisabeth HURD and Lara WHITTON.
“Our main strategy tonight was to overcome our nerves. We all know how good Anna is and we were aware that it would be a close game. That is why we focused on the other matches where we could score. Of course it created extra pressure. We knew we didn’t have any room for error and that we had to win the other matches. I also had to play the decisive match which made me very nervous. Now I am exhausted ” said PRANJKOVIC.
