2018 Czech Junior and Cadet Open in Hodonin
Romania’s teams clinched silver medal at the Junior Girls’ Team event and bronze at the Boys’ Team event at the 2018 Czech Junior and Cadet Open in Hodonin.
In the final of the Girl’s event against China after Shi Xunyao had beaten Andreea HUDUSAN (11-6 11-4 11-6) Andreea DRAGOMAN extended HUANG Fanzhen the full five games distance (13-11 11-8 5-11 9-11 11-4) before SUN Yizhen overcame Tania PLAIAN to end matters (15-13 13-11 11-6). China secured the title without the loss of a single individual match.
Round earlier Romania beat Croatia with Andrea PAVLOVIC Marta VUKELIC and Klara BARDAC before they overcame Poland with Katarzyna WEGRZYN Anna WEGRZYN and Agata ZAKRZEWSKA.
China also clinched gold in Boys’ event. They overcame Japan in the final after YU Heyi XU Yingbin and CAO Yantao overcame Romani in the semis. Rares SIPOS beat YU Heyi the player who two days earlier had won the Junior Boys’ Singles event in three straight games (11-8 11-7 11-8).
XU Yingbin levelled matters by beating Cristian PLETEA (11-8 11-8 11-9) before CAO Yantao accounted for Dragos Florin OPREA (11-5 11-6 11-8). YU Heyi returned to the table to secure the victory but he came mightily close to defeat; in a contest where each game was on a knife-edge he beat Cristian PLETEA by the very minimal two point margin in the deciding fifth game (12-10 8-11 11-9 10-12 11-9).
Earlier in the opening round the Rares SIPOS Cristian PLETEA and Dragos Florin OPREA had recorded a three-nil success in opposition to the Austrian combination of Maciej KOLODZIEJCZYK Thomas ZILLER and Jonas PLOMBERGER.