In the second leg of the Europe Cup semi-final Clube Ténis de Mesa de Mirandela emerged victorious but SH-ITB Budaörsi St Club advanced to the final. In the opening leg the Hungarian team recorded a 3-1 win so a 2-3 result in Budapest was sufficient to propel them to the ultimate stage.
The duel in Hungary concluded in five matches. The guests were down two matches after Ines MATOS and Annamaria ERDELYI defeated Dora MADARASZ and Helga DARI but Georgina POTA’s victory over Matilde PINTO brought the girls back into the game. Dora MADARASZ overcame Annamaria ERDELYI to level the score but Mirandela withstood Budaörsi’s recovery with MATOS defeating DARI. However the gap from the opening leg was too wide and the 1-3 deficit from Portugal remained insurmountable.
“In the opening match MATOS surprised me and I still felt the fatigue from last weekend’s competition in my legs. Nevertheless I had plenty of game points but it was clear that my rival played very well. I hoped to win the second match but not under these circumstances where I suffered a knee injury in the process which I hope is not serious. I love playing against defenders and I think that was evident ” said MADARASZ.
In the final the Hungarian team will face MUSEO DE LA ALMENDRA FRANCISCO MORALES. MADARÁSZ previously played professionally in Spain for two years so the finalist won’t be unfamiliar to her.
“Back then they didn’t have the same lineup as they do now; their current team is stronger. Of course we are also stronger than last year and the goal is to arrive slightly fresher for the final matches than we are now.”
SH-ITB Budaörsi St Club – Clube Ténis de Mesa de Mirandela 2-3
Dora MADARASZ- Ines MATOS 1-3 (11-13 11-9 12-14 6-11)
Helga DARI – Annamaria ERDELYI 2-3 (8-11 11-6 11-9 5-11)
Georgina POTA – Matilde PINTO 3-0 (11-4 11-6 11-6)
Dora MADARASZ- Annamaria ERDELYI 3-1 (11-7 11-13 11-4 11-6)
Helga DARI – Ines MATOS 1-3 (7-11 3-11 11-8 12-14)
Opening leg
Clube Ténis de Mesa de Mirandela– SH-ITB Budaörsi St Club 1-3
Annamaria ERDELYI – Georgina POTA 2-3 (9-11 15-13 11-4 6-11 1-6)
Jingyi ZHOU – Dora MADARASZ 2-3 (11-4 5-11 5-11 11-9 1-6)
Ines MATOS – Maria FAZEKAS 3-0 (11-6 11-7 11-9)
Annamaria ERDELYI – Dora MADARASZ 1-3 (7-11 8-11 11-4 8-11)