A player for all seasons, Sabine Winter makes intentions clear

by Ian Marshall and Simon Daish

The no.8 seed, she beat Hungary’s Georgina Pota, the no.6 seed and semi-finalist at the 2014 Women’s World Cup in Linz, in what proved to be the closest contested match of the round.

Sabine Winter emerged successful in seven games (11-9, 8-11, 11-2, 6-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8).

Success against the odds for Sabine Winter, for colleague Petrissa Solja, the no.2 seed, it was success as status predicted; she accounted for Romania’s Bernadette Szocs, the no.14 seed (11-9, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6).

Disappointment for Romania and there was to be a second as matches in the round of the last eight progressed; Daniela Monteiro-Dodean, the no.10 seed, was beaten by Austria’s Liu Jia, the no.3 seed (11-6, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7).

“I’m relaxed, I feel good and I don’t think too much that I’m one win away from the final. I’m happy for the next match and I just want to play well. I don’t mind who I play next. I just want to play for myself. I feel a little bit tired but this is my last match for today”, Liu Jia after beating Daniela Monteiro-Dodean

Defeat for Daniela Monteiro-Dodean, it was very much a reversal of her opening match the previous day when she had beaten Turkey’s Hu Melek, the top seed (13-11, 11-8, 11-9).

Likewise, it was a very different outcome for Li Jie of the Netherlands, the no.4 seed, when compared with some 24 hours earlier. In her opening contest of the tournament she lost to Viktoria Pavlovich of Belarus, the no.12 seed (11-7, 14-12, 12-10); one day later she emerged successful in her opening engagement but she experienced some very trying moments.

She lost the first two games against Sweden’s Matilda Ekholm, the no.7 seed, before recovering to capture the next four (7-11, 11-13, 11-5, 11-7, 11-6, 11-7).

“Today I am very happy. At two-nil down I was thinking that I needed to calm down and to keep the ball on the table and limit my mistakes; overall I am happy”, Li Jie after beating Matilda Ekholm

At the semi-final stage Sabine Winter meets Li Jie, Liu Jia opposes Petrissa Solja.

The semi-finals are scheduled to be played on Sunday 5th February.