by Wade Townsend
Team Europe’s Elena Zaharia has steamrolled her way to the Cadet Girls’ semi final with a straight games win over no.2 seed Amy Wang.
The safest backhand spin loop in the stadium, Zaharia held the table and spread her smashes across the table leaving Wang parrying for the points.
Last year in Shanghai at the World Cadet Challenge Zaharia was a member of Team Hopes. It looks like the experience has paid dividends.
“I lost to Amy three times last year in Shanghai. I wanted to win here so much.” Elena Zaharia
Zaharia now plays Soma Yumeno in the semi final. How does she rate her chances?
“My sister is a chopper, but I don’t enjoy playing them!” Elena Zaharia
It continued to be a good afternoon for Team Europe as Elizabet Abraamian saved match points against Asia’s Ryu Hanna.
Elizabet Abraamian had already saved three match points in her first round match, bringing her total for the day up to five match points saved. Now she is through to the semi final. And to think that she only made it through her group in a three way count back.
Meanwhile top seed Huang Yingqi had a serious scare in her quarterfinal match against North America’s Rachel Sung.
Sung led two games to zero and was halfway to a monumental upset.
But when Huang notched up three games on the board in lightning fashion it looked like it could be all over.
Yet Sung wasn’t going anywhere, and after being tied up at 7-7 was able to sneak the sixth game to send the match in to a decider.
Huang was out of the gate fast and raced to a 6-0 lead. And despite brining the score to 8-5, Sung couldn’t get back in the game.
A nervous Huang secured the win and a place in the semi final.
