by Ian Marshall, ITTF Publications Manager
Nadezhda Bogdanova and Daria Trigolos, the top seeds, suffered a quarter-final defeat at the hands of Spain’s Ana Garcia and Zhang Xuan; in a full distance five games encounter they were beaten by the very narrowest of five game margins (10-12, 11-7, 11-5, 7-11, 11-9).
Conversely, runners up one year ago in Sochi, Romania’s Adina Diaconu and Andreea Dragoman, the no.2 seeds, beat the combination formed by Austria’s Karoline Mischek and Estonia’s Airi Avameri (11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6) to reserve their last four place.
Similarly, Belgium’s Lisa Lung and Margo Degraef, the no.3 seeds, accounted for Serbia’s Sabina Surjan and Tijana Jokic (11-7, 11-8, 11-6), whilst the pairing of Poland’s Natalia Bajor and Ukraine’s Solomiya Brateyko, the no.4 seeds, ended the hopes of Croatia’s Dorina Srebrnjak and Andrea Pavlovic (14-12, 11-4, 11-9).
At the semi-final stage Ana Garcia and Zhang Xuan meet Lisa Lung and Margo Degraef; Adina Diaconu and Andreea Dragoman confront Natalia Bajor and Solomiya Brateyko
Defeat for Nadezhda Bogdanova and Daria Trigolos; in the counterpart Men’s Doubles competition, the pair to suffer was that of Slovenia’s Darko Jorgic and Deni Kozul, the no.2 seeds. They experienced a quarter-final defeat at the hands of Russia’s Konstantin Chernov and Vladimir Sidorenko (11-8, 11-7, 11-6).
Konstantin Chernov and Vladimir Sidorenko now meet Turkey’s Ibrahim Gündüz and Abdullah Yigenler, the no.4 seeds to determine a place in the final. In the round of the last eight pairs Ibrahim Gündüz and Abdullah Yigenler ended the progress of the partnership formed by Poland’s Tomasz Kotowski and Samuel Kuluzny (11-7, 11-7, 11-6).
Meanwhile, in the opposite half of the draw, Poland’s Patryk Zatowka and Marek Badowski, the top seeds, reserved their place in the semi-final round courtesy of success against the combination formed by Hungary’s Bence Majoros and Denmark’s Anders Lind (11-13, 11-3, 6-11, 11-7, 11-7).
They now face the formation of the Czech Republic’s Tomas Polansky and Germany’s Denis Klein, the no.3 seeds, quarter-final winners over the duo comprising Russia’s Vladimir Sidorenko and Ioannis Sgouropoulos of Greece (11-7, 11-9, 11-3).
Play in Minsk concludes on Sunday 11th March.
