by Ian Marshall, Editor
In 2013 competing in Cadet Girls’ Team events at the Polish Junior and Cadet Open in Wladyslawowo and later in the year at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava, when facing Maria Malanina, Daria Trigolos had experienced resounding defeats, in fact in the two encounters she had not won a single game.
Two years later, an age group higher, times changed; at the 2015 Europe Youth Top 10 in Buzau, Daria Trogolos prevailed, as she did one year later when they met in the Junior Girls’ Singles event, once again in Wladyslawowo and at the Europe Youth Top 10 in Prague. Now in Minsk the sequence continued.
Success for Daria Trigolos and predominantly as the lower half of the Women’s Singles draw commenced it was success for the leading names; notably Chinese Taipei’s Chen Szu-Yu, the no.3 seed, beat Sweden’s Filippa Bergand (9-11, 12-10, 11-3, 14-12, 2-11, 11-9), Japan’s Minami Ando, the no.5 seed, ended the hopes of Russia’s Olga Kulikova (11-9, 11-7, 11-4, 11-8).
However, there was one result to raise the eyebrows; Korea Republic’s Yu Sora, a player who had negotiated the two days of qualification, overcame Poland’s Natalia Bajor, the no.30 seed.
Somewhat of a surprise but Yu Sora, now 27 years old is not without international experience. Notably she competed on the ITTF World Tour in China in 2015, as well as in the same year and six years earlier on home soil in the Korea Republic. Most notably, in 2009 in the Under 21 Women’s Singles event she beat Hong Kong’s Lee Ho Ching; a result that reflects her capabilities; the win in the opening round in Minsk was no great upset.
The opening round of the Women’s Singles event concludes later in the day.
