by Ian Marshall, Editor
Required to compete in the first group stage, she secured top spot without the need for a deciding game. One day later in the second group phase it was exactly the same; a place in the main draw booked without any great alarm bells ringing.
Safely through to the main draw; on the penultimate of action she negotiated the opening rounds without the loss of a single game. On the concluding day of play she did exactly the same.
She accounted for Nadezhda Bogdanova of Belarus (11-7, 11-3, 11-3, 11-5), prior to overcoming Russia’s Maria Malanina to secure the title (13-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-7). In the corresponding semi-final, Maria Malanina had ended the hopes of Tania Plaian (11-9, 11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-8), thus preventing an all Romanian final.
The win means that Adina Diaconu added to the titles won earlier in her career at the European Youth Championships; she secured the cadet girls’ singles top prize in 2013 in Ostrava before repeating the success in 2014 in Riva del Garda. One year later in 2015 in Bratislava she was crowned junior girls’ singles champion, prior to completing a successful defence one year later in Zagreb.
Now just the senior title remains. It may not be next year but it surely within reach, 2020 may be too soon but 2022 could well be in reach?
Success for Adina Diaconu was arguably against the odds; her name did not appear amongst the top eight seeds who received a direct second phase entry.
Equally, the names of the women’s doubles winners, was somewhat of a surprise; the combination of England’s Tin-Tin Ho and Austria’s Karoline Mischek, the no.7 seeds emerged gold medallists.
At the semi-final stage they beat the formation of Spain’s Zhang Xuan and Audrey Zarif of France, the no.5 seeds (12-10, 4-11, 11-13, 11-9, 11-9), prior to clinching the title at the expense of Poland’s Anna Wegrzyn and Katarzyna Wegrzyn, the no.19 seeds (11-8, 15-13, 11-8). In the adjacent half of the draw the Polish duo had caused a major penultimate round upset; the ended the hopes of Belgium’s Margo Degraef and Lisa Lung, the top seeds (12-10, 13-11, 8-11, 11-8).
