by Ian Marshall, Editor
Franziska Schreiner, Anastasia Bondareva and Laura Tiefenbrunner form the German contingent; for Russia, Ekaterina Zironova, Elizabet Abraamian, Olga Vishniakova and Natalia Malanina are all amongst the prominent names.
Ekaterina Zironova is the one member of the group with a junior girls’ singles title to her credit on the ITTF World Junior Circuit, last year she won in Egypt. In Platja d’Aro she is the no.3 seed.
It is a step her colleagues have yet to make; however, notably this year Elizabet Abraamian, the no.4 seed, was a quarter-finalist in Italy, Olga Vishniakova, the no.6 seed, the runner up in Bahrain; Natalia Malanina has yet to reach the later rounds.
Similarly this year, Laura Tiefenbrunner, the no.8 seed, advanced to the quarter-final round in France, whilst last year, Franziska Schreiner was the runner up in Canada; like Natalia Malanina, Anastasia Bondareva has yet to reach the decisive rounds.
A prominent European presence; there are also notable names on duty from Asia and Africa. Chinese Taipei’s Tsai Yu-Chin is the no.2 seed, Tunisia’s Fadwa Garci, the no.7 seed. Tsai Yu-Chin was the runner up earlier this year in Belgium, as well as last year on home soil and in El Salvador; Fadwa Garci won the junior girls’ singles title at the 2018 Arab Championships.
Prominent names in the junior girls’ singles event, it is the same in the junior girls’ doubles and junior girls’ team events. In the former Elizabet Abraamian and Ekaterina Zironova, head the order, Anastasia Bondareva and Franziska Schreiner occupy second spot; in the latter Elizabet Abraamian, Olga Vishniakova and Ekaterina Zironova comprise the top seeded trio, Anastasia Bondareva, Franziska Schreiner and Laura Tiefenbrunner own the second seeded position.
Notable names from Africa, Asia and Europe, in the cadet girls’ singles event Latin America attracts the attention. Brazil’s Giulia Takahashi heads the seeding with Puerto Rico’s Brianna Burgos being the no.3 seed; at last year’s Latin American Cadet Championships, Giulia Takahashi emerged the winner, Brianna Burgos reached the quarter-finals.
Likewise, the Czech Republic’s Helena Sommerova, the no.2 seed, enjoyed success in 2018 as did Russia’s Alina Zavarykina, the no.4 seed; Helena Sommerova was a quarter-finalist in the cadet girls’ singles event on the ITTF World Junior Circuit in Croatia, Alina Zavarykina, the runner up in Egypt.
Latin America title contenders, it is the same in the cadet girls’ doubles and cadet girls’ team events. In both competitions, Brianna Burgos and Giulia Takahashi occupy the top seeded position with Alina Zavarykina, the next in the order of merit. In the former she partners Russian colleague Vlada Voronina, in the latter Svetlana Dmitrienko, also from Russia.
Play commences with the junior girls’ singles event.
