by Ian Marshall, Editor
Success for Adam Klajber and it was success the hard way; in the later rounds he was severely tested.
At the quarter-final stage he beat Romania’s Andrei Istrate (11-6, 5-11, 11-3, 11-6, 8-11, 10-12, 11-9) before, following success against the Czech Republic’s Ondrej Kveton (11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 11-2, 10-12, 11-5), he overcame Croatia’s Ivor Ban to secure the title (5-11, 5-11, 11-2, 11-5, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8).
Similarly, for Ivor Ban there were testing times; at the quarter and semi-final stages he needed six games in each encounter to secure victory. In the quarter-final round he beat Brazil’s Kenzo Carmo (11-9, 11-5, 8-11, 9-11, 11-7, 14-12), prior to ousting Belgium’s Nicolas Degros (11-6, 11-4, 7-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-2).
Disappointment for Ivor Ban and Nicolas Degros but there was success; together they won the junior boys’ doubles title, at the final hurdle accounting for Croatia’s Leon Santek and Lovro Zovko (11-8, 11-8, 11-9).
Poon Yat
Tense moments for Adam Klajber, it was somewhat the same for Poon Yat. After ending the hopes of the Czech Republic by beating both Jana Vasendova (12-10, 10-12, 7-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-9) and Linda Zaderova (11-8, 11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8), she secured the title at the expense of the host nation’s Katarina Strazar (11-8, 11-2, 11-13, 11-8, 11-8). In the opposite half of the draw in the later rounds, Poon Yat had beaten Brazil’s Giulia Takahashi (11-9, 11-7, 11-8, 11-8) and Serbia’s Radmila Tominjak (10-12, 11-7, 7-11, 14-12, 11-9, 11-7).
Bronze for Radmila Tominjak, as with Ivor Ban and Nicolas Degros there was consolation; she partnered colleague Reka Bezeg to junior girls’ doubles success, the pairing receiving a walk-over in the final when scheduled to meet Bulgaria’s Kalina Hristova and Patricia Ianau.
Bronze medal
Success for Poon Yat but in the cadet girls’ singles competition, she had to settle for the third step of the podium; at the semi-final stage of proceedings she was beaten by Italy’s Nicole Arlia (11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 13-11). Alas for Nicole Arlia there was no gold; in the final she experienced when facing Poland’s Anna Bryska (11-7, 11-3, 11-5), the semi-final winner in opposition to Brazil’s Laura Watanabe (4-11, 11-4, 7-11, 11-4, 11-8).
A penultimate round defeat for Laura Watanabe but in common with those who just missed out in the singles events there was doubles success; she partnered colleague Giulia Takahashi to cadet girls’ doubles gold, at the final hurdle the duo overcoming Chinese Taipei’s Liu Zi-Fei and Yeh Yi-Tian (11-5, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6).
Romanian gold
Silver for Chinese Taipei, it was the very same in the cadet boys’ singles competition; at the final hurdle, Chao Po-Yu experienced defeat at the hands of Romania’s Andrei Istrate (11-9, 8-11, 4-11, 11-8, 11-8), the semi-final winner in opposition to colleague Horia Ursut (11-13, 11-7, 11-3, 11-4). In the adjacent semi-final, Cha Po-Yu had beaten Belgium’s Nolan Lerat (11-3, 11-7, 11-8).
The top step of the podium for Andrei Istrate; in the cadet boys’ doubles event partnering Horia Ursut it was the second step. At the final hurdle the duo suffered when facing Hungary’s Balasz Lei and David Santos (11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 1-11, 11-9).
Play concluded in Otocec, attention now turns to Skopje, the North Macedonia Junior and Cadet Open commences on Tuesday 8th October.
