Zaharia triumphs in Havirov with Under-17 title 09 Jun 2021
Restricted to a runner-up finish at last month’s WTT Youth Series event in Vila Real, Elena Zaharia has gone one better at WTT Youth Contender Havirov with her Under-17 Girls’ Singles title success.
Elena Zaharia puts Vila Real disappointment well and truly behind her
by Simon Daish
Romania’s Zaharia, 11th in the ITTF Youth Rankings, came mightily close to falling short with Ukraine’s Veronika Matiunina, ranked 124th, only just missing out after putting up a brave fight (11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 9-11, 13-11). Zaharia also needed five games in her semi-final meeting with world number 27 Naomi Pranjkovic, requiring a late comeback to defeat her German counterpart (11-9, 12-14, 10-12, 11-5, 11-7).