05/12/2012        2012 Spanish Junior & Cadet Open - ITTF Junior Circuit

The host nation’s top seeded Maria Xiao duly booked her place in the quarter-finals of the Junior Girls’ Singles event at the Spanish Junior and Cadet Open in Castell-Platja d’Aro, as a result of her efforts on Saturday 12th May 2012.

Similarly, Hong Kong’s Doo Hoi Kem and Austria’s Sofia Polcanova, the respective second and third seeds, also advanced as did Doo Hoi Kem’s compatriot, Li Ching Wan, the no.5 seed.

However, there was no progress for Russia’s Ekaterina Guseva, the no.4 seed, Israel’s Nicole Trosman, the no.6 seed, nor the next two India’s Manika Batra and Hungary’s Mercedes Nagyvaradi.

Suffered in Group Stage
Manika Batra had suffered in the group stage one day earlier; she finished in third place in her group and thus did not qualify for the main draw.

First Round Exit
Meanwhile for Ekaterina Guseva and Mercedes Nagyvaradi it was a first round exit; whilst for Nicole Trosman it was farewell at the second hurdle.

Ekaterina Guseva was beaten by Japan’s Miki Fujihara (11-8, 11-5, 11-6, 11-8), who duly booked her place in the quarter-finals by ousting India’s Narashima Sundarajan (11-7, 11-7, 11-6, 11-3).

Similar
Similarly, Mercedes Nagyvaradi was beaten by Russia’s Anna Blazhko (11-7, 15-13, 11-9, 12-14, 11-7) who then lost to Japan’s Yuki Araki (11-9, 12-10, 11-5, 11-7).

More Japanese Success
Success for Japan and there was more.

Shiho Matsudaira caused the downfall of Nicole Trosman in round two (11-6, 11-5, 11-7, 11-4), with Yuki Shoji completing the quarter-final line-up by ending the hopes of Portugal’s Catia Martins (11-1, 11-9, 11-6, 11-4).

Ominously, the four Japanese girls who had remained unbeaten throughout the team tournament earlier in the week, all progressed to the quarter-final stage and none was seriously threatened.

One Casualty
Problems for prominent names in Junior Girls’ Singles event but not to such a degree in the Cadet Girls’ Singles competition; the top three seeds Russia’s Daria Chernova, Germany’s Wan Yuan and Maria Malanina, also from Russia progressed safely to the semi-finals.

The one notable casualty was Hungary’s Csilla Nagypal.

She was beaten in round two by Sweden’s Tilda Johansson, who duly reserved her place in the penultimate round by overcoming Emile Jeffreux of France in four games (9-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-5).

Second Seeds Fall
One surprise of note in the Cadet Girls’ Singles event and it was the same in the Junior Girls’ Doubles competition where, second seeds, Russia’s Ekaterina Guseva and Anna Rossikhina suffered at the hands of Japan’s Miki Fujihara and Yuki Shoji (11-9, 11-8, 11-6.

In the final Miki Fujihara and Yuki Shoji meet top seeds Doo Hoi Kem and Li Ching Wan of Hong Kong.