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  • QATAR TABLE TENNIS ASSOCIATION
    • Feb 23, 2017

Apart and together Barbora Balazova and Hana Matelova equally successful.


Successful apart in the Women’s Singles qualification tournament for the Seamaster 2017 ITTF World Tour Qatar Open in Doha; the following day, Thursday 23rd February, when together the Slovak Republic’s Barbora Balazova and the Czech Republic’s Hana Matelova proved equally successful.

Respective wins over Japan’s Honoka Hashimoto and Yui Hamamoto, both higher rated players had secured main draw Women’s Singles places; the wins underlined the good form being enjoyed by the European duo.


Hana Matelova partnered Barbora Balazova to an opening round Women's Doubles success (Photo: Hussein Sayed)

An air of confidence; that was transmitted to the opening round of the Women’s Doubles competition.

Required to compete in the preliminary round, the duo accounted for Germany’s Han Ying and Shan Xiaona, the no.8 seeds, to reserve their place in the last eight (11-5, 11-8, 12-10).

 

“We needed to be very active; I felt comfortable receiving from either player, against Shan I tried to play short to stop her attacking quickly. Also we know each other well; they rarely play together, so that gave us an advantage”, Barbora Balazova

“I have to say that I was happier when Barbora received from Han Ying; I was more comfortable that way round”, Hana Matelova