Denise Payet came agonisingly close to reaching the final of the girls’ team event at the Slovak Cadet Open.
Payet and team-mate Chin-Yau Wong of Hong Kong won all their group matches 3-0 against Czech Republic B, Belarus B and France A to reach the knockout stage, and they then defeated France B 3-1 in the quarter-finals.
Payet found the going tough against Chinese Taipei B in the semi-finals, but two victories by Wong sent the match to a decider between Payet and Yu-Jie Huang.
In a match in which every game was decided by three points or fewer, Payet twice led before going down 11-9 in the fifth as Chinese Taipei B went on to lose to their A team in the final.
In the singles, Huang was again the nemesis for Enfield player Payet, defeating her in four in the last 16.
Payet had earlier won her group in style and then advanced to the last 16 courtesy of an emphatic win in the first knockout round.
In the doubles, Payet & Wong were knocked out in the last 16.
Tiana Dennison was also competing in Bratislava, winning her first group match but being eliminated on countback and having to settle for a place in the consolation singles.
She and doubles partner Danijela Karkusova of Serbia won their first-round match but were eliminated in the last 16. They did not progress from the group stage of the team event.
Results
Cadet Girls’ Singles
Qualifying Group 8
Tiana Dennison bt Jana Terezkova (SVK) 3-2 (5-11, 11-8, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8)
Sarah Ender (AUT) bt Dennison 3-1 (6-11, 11-3, 12-10, 13-11)
Anastasia Bondareva (GER) bt Dennison 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-8)
Qualifying Group 12
Denise Payet bt Eliska Stullerova (SVK) 3-0 (11-0, 11-3, 12-10)
Payet bt Emilija Riliskyte (LTU) 3-1 (11-9, 11-7, 10-12, 11-6)
Payet bt Palina Harelava (BLR) 3-0 (11-5, 11-6, 11-7)
Round of 32
Payet bt Renata Lacenova (SVK) 3-0 (11-6, 11-2, 11-5)
Round of 16
Yu-Jie Huang (TPE) bt Payet 3-1 (11-8, 11-8, 3-11, 11-8)
Consolation Singles
Round of 32
Martina Novakova (CZE) bt Dennison 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-6)
Girls’ Doubles
Round of 32
Dennison & Danijela Karkusova (SRB) bt Palina Harelava & Vera Volkava (BLR) 3-2 (11-7, 12-14, 11-7, 5-11, 11-4)
Round of 16
Emilija Riliskyte & Kornelija Riliskyte (LTU) bt Dennison & Karkusova 3-0 (11-6, 11-0, 11-0)
Leonie Berger & Sophia Klee (GER) bt Payet & Chin Yau Wong (HKG) 3-1 (11-8, 11-5, 9-11, 11-9)
Girls’ Team
Group B
Chinese Taipei B 3 England-Serbia 0
Ju-Chia Chang bt Dennison 3-0 (11-6, 12-10, 11-5)
Germany B 3 England-Serbia 0
Jana Kirner bt Dennison 3-0 (11-6, 12-10, 11-3)
Poland B 3 England-Serbia 1
Zuzanna Koziol bt Dennison 3-1 (11-6, 11-2, 5-11, 11-8)
Zuzanna Sulek bt Dennison 3-1 (11-4, 11-9, 5-11, 11-8)
Group C
Hong Kong-England 3 Czech Republic B 0
Payet bt Kristyna Penkavova 3-1 (11-7, 11-5, 4-11, 11-8)
Hong Kong-England 3 Belarus B 0
Payet bt Vera Volkava 3-0 (11-2, 11-5, 11-4)
Hong Kong-England 3 France A 0
Payet bt Chloe Comis 3-0 (11-1, 11-1, 11-7)
Quarter-finals
Hong Kong-England 3 France B 1
Lou Frete bt Payet 3-1 (11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4)
Semi-finals
Chinese Taipei B 3 Hong Kong-England 2
Ju-Chia Chang bt Payet 3-1 (11-6, 8-11, 11-2, 11-3)
Yu-Jie Huang bt Payet 3-2 (8-11, 12-10, 8-11, 12-10, 11-9)