MADRID, 25 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Madrid’s Beatriz Corrales gave the positive note at the opening this Monday of the European Badminton Championship, which is being held at the Gallur Municipal Sports Center in Madrid, while Clara Azurmendi from Gipuzkoa was eliminated.
Corrales signed a great comeback against the Israeli Ksenia Polikaporva, whom she defeated in a tough match decided in three sets by 20-22, 21-17 and 21-17, where the Spanish had the support of the public, which was key to seal her pass to the second round where she will face Serbian Marija Sudimac on Tuesday.
The local player started lively and took the initiative on the scoreboard, reaching a four-point lead in the early stages, but her rival reacted to balance things out and achieve a 0-6 run that gave her command (10-14 ).
However, this time it was the Spanish who replied and with a 7-1 they took the lead heading into the final stretch (19-18). The Madrilenian came to have an opportunity to the rest to take the partial (20-19) but she did not take advantage of it and Polikarpova ended up taking it.
Corrales took the hit and found himself behind at the start of the second set. The Israeli came to be six points up, but the one from Leganés did not collapse and clinging to the support of the public was able to recover their options.
Even so, Polikarpova was up 14-16, but could only win one of the last eight points and the duel went to a third and final set where things got complicated again for the Madrid woman, again very much in tow at the start. . Corrales once again showed ‘nerves of steel’, he recovered and once he turned the score around, he did not let go of his advantage to win a meritorious victory.
On the other hand, the joy could not be complete since Clara Azurmendi from Gipuzkoa could not overcome her debut in the continental event by losing to the Bulgarian Maria Mitsova in three sets by 21-13, 14-21 and 21-17.
The one from San Sebastián did not go into the match too well and was never able to take the initiative in a first round clearly dominated by her rival. The Spanish improved in the second, which she put on track with a 1-9 run that gave her a clear 5-12 lead, enough to extend the game.
In this decisive set, Mitsova started stronger and achieved a very wide lead (7-1), insurmountable for Clara Azurmendi who will seek better luck in the doubles draw together precisely with Bea Corrales.
For this Tuesday, the long-awaited debut of Carolina Marín will arrive, five-time European champion who returns to the competition eleven months after the serious knee injury that separated her from the Tokyo Olympics and the Huelva World Championship.
The Andalusian will face the Czech Katerina Tomalova in the afternoon shift (7:40 p.m.) on a day where Pablo Abián, Kike Peñalver, Alberto Zapico and Lorena Uslé will also make their debut, in addition to the doubles formed by Jaume Pérez and José Molares, Joan Monroy and Carlos Piris, and the aforementioned from Azurmendi and Corrales.