Slovenke so morale v Portorožu priznati premoč Špankam | Slovenia had to concede defeat to Spain in Portorož

Slovenski reprezentanci se ni uspelo uvrstiti na zaključni turnir pokala BJK, ki bo septembra na Kitajskem. V kvalifikacijah je bila od Slovenija boljša Španija, ki je zmagala s 3:1. Po prvem dnevu je bil izid 1:1, danes pa je najprej zmagala španska dvojica Bolsova/Sorribes Tormo, odločilno točko pa je za Španijo prispevala Kaitlin Quevedo.

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V prvem dvoboju dneva sta bili v igri dvojic tekmici Veronike Erjavec in Nike Radišić Aliona Bolsova in Sara Sorribes Tormo. V zelo izenačenem prvem nizu sta imeli Slovenki pri rezultatu 4:4 tri brejk žogice, a sta Španki dobili tako deveto kot tudi deseto igro in zmagali s 6:4. Slovenki sta drugi niz začeli odlično in povedli z 2:0, potem pa sta Španki znova zaigrali bolje in slovenski dvojici prepustili le še eno igro. Drugi niz se je tako končal s 6:3. “Žal mi je za prvi niz. Vodili sva 4:3 in 40:15 na svoj servis, naslednjo igro sva imeli 0:40 na njun servis. Takrat sva bili morda malce neodločni ali pa nisva imeli sreče in prvi niz sta dobili Španki. Celotno tekmo sta stopnjevali svoj ritem, v drugem nizu sta namreč zaigrali še boljše in žal nama ni uspelo osvojiti točke za Slovenijo,” je po koncu rekla Nika Radišić.

Sledil je dvoboj najboljših igralk v obeh reprezentancah. Veronika Erjavec (99. WTA) in Kaitlin Quevedo (127. WTA). Pred manj kot mesecem dni je bila v Dubrovniku boljša Erjavčeva, tokrat pa je do zmage prišla Španka. Prvi niz je trajal kar uro in 12 minut, po podaljšani igri pa ga je dobila Quevedo. V drugem nizu so Erjavčevi pošle moči in Quevedova je zmagala s 6:2. S tem je bilo dvoboja konec, Španija se je z rezultatom 3:1 uvrstila na zaključni turnir pokala BJK, ki bo septembra na Kitajskem. Slovenija pa bo novembra igrala za obstanek v svetovni skupini. “Za mano je res naporen in čustven dan. Imela sem veliko priložnosti na obeh tekmah, predvsem v obeh prvih nizih, ki sta bila praktično že dobljena. A v tenisu ni konec, dokler ni odigrana zadnja točka. Moram priznati, da mi je na koncu zmanjkalo moči – vsega je bilo preprosto preveč. Z nogami nisem mogla odigrati tako, kot bi želela in kot bi morala, potem pa so se začele pojavljati napake. Tudi ona je odigrala izjemno dobro,” je po dveh današnjih dvobojih rekla Veronika Erjavec.

“Smo razočarani in žalostni, kar je seveda normalno. To je šport – včasih zmagaš, včasih ne. Kljub temu gledamo pozitivno naprej. Novembra imamo novo priložnost. Imamo odlično ekipo, treba je nadaljevati z delom in gledati naprej. Verjamem v punce – če odigrajo svojo igro, smo zagotovo ena boljših reprezentanc. Imeli smo tudi smolo s poškodbo Tamare. Ekipa je izgubila igralko, ki je bila v zelo dobri formi. Pri Veroniki se je videlo, da je bila zaradi napornega ritma nekoliko utrujena. Takšen je pač razpored v pokalu BJK – na žalost se ni izšlo, na koncu ji je zmanjkalo nekaj energije. Ko pogledaš nazaj, seveda lahko razmišljaš, kaj bi bilo, če bi bilo. Kljub temu stojim za odločitvijo, da je Veronika odigrala oba dvoboja. Tudi dvojica je bila zelo blizu – imeli sta dovolj kakovosti, da bi lahko zmagali. Morda je zmanjkalo nekaj sreče, in žal se ni izšlo,” je po koncu današnjega dne rekla kapetanka Maša Zec Peškirič.

“Ne vem še, kakšno je stanje s poškodbo. Opravila sem prve preiskave, rezultatov še nimam. Dober znak pa je, da lahko hodim. Kaitlin Quevedo je zelo dobro igrala že proti meni. Ne vem sicer, kako bi se razpletlo, če ne bi bilo poškodbe. Imela je odgovore na veliko stvari – tako proti meni kot tudi proti Veroniki. Tudi v dvojicah smo imele svoje priložnosti. En dan se obrne tako, drugič drugače. Ampak to je šport, to je življenje. Dale smo vse od sebe, podpiramo se do konca – naslednjič se nam bo izšlo drugače,” je rekla Tamara Zidanšek.

“Z organizacijskega vidika smo se zelo potrudili in mislim, da smo naredili vse po najboljših močeh. Pripravili smo tudi peščeno igrišče na stadionu, kar je bil velik izziv. Iz dneva v dan je bilo igrišče boljše, igralke pa so bile z njim zadovoljne, kar nam res veliko pomeni. Zadovoljne so bile tudi z organizacijo tekmovanja. Na igrišču so dekleta dala vse od sebe. Na žalost se ni izšlo, vendar verjamem v to ekipo – verjamem v punce, kapetanko in celoten strokovni štab. Prepričana sem, da bomo naslednjič pokazali, kaj znamo,” je rekla direktorica Tenis Slovenije Tea Starc.

Kvalifikacije za zaključni turnir pokala Billie Jean King

SLOVENIJA – ŠPANIJA 1 : 3

Petek:

Tamara Zidanšek – Kaitlin Quevedo 6 : 4, 2 : 6, 0 : 0, b. b.

Veronika Erjavec – Leyre Romero 6 : 4, 6 : 3.

Sobota:

Veronika Erjavec/Nika Radišić – Aliona Bolsova/Sara Sorribes Tormo 4 : 6, 3 : 6.

Veronika Erjavec – Kaitlin Quevedo 6 : 7(4), 2 : 6.

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Slovenia had to concede defeat to Spain in Portorož

The Slovenian national team failed to qualify for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, which will take place in China this September. In the qualifiers, Spain proved too strong for Slovenia, securing a 3–1 victory. After the first day, the score was level at 1–1, but today the Spanish duo of Bolsova/Sorribes Tormo claimed the doubles win, while the निर्णča point for Spain was delivered by Kaitlin Quevedo.

In the opening match of the day, Veronika Erjavec and Nika Radišić faced Aliona Bolsova and Sara Sorribes Tormo in the doubles. In a very tight first set, the Slovenian pair had three break points at 4–4, but the Spaniards won both the ninth and tenth games to take the set 6–4. The Slovenians started the second set strongly, going up 2–0, but the Spanish pair raised their level again and allowed them to win just one more game, closing the set 6–3. “I’m sorry about the first set. We were leading 4–3 and 40:15 on our serve, and in the next game we had 0:40 on theirs. Maybe we were a bit indecisive or just unlucky, and they took the set. They kept increasing their level throughout the match, and in the second set they played even better, so unfortunately we couldn’t win the point for Slovenia,” said Nika Radišić after the match.

This was followed by a clash between the top players of both teams: Veronika Erjavec (No. 99 WTA) and Kaitlin Quevedo (No. 127 WTA). Less than a month ago in Dubrovnik, Erjavec came out on top, but this time the Spaniard claimed victory. The first set lasted an hour and 12 minutes and was decided in a tiebreak, which Quevedo won. In the second set, Erjavec ran out of energy, and Quevedo sealed the win with a 6–2 scoreline. This ended the tie, with Spain advancing to the Finals with a 3–1 overall result. Slovenia will now compete in November to remain in the World Group. “It was a very tough and emotional day for me. I had a lot of opportunities in both matches, especially in the first sets, which were practically already won. But in tennis, it’s not over until the last point. I have to admit I ran out of energy in the end—it was simply too much. I couldn’t move the way I wanted to, and mistakes started to come. She also played extremely well,” said Veronika Erjavec after her two matches.

“We are disappointed and sad, which is completely normal. That’s sport—you win sometimes, you lose sometimes. Nevertheless, we remain positive and look ahead. We have a new opportunity in November. We have a great team; we need to keep working and move forward. I believe in the girls—if they play their game, we are definitely one of the stronger teams. We were also unlucky with Tamara’s injury. The team lost a player who was in very good form. You could see that Veronika was a bit tired due to the demanding schedule. That’s how the Billie Jean King Cup schedule works—unfortunately it didn’t go our way, and in the end she ran out of energy. Looking back, you can always wonder what might have been. Still, I stand by the decision that Veronika played both matches. The doubles team was also very close—they had enough quality to win. Maybe we lacked a bit of luck, and unfortunately it didn’t work out,” said captain Maša Zec Peškirič.

“I still don’t know the extent of the injury. I’ve had initial tests, but I don’t have the results yet. A good sign is that I can walk. Kaitlin Quevedo played very well against me as well. I don’t know how it would have turned out without the injury. She had answers to many things—both against me and against Veronika. We also had our chances in the doubles. One day things go your way, the next they don’t. But that’s sport, that’s life. We gave it our all, we support each other until the end—next time it will turn out differently,” said Tamara Zidanšek.

“From an organizational point of view, we put in a great deal of effort and I believe we did everything to the best of our ability. We also prepared a clay court at the stadium, which was a big challenge. Day by day, the court improved, and the players were satisfied with it, which means a lot to us. They were also happy with the organization of the event. On the court, the girls gave everything they had. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out, but I believe in this team—in the players, the captain, and the entire staff. I am convinced we will show what we are capable of next time,” said Tennis Slovenia director Tea Starc.

Billie Jean King Cup Qualifiers
Slovenia – Spain 1:3

Friday:
Tamara Zidanšek – Kaitlin Quevedo 6:4, 2:6, 0:0 (ret.)
Veronika Erjavec – Leyre Romero 6:4, 6:3

Saturday:
Erjavec/Radišić – Bolsova/Sorribes Tormo 4:6, 3:6
Veronika Erjavec – Kaitlin Quevedo 6:7(4), 2:6