The opening day of the Top 12 interclub season promised a tough challenge for the Rostrenen Bad Club as they faced off against ASPTT Strasbourg, a team widely considered a strong contender for the championship.
Despite the formidable presence of the Bulgarian Stoeva twins on the Strasbourg roster, Rostrenen’s president Jacques Siberil placed his faith in his women’s squad, a gamble that ultimately paid off. the home crowd at Porz Moëlou was treated to the debut performances of Leo Van Gysel and Romane Cloteaux-Foucault, who previously competed for Air-Sur-Lys last season.
Last season, these two teams traded blows, ending their encounters with an even score. The question on everyone’s mind was whether this season would see a repeat of that parity. The players from Kreiz Breizh certainly hoped so, and for a important portion of the match, it seemed they might achieve it.
A Rocky Start for Rostrenen
Strasbourg wasted no time in asserting their favorite status. The Stoeva sisters dominated the women’s doubles, while the Tournenify-Zhang pairing fell in the mixed doubles, and Van Gysel lost his singles match to Dubovenko.This put Rostrenen in a daunting 3-0 deficit.
however, Rostrenen began to claw their way back. The Dutch powerhouse Noah Haase, Rostrenen’s top player from the previous championship, secured a crucial singles victory, as did Romane Cloteaux-foucault. Adding to the comeback, Beiwen Zhang, the American player of Chinese descent and a world top 20 talent, followed suit. Zhang, who had only played one previous match for rostrenen, demonstrated her class.
With the score tied at 3-3, the match hung in the balance, and everything was still on the table.
The men’s doubles match between Noah Haase and Xuefei Qi and the Strasbourg duo of Paul Tournefier and Léo Van Gysel went down to the wire, with the Rostrenen pair ultimately falling in three sets. Despite this setback, Rostrenen managed to secure their third draw in three matches against Strasbourg, much to the delight of the 300 passionate spectators at Porz Moëlou.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better start,” exclaimed Jacques Siberil. “The intensity and suspense were amazing.”
Match Details:
Men’s Singles
Léo van Gysel def. Danil Dubovenko: 11-21, 17-21
Noah Haase def. Clément Massias: 18-21, 21-17, 21-07
Women’s Singles
Romane Cloteaux-Foucault def. Rosy Pancasary: 21-16, 21-13
Beiwen Zhang def. Stefani Stoeva: 21-14,21-17
Women’s Doubles
Gabriela Stoeva & Stefani Stoeva def. romane Cloteaux-Foucault & Xuefei Qi: 15-21, 09-21
Men’s Doubles
Paul Tournefier & Thibault Gardon def. Paul Tournefier & Léo Van Gysel: 14-21, 16-21
Mixed doubles
Paul Tournefier & Xuefei Qi def. Nathan Begga & Gabriel: 16-21, 11-21
Noah Haase & Xuefei Qi def. Danil Dubovenko & Sharone Bauer: 21-18,15-21,21-11
