Fifteen-year-old Swedish table tennis talent Siri Benjegård was knocked out of the singles qualification tournament at the European Championships in Ljubljana after a straight-sets defeat to Romania’s Bianca Mei-Rosu, svt.se reported. Competing at Arena Stozice, the young debutant struggled to find her rhythm against higher-ranked opposition as group play concluded without a main-draw spot.
How Bianca Mei-Rosu Overcame Siri Benjegård’s Early Charge
Ranked 362nd in the world, Benjegård opened her match aggressively against the 191st-ranked Mei-Rosu, surging to a 6–2 lead in the first set. However, the Romanian player countered with her strong backhand to capture the opener 11–8, before securing the match 3–0 with subsequent 11–7 and 11–2 set victories, svt.se reported. Benjegård called a timeout trailing 1–4 in the third set, but the score continued to drift away from her.
Reflecting on the match, Benjegård noted that her opponent knew her style well while she struggled to adapt. “I am not super satisfied, I think I played a better first match, but she was better and I didn’t really get my game going,” Benjegård told svt.se, adding that they had played each other recently. “I think she knows my game quite well and I didn’t know her game as well this time. She got to play quite a lot while I became quite passive.”
Contrasting Fortunes in Qualifying Matches Across Ljubljana
Reporting from Aftonbladet detailed Benjegård’s parallel qualifying fixture against Ukrainian opponent Anastasija Symytrenko, where the Swedish teenager dropped a 1–3 decision while taking away positive experiences. In that encounter, Benjegård captured the second set 11–6 by exploiting her serves and return game, though an unfortunate start to the third set derailed her momentum before the eight-year-older and more experienced Anastasiya Dymytrenkoi took control in the fourth, according to Aftonbladet and Sydsvenskan.
Sweden’s other championship debutant, 16-year-old Angelina Bebawy, also suffered a narrow 2–3 defeat in her preliminary match against Belgium’s Larissa Lewyckyj, Aftonbladet reported. With group play restricting qualification strictly to group winners, both Swedish teenagers saw their singles campaigns end in the qualification groups at Arena Stozice.
Next Steps for Benjegård and Nomi Baasan in Doubles Play
Despite the singles exits, Benjegård remains active in the tournament draw alongside club teammate Nomin Baasan from Eslöv, svt.se reported. Baasan similarly dropped her parallel singles qualification match in Ljubljana, but the pair will team up for the doubles competition.
Looking ahead to their upcoming doubles partnership, Benjegård expressed enthusiasm to svt.se regarding the pairing. “We have played one match at the Swedish Championships together, but it was only one match,” Benjegård said. “It’s going to be great fun to get to play together.”
Keep reading
