In the second day of the teams’ tournament of badminton at the European Universities Games Zagreb – Rijeka 2016 the teams moved into the quarter and semifinals ahead of the finals tomorrow afternoon.
The reigning champions, Uludag University, beat the team from Nizhny Novgorod University 3-1 and then the University of Rouen 3-1, putting them in the final to defend their position from last year. Speaking to Uludag players, Emre Lale and Sinan Yorlu, and their coach, they drew on their success last year, ‘We believe we will win again, and it will be a present for our whole country.’
Meanwhile, the University of Strasbourg won against the University of Duisburg-Essen 3-1, then going on to beat Erzincan University 3-2, placing them in the finals tomorrow as well. Unlike their to-be opponents, however, the team did not even compete in the EUSA Championships last year. After their match against the team from Erzincan, team member Rosy Pancasari spoke of her happiness: ‘It’s our first time competing, so I’m very excited for tomorrow – a little bit afraid, but also excited.’
Elsewise in the semifinals, the University of Bordeaux lost to the University of Duisburg-Essen 1-3, the University of Nottingham beat the University of Groningen 3-2, while Nizhny Novgorod University scored 3-2 against the University of Hamburg. Opole University beat the team from the University of Bern Applied Sciences 3-0, the University of Lisbon scored 3-1 against the University of Zagreb, and the University of Geneva lost 0-3 after playing the University of Kharkiv. The University of Rijeka suffered a 1-3 defeat against the University of Madrid. Klaipeda University won 3-2 when playing the team from the University of Nicosia.
The final between Strasbourg and Uludag will take place at the Hall of Sports tomorrow at 13.00, with matches determining lower ranking starting earlier in the day at 9.00. Following the conclusion of the teams’ tournament, the draw for the individuals’ tournament will be held at 17.00.
