“It will be a tough fight”

Bernadette Szocs, Eliza Samara and Andreea Dragoman took Romania to the quarter-finals of the World Championship for the second edition in a row, beating Egypt 3-2 and many emotions. Because they performed very well in the first phase of the competition, where they recorded two victories in the favorites group, they will meet a team from Europe, not one from Asia, in the quarterfinals.

On Friday, from 19:00, the “tricolors” will duel with France for a place in the semi-finals, implicitly for a place on the podium. The losers from the penultimate act climb together on the third step of the podium. The Romanian national team has not been on the world podium since 2000, while the French team is a bronze medalist at the previous edition, which took place in 2024 in Busan.

The Romanian team at the last editions of the World Championship

• 2024 – quarter-finals (Japan 0-3)

• 2022 – Round of 16 (Hong Kong 2-3)

• 2018 – quarter-finals (Hong Kong 0-3)

• 2016 – Round of 16 (North Korea 0-3)

• 2014 – quarter-finals (Singapore 1-3)

The team from Hexagon ranks fifth in the world ranking, while Romania is seventh.

In the round of 16, the French beat Italy 3-0 on Wednesday. Points were scored by Jia Nan Yuan (40, #24), Prithika Pavade (21, #28) and Charlotte Lutz (20, #54), with Camille Lutz (23, #87) and Audrey Zarif (27, #113) rounding out the team.

In the first phase of the WC, France was part of the second group of favorites, managing to beat England, but being defeated by Germany and Japan. They passed Switzerland and Italy in the elimination table.

Romania has in the team Bernadette Szocs (31 years old, #26), Eliza Samara (37 years old, #44), Andreea Dragoman (25 years old, #57), Adina Diaconu (26 years old, #145) and Elena Zaharia (21 years old, #106).

Prithika Pavade: “We will evolve with heart and mind”

In the first phase of the competition, it passed South Korea and Taiwan, being defeated only by China. In the knockout phase, it overcame the Netherlands and Egypt.

While Romania is the European runner-up, France failed to get out of the groups at the 2025 edition of the continental competition, a result that still haunts the players in the Hexagon.

“Our goal is to play well, to have harmony between us and to show beautiful tennis, and the results will come,” said Prithika Pavade for L'Equipe after the round of sixteen victory.

On Wednesday evening, immediately after the victory with Italy, she told the interview on the field how she sees the meeting with Romania. “It will be a tough fight, we want to defend our medal. We will perform with heart and mind. In such meets you have to give everything,” concluded Prithika Pavade.

The quarter-finals of the women's draw in London