Article by Roxana Fleşeru, Daniel Grigore – Published Friday, 08 May 2026 22:05 / Updated Friday, 08 May 2026 23:57
World medal for the female table tennis team of Romania! Andrei Filimon's students defeated the French national team in the quarters of the World Championship, 3-1 in London, thus securing their first appearance on the world podium after 26 years!
- Next up is China in the semifinals on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Romania has the medal secured because both losers from the penultimate act climb together on the third step of the podium.
- The Romanian team had not been on the world podium since 2000, when Otilia Bădescu, Ana Gogoriță, Antonela Manac and Mihaela Șteff put their world bronze medals around their necks. The women's team's record at the World Championships includes five gold medals (1950, '51, '53, '55, '56), four silver (1952, '57, '63, '69) and four bronze (1939, '48, '61, 2000).
Romania – France 3-1 in the semifinals of the World Championship
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Match 1: Adina Diaconu – Jia Nan Yuan 2-3 (11-7, 11-13, 8-11, 11-8, 5-11)
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Match 2: Bernadette Szocs – Prithika Pavade 3-2 (11-7, 11-9, 11-13, 5-11, 11-2)
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Match 3: Andreea Dragoman – Charlotte Lutz 3-1 (11-6, 11-7, 6-11, 11-6)
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Match 4: Bernadette Szocs – Jia Nan Yuan 3-1 (10-12, 11-6, 11-4, 14-12)
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Match 5 it would have been between Adina Diaconu and Prithika Pavade.
Bernadette Szocs brought the decisive victory
In the fourth confrontation of any meeting at the World Team Championship, the leaders of the representative teams meet. In this case, Bernadette Szocs and Jia Nan Yuan, both of whom have a Table 1 win at OVO Arena Wembley in this matchup.
The Romanian and the French have fought many battles in the past, the Romanian, called “Trixie Pixie” by the English commentators, prevailing in seven matches out of ten.
But it wasn't going to be easy, because there was a world medal in the middle. Bernadette led 8-4 and 10-8 in the first set, but Jia Nan Yuan prevailed 12-10. In a match of strong nerves, Romania's best player kept her cool and prevailed 11-6 in the second set.
With his awkward and aggressive play, he made the third set look like a walk in the park, which is one of the characteristics of top athletes: to make everything on the court look easy, even though it is extremely difficult. He won 11-4.
Each point earned by Bernadette Szocs calmed the agitation of her teammates a little. But it was not easy at all to be in the field. Berni led 8-4, but the opponent came back to 8-6. “You can!” Eliza Samara told him. He reached 9-7, and his opponent was serving.
Berni knew what he was doing, procuring three match and match balls. He wasted two. “Calm”, he was called from the sidelines. But Yuan tied at ten. A carousel followed. It was 11-10, then 11-11, 12-11, 12-12, 13-12 and 14-12. The girls celebrated on the table.
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) bring the 14th medal for the Romanian women's team.
What color it will have will be determined in the last two days of the race. Andrei Filimon's girls meet China, the world leader and champion of the last six editions, on Saturday, from 14:30.
Chronicle of match 3: Andreea Dragoman – Charlotte Lutz 3-1 (11-6, 11-7, 6-11, 11-6)
Andreea Dragoman had nerves of steel and a lot of composure at this edition of the world competition. The 25-year-old closed the matches against the Netherlands and especially against Egypt, where the score was 2-2 before her match.
She collected six games in London, three of which were victories, and the seventh was played against Charlotte Lutz. Andreea was the silent player at the table, celebrating each success with a clenched fist. He prevailed 11-6 in the first set.
“Serve what you feel,” Andrei Filimon told him at 10-7 in the second set. And she served perfectly, the French sending the ball into the net. “Bravo!” shouted Eliza Samara, who stood on the sidelines during this match, just as it happened in the first match played by Romania against China.
Andreea then dropped the next set, her serve suffering as her opponent found more inspiration. But it was only a blink of an eye: Andreea got back on track in the fourth set, where she led 8-4. Dragoman led Romania to the advantage, after winning the fourth set 11-6 and 3-1 in the game.
Chronicle of match 2: Bernadette Szocs – Prithika Pavade 3-2
The second match of the clash was between Bernadette Szocs and Prithika Pavade. Berni played the most matches for Romania at this World Team Championship, playing seven matches and winning five.
The 26th player in the world started the match with Pavade knowing that the Frenchwoman had not been able to beat her until then. Even though she was leading, Bernadette Szocs' face never showed doubt. He prevailed 11-7 in the first set.
The second was more even, and Bernadette, who throughout the contest had not been very vocal, did so when she took the lead 8-7. Then he left only one point to his opponent, winning 11-8.
The young French managed four consecutive points at the beginning of the third set, managing to sow some doubt in the game of the Romanian, something that would be seen in the end. The Romanian equalized at 9, then missed two match balls. Pavade won 13-11, then 11-5. Again, it was decisive.
The number one in the Romanian team had to reset for the most important set of the match. Like a predator targeting its prey, Bernadette Szocs played the first points, putting an impressive 7-1 on the table. He didn't stay long at the table, winning the game 11-2 and 3-2.
Chronicle of match 1: Adina Diaconu – Jia Nan Yuan 2-3
Andrei Filimon surprised when he appointed Adina Diaconu as Romania's second player, to start the match between France and Romania, against Jia Nan Yuan. The Romanian had played only one match at the World Championship, in the very first meeting, the one played against China. Moreover, Adina had lost the two previous matches and there are many places that separate them in the ranking, the French being on the 24th place in the world ranking, and the Romanian on the 145th.
But there are other things that matter in table tennis. And this was proven by Adina in the first set, which she won 11-7, impressing the English commentators with the spin generated.
Diaconu distanced herself in the second set, but a time-out by the French coach changed the tactics of the 40-year-old French woman a bit. He came close to 9-8, at which point Andrei Filimon and his colleagues intervened, who instilled confidence in his shots. Diaconu had two set points, but he did not succeed, and the set went into overtime. Yuan also saved the third set point and then closed it 13-11.
Thinking about the missed chances, Adina Diaconu no longer found the inspiration from the first set. She led 9-3, then closed to 9-6 and 10-8. But she succumbed in a long exchange, and her opponent distanced herself to 2-1 in sets.
The pressure was immense on Adina's shoulders, who used all her weapons to push the match into the decider. He took the lead after 13 points, 7-6 on the table. A six-point run followed, leading 9-6. Yuan came back and made it 9-8, then faulted, and the Romanian had two balls to take the match to the decider. The serve helped her, and the match reached the fifth set.
The French was the first to pull away, leading 6-3, then 7-3. Under the eyes of the men's team of France, the number one of the women's representative made point after point. Diaconu broke her streak at 8-4, but she couldn't do more, she lost the set 5-11 and the match 2-3.
Romania has in the team Bernadette Szocs (31 years old, 26th place in the world), 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).
The Romanian team entered the arena around 19:05, to the rhythms of the “Made in Romania” manele, fashionable these days. The last of our players appeared Bernadette Szocs, at which point they all shook their heads to Ionuț Cercel's lyrics.
Romanian players made their entrance on the Made in Romania channel
France relied on Prithika Pavade (21, #28), Jia Nan Yuan (40, #24), Charlotte Lutz (20, #54), with the team completed by Camille Lutz (23, #87) and Audrey Zarif (27, #113).
Romania went 6-0 with France in direct meetings
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. On the elimination table, it passed Switzerland and Italy.
Romania passed South Korea and Taiwan in the first phase and was defeated by China, then, in the elimination table, it passed the Netherlands and Egypt.
In direct disputes, the tricolor representative now leads with 6-0, matches recorded since 2015.
