Zaharia ckinches title in Qatar

 Elena Zaharia has pulled-off an epic comeback to take the U19 Girls' Singles title at WTT Youth Contender Doha 2023.

At the first WTT Youth Series event of the year, Zaharia defeated Lee Daeun, overcoming a two-game deficit to win in a full-distance thriller (5-11, 4-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7).

The World Youth No.4 came in to the event as the top seed and didn't disappoint, posting back-to-back five-game wins on her path to the silverware. It was however that provided the most difficult competition for Zaharia. The athlete from Korea Republic is no stranger to WTT success, having scored four Youth Series titles in 2022. The two-game lead however wasn't enough as Zaharia refused to crack under pressure and landed three consecutive games for the win.

It's a perfect start to the year for the former World Youth No.1. Zaharia secured two WTT Youth Series titles last year, but will be out to bag even more titles this year as she endeavours to regain her top standing on the youth ladder.

It wasn't just singles success for the Romania as she took home two titles, partnering up with Darius Movileanu in the U19 Mixed Doubles. The duo topped the podium by overcoming Eduard Ionescu and Ioana Singeorzan in straight games (11-8, 12-10, 11-5).

“It’s our first match together this year, and we hope to win even more. It was a tough final as we played against our teammates. I want to congratulate them as they made the final and they played very well.” Elena Zaharia

With a taste of WTT Youth Series titles straight out the gate, the Romanian star is already eyeing off more success.

“For the next tournament the plan is to make semifinals, finals and more medals.” Elena Zaharia

Eduard Ionescu picked up his second U19 career title in Doha.

While Eduard Ionescu fell short in the Mixed Doubles final, he wasn't leaving Doha empty handed. The World Youth No.16 picked up his second ever WTT Youth Series win, defeating Andrei Istrate 3-2 (11-9, 11-5, 5-11, 6-11, 11-8) in the U19 Boys' Singles final.

The victory in Doha will keep the momentum going for Ionescu after a strong showing in 2022. The Romanian picked up his first title last year at Youth Contender Szombathely, while also winning the European Youth Championships. Be sure to watch out for Ionescu in action at the upcoming Youth Star Contender Tunis as he looks to keep the hot-streak alive.