Yasmin Hamza played a highly prized tournament in Abu Dhabi. © PM SBS

Yasmine Hamza and the damn edge of the net

Italy's best badminton player almost delivered her third top result in three weeks. But 20-year-old Yasmine Hamza from Bolzano missed two match points in the first round match at the Abu Dhabi Masters. Hamza is expected to remain in the Olympic starting position in the “Race to Paris”.

19 October 2023

From: pm

Despite jet lag after her South American tour, Yasmine Hamza (SSV Bozen) put in a strong performance in the United Arab Emirates. Against Indian-born Disha Gupta (USA), Hamza led the “BWF Tour Super 100” tournament with 21:18 and 15:10. Gupta still clinched the second set 22:20. In the deciding set, Hamza led again, this time 16:10. But Gupta approached again. After Hamza initially fended off two match points, the Bolzano native was only one point short of reaching the round of XNUMX twice. This one would have brought just as many points as those Final participation in Venezuela and Peru, because the Abu Dhabi Masters is ranked higher. But Gupta had luck on her side. A smash hit the edge of the net but went into the field. Gupta ultimately won 25:23.

Now take a breather

“It’s bitter, of course, but it’s part of their development process,” analyzed coach Csaba Hamza. “Yasmine needs to learn to manage a lead better. At 20, there is still a lack of experience.” Hamza will now take a break to prepare for the next tournaments in South America. In the world rankings, the woman from Bolzano is in 89th place (best ranking), and in the “Race to Paris” she is in an Olympic qualifying place (36th). Hamza is expected to maintain or even slightly improve these positions despite being eliminated in the first round.

Another player from the SBS Südtirol Badminton School took part in Abu Dhabi. The Pole Weronika Gorniak surprisingly survived the qualification, but was eliminated in the first round.