Bulgarian badminton players Stefani and Gabriela Stoeva are continuing their successful participation in the World Tour Super 500 tournament in Yeosu City, Republic of Korea. The competition has a $500,000 prize fund, and the sisters have already secured a place among the top eight pairs in the draw.
The five-time European champions, who are seeded third, received a bye in the first round. In the second round, however, they had to overcome a serious challenge from Japan’s Ririna Hiramoto and Chiharu Shida.
The Bulgarians lost the first game 19:21, but showed character and managed to turn the match around. Stefani and Gabriela won the next two games 21:18 and 21:19 to close out the match after 66 minutes of play.
In the battle for a place in the semifinals and a guaranteed medal, the Stoeva sisters will face eighth-seeded Americans Lauren Lam and Alison Kwin Lee. The match is scheduled for tomorrow.
In the mixed doubles tournament, Gabriela Stoeva and Evgeni Panev were unable to overcome second-seeded Chinese players Guo Xin Wa and Chen Fang Hui. The Bulgarian pair lost 8:21, 11:21 in 20 minutes.
Last week, Stefani and Gabriela Stoeva won bronze medals at a tournament in Saarbrücken, Germany. Their next challenge will be the World Tour Super 500 tournament in the Japanese city of Kumamoto.