All the favorites successfully navigated their hurdles in the crossover round of the women’s tournament at the World Championships in Singapore, advancing to the quarterfinals.
The crossover session began with Italy securing a hard-fought victory over China, winning 13:11.
The former world champion, the Netherlands, easily defeated New Zealand with a score of 14:9.
Greece and France were in a competitive match for nearly the entire first half; however, Greece dominated in the following 16 minutes, beating France 23:9.
Japan defeated Great Britain more easily than expected – 23:10. For the first time in history, Japan will play in the quarterfinals at the World Championships (both in the male and the female competition).
Croatia and Argentina secured convincing wins in the semifinals of the 13th-to-16th-place classification.
Road to medals
- Crossover round (July 17): Italy– China 13:11, New Zealand– Netherlands 9:14, Greece– France 23:9, Japan– Great Britain 23:10.
- Quarterfinals (July 19): Australia– France (OF1), USA– Japan (QF2), Hungary– Italy (QF3), Spain – Netherlands (QF4).
- Semifinals (July 21): winners QF1 – QF2, winners QF3 – QF4.
- Final Day (July 23)
CO Crossover round
Italy – China 13:11 (2:0,4:5, 5:4, 2:2)
Italy: Bianconi 3, Bettini 3, Ranali 2, Cocchiere 1, Gant 1, Leone 1,
China: S.Wang 2, Zhag 1, S. Yan 2, J. Yan 1, Zhou 1, Shao 1, Q. Zhang 1, J. Zhang 1.
China put on a strong performance, forcing Italy to dig deep to secure their spot in the quarterfinals. The European team’s experience proved to be a crucial factor in their victory, while China displayed a big potential.
Throughout the match, China trailed, but Italy had to put in significant effort to fend off its opponent’s attempts at a comeback. Italy’s jump to a 2:0 lead and a good opening of the second half were vital. Early in the second period, Wang halved the deficit by scoring to make it 1:2. From that point until the end of the first half, the teams exchanged goals, leaving Italy with a slim 6:5 lead at halftime.
Roberta Bianconi (Italy) Photo by Albert ten Hove/MTB-Photo
Italy started the second half strong, building a 10:6 advantage by the middle of the third period. Nevertheless, China fought back, going on a 4:1 run to narrow the gap to 10:11 by the 26th minute. In response, Leone scored during a man-up situation, extending Italy’s lead. The game then entered a long period without goals. With just 1:24 left on the clock, the experienced Roberta Biancone scored during another man-up opportunity, bringing the score to 13:10 and effectively sealing Italy’s victory.
New Zealand – Netherlands 9:14 (1:3,2:5, 4:5, 2:1)
New Zealand: Quin 3, McDowwal 2, Houghton 2, Spark 1, Dunn 1.
Netherlands: Van de Kraats 5, Keuning 2, Van der Sloot 1, Bosveld 1, B.Rogge 1, Joustra 1, Schaap 1, De Vries 1, Gorter 1.
The Dutch proved who the favorite was, but on the other side, New Zealand proved it had deserved a spot among the top 12 teams in the world.
The Netherlands built a significant lead in time, in the second period, but New Zealand didn’t surrender.
The 2023 world champion started slowly. In the 4th minute, Sabrina van der Sloot converted a 6 on 5, but the Dutch missed several chances after that, and paid for it. McDowall leveled at 1:1 from a counterattack a few minutes later. Then, the Netherlands found its rhythm and scored five goals in a row, quickly jumping to a 6:1 lead. They maintained a five-goal difference until halftime.
Maartje Keuning (Netherlands)Photo by Albert ten Hove/MTB-Photo
New Zealand reduced the gap to three (6:9) midway through the third quarter. However, that was followed by a Dutch quick 4:1 run, which put them ahead 13:7 before the final eight minutes.
Greece – France 23:9 (4:4, 4:3,8:0, 7:2)
Greece: Tricha 5, E. Plevritou 4, V.Plevritou 3, Gannopoulou 2, Xenaki 2, Patra 2, Myriokefalitaki 2, Santa 1, Tornarou 1, Krassa 1.
France: Heaurtaux 4, Andres 3, Vernoux 1, Michel 1.
The French, who didn’t shine in the group stage, stunned the Greeks in the first half, but the favorite dominated the second half.
Greece started strong, establishing an early 3:0 lead, and it looked like they would easily secure a victory. However, France quickly answered back, scoring three goals within just 1 minute and 9 seconds to level the score at 3:3. Giannopoulou then converted a penalty shot, bringing the score to 4:3. Yet, Valentine Heurautaux ended the first quarter with an impressive 25-meter goal just as the buzzer sounded, tying the game at 4:4. Heurautaux continued her momentum into the second period, scoring again and giving France its first lead of the match at 5:4.
Foteini Tricha (Greece) Photo by Albert ten Hove/MTB-Photo
The French went ahead once more. Vernoux scored for 7:6 in the 15th minute, but that was the end of their dream. Greece took full control of the match. The favorites scored twice in the last minute of the second quarter, to regain a lead at 8:7. They opened the second half with a 9:0 run. In the 25th minute, they reached a double-digit advantage for the first time (17:7) and increased their lead to 14 by the end of the match.
Japan – Great Britain 23:10 (6:2,5:2, 5:1, 7:5)
Japan: Ura 3, Kawaguchi 3, Sunabe 3, Nishiyama 3, Fukuda 3, Kobayashi 2, Arima 2, Inaba 2, Shitara 1.
Great Britain: Clapperton 2, Turner 2, Falvey 2, Cutler 2, Perkins 2,
Japan finished in 3rd place in its group, while Great Britain entered the knockout round from 2nd place in Group D. However, the Brits had easier tasks than the Japanese in the group phase, so they weren’t considered the favorites in today’s match. On the other hand, few could have expected that Great Britain would suffer a catastrophe. Many believed this would be an interesting game, but they were wrong.
In December, Japan and Great Britain played in the World Cup. The Asians recorded a 15:12 victory. Today, Japan, which has more experienced players on the roster than Great Britain, imposed its rhythm from the beginning. The Brits leveled the score just once – 1:1. In the following few minutes, Japan went on a 4:0 run. After Great Britain scored its second goal, Japan responded with five in a row to jump to 10:2.
Yumi Arima (Japan) escaped Britain’s defense numerous times. Photo by Albert ten Hove/MTB-Photo
The Japanese team maintained a strong pace throughout the match, boasting an impressive shooting percentage of 23 out of 35. Their most effective weapons were counterattacks and extra player attacks . The Asians scored five goals from counterattacks and had a remarkable conversion rate on power-play shots, successfully converting 6 out of 8. In contrast, Great Britain managed to score only three goals from their seven 6-on-5 opportunities.
CL 13th – 16th place classification, semifinals
Singapore – Argentina 9:18 (2:4, 1:6, 3:4, 3:4)
Singapore: T. Koh 3, L.X.Koh 2Yap 2, Wan Jun 1, Ong 1.
Argentina:Canda 5, Auliel 4, Bacigapulo 4, Mastronardi 2, Agnesina 1, Sampedro 1, Riley 1.
Croatia – South Africa 16:6 (7:2, 2:3, 2:0, 5:1)
Croatia: Jankovic 4, Stipanov 3, Glas 3, Rozic 2, Skelin 2, Desnica 1, Jazvin 1
South Africa: Meecham 2, Banks 1, MacDonald 1, Motau 1, January 1
Croatia and Argentina are set to compete for 13th place. Singapore and South Africa struggled to remain competitive even in the semifinals in the classification for 13th to 16th place.
Croatia, making its debut at the World Championships, improved its level of play throughout the group stage and dominated the match against South Africa.. After an opening tie of 1:1, Croatia quickly surged ahead to a 6:1 lead. South Africa managed to narrow the gap, coming within three goals at 5:8 in the middle of the second period. However, Croatia, led by Neli Jankovic, responded with an impressive 9:0 run, establishing a commanding 14:5 lead deep into the fourth period.
Neli Jankovic )Croatia) Photo by Albert ten Hove/MTB-Photo
The matchup between Singapore and Argentina unfolded in a different way. Singapore kept pace with Argentina in the early minutes, trailing only 3:4 at the start of the second period. However, Argentina then scored eight consecutive goals, pulling ahead to a commanding 12:3 lead, effectively sealing the outcome of the contest.
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