England’s women have qualified for the European Championship finals!

They put in a superb performance as Tin-Tin Ho won twice – completing an unbeaten event – and Tianer Yu took the decisive final match as they beat Slovenia 3-2 in Sarajevo today.

It completed a brilliant 100% campaign at the European Team Qualification Event, booking a place at the finals in Croatia in October alongside England men, who qualified automatically.

Ho went out at No 1 for the first time this tournament, up against Sara Tokic, ranked 103 places below her at No 295.

It was an increasingly impressive win for the England No 1 as she took it 11-8, 11-6, 11-3, a visibly frustrated Tokic twice serving into the net in the third game, the second time bringing up seven match points.

Yu won the first 11-8 against Ana Tofant, who is ranked well over 300 places above her in the world. Tofant levelled 11-7 in the second.

The third was tight, but it was Tofant who had the game points at 10-9 and 11-10, taking the second of them. She then stamped her authority on the fourth game, winning it 11-3.

Kararina Strazar (WR 586) came into the Slovenia team in place of the higher-ranked Lara Opeka, who had played the previous match.

If that was a decision made with a match against Jasmin Wong – currently unranked – in mind, it worked as Strazar took the first 13-11, having saved a Wong game point at 10-11, and then pulled away in the next two to put Slovenia 2-1 ahead.

Ho, unbeaten at this tournament, maintained that record with only one sticky patch as she lost the third game against Tofant, which set up a final clash between Yu and Tokic, the winner ensuring qualification for their team, with the losers facing another play-off.

The match-up was world No 627 taking on No 295, although Yu could draw on having beaten Switzerland’s Rachel Moret (WR 135) on Thursday in the first stage.

The 17-year-old calmly saved three game points before taking the first 13-11, and she led the second 8-6 (having been 5-1 down) only to see Tokic come back with five successive points.

Tokic, as she had at crucial moments against Ho, served into the net just before taking her timeout at 0-3 in the third, but she looked increasingly ragged as Yu ran through the game 11-3.

Yet another serve into the net followed at 1-2 in the fourth and confidence was now coursing through Yu. She tightened up a little at 8-2, John Murphy calling the timeout when the score became 8-5. It did the trick, and Yu took her second match point to put England through to the finals.

On Friday, England moved to within one victory from qualifying by beating Norway 3-1.

England fell behind when Martine Toftaker – Norway’s top player at world No 360 – recovered from losing the first game to Yu to win in four.

However, Ho won in three straight against Christine Kalvatn to level up and Wong then bounced back from losing the first to defeat Filippa Skjold-Hinze in four.

Toftaker managed to win a tight opener 14-12 against Ho in Match 4, but thereafter there were no alarms for the England No 1 as she conceded only 11 points across the next three games to secure England’s 3-1 victory.

Results

England 3 Norway 1
Martine Toftaker bt Tianer Yu 3-1 (11-8, 11-8, 5-11, 11-6)
Tin-Tin Ho bt Christine Kalvatn 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-4)
Jasmin Wong bt Filippa Skjold-Hinze 3-1 (8-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-7)
Ho bt Toftaker 3-1 (12-14, 11-4, 11-3, 11-4)

England 3 Slovenia 2
Ho bt Sara Tokic 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-3)
Ana Tofant bt Yu 3-1 (8-11, 11-7, 12-10, 11-3)
Katarina Strazar bt Wong 3-0 (13-11, 11-4, 11-3)
Ho bt Tofant 3-1 (11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 11-7)
Yu bt Tokic 3-1 (13-11, 8-11, 11-3, 11-7)