That place, that feeling. Eleven months have passed, but everything remains the same. Then, after destroying her knee, Carolina Marín reappeared in Madrid to end up raising the sixth European title followed by her; This Wednesday, the mysticism was not the same, but you always like to return to the places where you have been happy. And Carolina, who hasn’t won a trophy since then, wants to do it again. The first step is already given. Victory by 21-14 and 21-11 against Line Kjaersfeldt to debut at full speed (32 minutes) in the Madrid Spain Masters, a tournament that is the son, precisely, of the organizational success of the last continental championship. In the round of 16, the Olympic champion will face India’s Malvika Bansod (not before 3:35 p.m.). The next toll to the deja vu.
As in April of last year, their relatives were there with the word “Vamos Carolina” printed on a red T-shirt. And there was Kjaersfeldt, who made Huelva suffer in the quarterfinals. Nothing to see. Not a trace of that flu process that made him leave two weeks ago at the all england open. overwhelming. “From the outside it always seems easy, from the inside it gets a little more complicated,” she joked after the game. The precedents put them on notice and Marín buried them. Spanish and Danish had met eleven times, with ten victories (there are already eleven) for Carolina and only one for Line. The triumph of the Scandinavian player was, however, the last result between the two (in June, in Malaysia). The previous one, which reached the third set, was very fresh in the memory of many of those present. Since then, Huelva’s life has changed a lot and for the better. She plays without pain, she plays totally free. And she shows.
As in April last year, with the intention of emulating that story to the end, Carolina came out aggressive and pushed by the Gallur public, totally devoted to the Olympic champion, who pushed the Danish back. Solidity and confidence. With hardly any unforced errors, always close to the net, he forced Kjaersfeldt to protect himself with lobs (defensive lobs) that often went long. “The midfielder here is very fast and you can easily leave,” he analyzed after the victory. She turned it in his favor. Points without forcing, more intelligence than power. Efficiently, he distanced himself by little tugs: from 2-2 to 5-2 and from 7-5 to 11-6 to go calmly at the first break. The (little) sweat dried up, with almost no need to exchange impressions with his coach, Fernando Rivas, and continue. The plan worked. The floor, after a couple of slips, seemed the main opposition during a simple first set, but that prevented relaxation. In the Europeans, it had also been like that. With a subtle touch, he closed the set.
Close to 100%
Kjaersfeldt has improved, but Huelva, more. She never has enough. And the new weapons near the network are no accident. He put them into practice over and over again. With a 3-0 run, that remembered third set was drawing away. With eight more points in a row (11-1), she practically evicted him from memory. Without realizing it, the public sounded in unison. “Carolina, Carolina!”, was heard. Only half an hour had passed since, with that same song, she had received him again. Relaxed, she corresponded the affection with the sign of victory. “I am not 100%, but I am very close to it. In the first game of each tournament you have to control the steering wheel, the pavilion and the conditions very well. Playing at home is always exciting and people give you that little push”, he thanked in the mixed zone, with an infectious smile. Now that you play without discomfort, you are allowed to enjoy it. After a long process of injections and interventions to remove fluid from the knee, new insoles have appeared as a solution. Bless them.