CHLOE AND SAM Magee got their 2019 European Games off to a winning start this evening.
By Chris McNulty at the Falcon Club, Minsk
The Magees overcame Evgenij Dremin and Evgenia Dimova from Russia 16-21 21-19 21-15 in Minsk after a hard-fought encounter.
A superb third game was the winning of the game for the Magees in a Group D that looked fraught with difficulty for the Raphoe siblings.
Dremin and Dimova, sporting heavy strapping on her left knee, took the first game 21-16.
The Magees hit back to win a frenetic second game, 21-19, having been 19-13 in arrears.
A blistering start shot the Magees 5-0 ahead in the third and they pushed on after the Russians came breathing on the hairs of their necks.
The Magees were bronze medalists in Baku in the first edition of the European Games in 2015.
The Russians went 3-0 up early on in the first game and maintained the advantage until the Magees found a rhythm.
The margin was down to a single point a couple of times, but the Russians broke 11-9 in front.
Dremin and Dimova opened a 16-12 advantage.
The Magees rallied, but the first game belonged to the Russians.
The second game began in a tit-for-tat manner.
Chloe Magee had the Donegal duo 6-4 up and another cracking shot from her racquet drew them level after the Russians hit three points in a row.
At the break in game two, it was the Russian team that led, 11-9.
Three times, the Magees came to within a point and they were briefly in front, 19-18.
At 19-19, the game and the match were finely poised and the Magees took the final two points to force a decisive third game.
The Magees are chasing Olympic points with their sights set on qualification for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Their best ten tournaments from May 2019 to May 2020 will count towards their ranking, with the top 16 pairs set to qualify.
MEN’S DOUBLES
JOSHUA Magee and Paul Reynolds lost out in their opening men’s doubles match
Raphoe’s Magee and his partner Reynolds were undone by number two seeds, Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge from Great Britain.
Ellis and Langridge, gold medalists at the Commonwealth Games, recorded a victory.
Langridge and Ellis took the first game 21-11 to take a firm advantage of the contest at the get-go.
Magee and Reynolds were level at 5-5 and again at 8-8 in the second game before taking the lead, 9-8.
A venomous shot from Langridge helped the Great Britain pair into an 11-9 advantage.
The British pair were on form and, bit-by-bit, inched away from the Irish duo.
Langridge and Ellis were soon at match point and Langridge forced the issue to take the win.
Tomorrow afternoon, Magee and Reynolds face Thom Gicquel and Ronan Labar from France in their next match.
WOMEN’S SINGLES
THE Magees’ niece, Rachael Darragh begins her women’s singles bid this evening when she faces Hungarian Agnes Korosi.
