The Moldovan women’s national team secured a crucial victory at the Billie Jean King Cup 2026 Europe Group III tournament, currently taking place in San Marino on the clay courts of the Centro Tennis Cassa di Risparmio.
In a key group-stage encounter against Kosovo, Moldova clinched the tie after winning both singles matches. Arina Gamretkaia opened the day with a convincing 6-1, 6-0 victory over Aja Broqi, before Abigail Rencheli followed with an equally dominant 6-0, 6-0 win against Altea Hajrizzi.
With Moldova leading 2-0 after the singles matches, the doubles rubber could no longer affect the overall outcome of the tie.
Earlier in the competition, Moldova had also recorded a commanding 3-0 victory over Iceland. As a result, the Moldovan team finished first in Group B, winning both of its group-stage ties. This achievement sends Moldova into the decisive stage of the competition, where the group winners will battle for positions 1-4 and compete for two promotion spots to Europe Group II.
Moldova’s squad for the tournament consists of:
- Abigail Rencheli
- Lia Belibova
- Arina Gamretkaia
- Daniela Ciobanu (playing captain)
The victory over Kosovo was particularly significant, as Kosovo had been widely regarded as Moldova’s strongest rival in the group. Prior to the tournament, playing captain Daniela Ciobanu had emphasized that Kosovo, having recently competed in Group II, deserved the utmost respect and attention. At the same time, the Moldovan team had made no secret of its ambition to finish first in the group.
Those ambitions were emphatically backed up on the court. Across the two singles matches against Kosovo, the Moldovan players conceded just one game, producing one of the most dominant performances of the day.
Competition remains intense in the other groups as teams continue their battle for places in the final stage. In Group A, Estonia, Luxembourg and Andorra are contesting the top spot. In Group C, the race remains open following Ireland’s 2-1 victory over Malta and Malta’s 3-0 win against San Marino. Meanwhile, Group D, featuring Armenia, Montenegro, Albania and Azerbaijan, also remains highly competitive.
For Moldova, topping the group represents an important step toward the team’s primary objective: promotion to Europe Group II. The decisive matches now lie ahead, where the tournament’s two best teams will earn advancement to the higher division.
The Moldovan Tennis Federation congratulates the team on this important victory and will continue to provide updates on the performances of our players in San Marino.
Daniela Ciobanu (playing captain)
