The 44th edition of the Queen’s Cup is about to start. Super Amara Bera Bera, Atticgo Elche, Motive.co Gijón, Mecalia Atlético Guardés, KH-7 Granollers, Grafometal Sporting La Rioja, Costa del Sol Malaga and Rocasa Gran Canaria are the eight teams classified for an always unpredictable and exciting final phase. the malagueñas, current champions of the tournament, they will try to revalidate the title by acting as hostesses at the Martín Carpena.
It is this Friday, April 21, when the expected ‘KO tournament’ begins with the four matches corresponding to the quarterfinals. Motive.co Gijón and Mecalia Atlético Guardés will open the curtain with the first match, which will start at 1:00 p.m.. Asturianas and Galicians star in one of the most even matches of the first round, as demonstrated by the three points difference between them in the regular phase of the Iberdrola Guerreras League. The team led by Ana Seabra will try to match the great role played in the last edition, in which they reached the final, while Luis Avelino’s team failed to advance to the semifinals, although they can boast of having a Queen’s Cup in their showcases (2018).
The winner of this duel will face the winner of the Super Amara Bera Bera-Atticgo Elche (6:00 p.m.), two teams with a long cup tradition that arrive at a very sweet moment in the competition. The San Sebastian team is the most successful active team in the Copa de la Reina, having lifted the title up to six times. Being champions of the regular phase of the League gives Imanol Álvarez’s men the favoritism they deserve, putting their immaculate streak of results to the test against a tough rival in just one game like the Elche team.
On the right side of the box, KH-7 Granollers and Grafometal Sporting La Rioja They will meet from 3:30 p.m.. Both teams have earned their presence in this final phase after a harrowing outcome in the second qualifying round and will seek to recover their best version in the Cup after failing to avoid qualifying for the play-down. The magic of the Cup allows Vallesanas and La Riojanas to dream of, why not, making history, clinging to the unpredictability of which we speak.
The team that manages to overcome the tie will face the winner of the strongest plate on Friday. Martín Carpena will roar loudly to receive the host team, the Costa del Sol Málaga, in a real match against Rocasa Gran Canaria (8:30 p.m.). Two of the most powerful teams in Spanish women’s handball will seek a ticket to the semifinals, with the inevitable favoritism that accompanies Suso Gallardo’s team.
The Costa del Sol will try to redeem themselves from the defeats at home in the Spanish Super Cup and the EHF European Cup, holding on to a competition that they have managed to lift on two of the last three occasions. The Gran Canarias, however, arrive without pressure at a Cup that they have also lifted twice throughout their history. Despite Rocasa’s irregular season, the collective potential and individual quality of Juan Moreno’s team provide for an exciting tie, with great stars on the track despite the notable absences of Sole López and Silvia Navarro.
The four winners of the quarterfinals will advance to semifinals, which will be held on Saturday, April 22, at 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.. The The fight for the title will take place on Sunday, at 7:00 p.m., putting an end to a Copa de la Reina that, why not, aspires to become the best in history. All the matches, without exception, can be followed live on Teledeporte and RTVE Play.