Zoranovic–Pepic win Women’s Pairs
Report of the winners at SMITH LIFE MASTER WOMEN'S PAIRS at the NABC 2023
It’s first North American title for two Serbian experts who prevailed after 104 boards to win from a starting field of 96 pairs, 52 of whom qualified for the final stage.
In the final, the pair defended during most of the morning session, and it looks like their 8 year partnership experience gave them a good edge as they scored well on the 16 deals they defended of the 26 board session. Have a look at the session recaps here.
In the afternoon, on nineteen of the 26 boards in the session, the women scored above 40%. Limiting their poor scores set them on a great path to success. A well judged double on Board 4 did not yield the necessary lead, turning a potential top into a bottom. But it was balanced by Board 26 when a double returned a complete top as Zoranovic and Pepic clipped poor Rojko in 2C for +500. Recaps here.
The qualifying scorecards can be viewed here Session 1. Session 2