The second day of play at the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup in the Omnisports venue in Montreux brings together the continent’s elite 16 players in the women’s event. With the main draw underway, Europe’s top stars are set to clash in a series of high-level encounters as they battle for a place in the next stage of one of the most prestigious tournaments on the calendar. All matches of the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup will be available live worldwide on ETTU.tv and YouTube ETTU official, except in the following countries and territories, where specific broadcast agreements apply and access is restricted (geo-blocked). In these regions, fans should follow the tournament exclusively on the official local broadcasters listed here. See the pictures by Remi GROS here. Maria XIAO – Elizabeta SAMARA 3-2 (8-11, 11-7, 24-22, 9-11, 11-6) The opening two games betwen Maria XIAOof Spain and Elizabeta SAMARAof Romania were shared, and the turning point of the match came in a dramatic third game. XIAO showed nerves of steel in a tense, high-quality battle. She raced to a 9–3 lead before SAMARA fought back to come back. XIAO reached game point at 10–7, triggering a nerve-wracking finish in which opportunities shifted from one side to the other. SAMARA had several chances to close it out, but XIAO seized her moment at 23–22 and finally secured the game 24–22. Competing in Montreux for the 16th time, SAMARA had reached the final last year, and her experience was evident. She responded in the fourth game, edging a tight contest to force a deciding set. XIAO, however, did not lose focus. Playing with control and patience, she managed the decider well to seal the victory. On her third appearance in Montreux, the Spaniard improved on her previous results, having finished ninth on both earlier occasions. “In the third game I think I had more than five set points. I was leading 10–7, if I remember correctly, and at that moment I felt a bit stressed because I really wanted to close the game. In the end we were both a little lucky, but I think I was slightly luckier in those final points. The key change was that I focused on relaxing my arm and simply playing my game, without thinking about the score. I just reacted to the ball and stayed in the rally. That mindset made the difference. After that, the fourth set went quite smoothly in SAMARA’s favor, and in the fifth my main priority was to keep the ball on the table, extend the rallies and avoid easy mistakes. I think that was important because Elizabeta became a bit tense and missed a few simple shots, which gave me extra confidence to finish the match,” said XIAO. Sabine WINTER – Xiaona SHAN 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-8) The all-German clash between last year’s semifinalists, top seed Sabine WINTER and No. 14 seed Xiaona SHAN, was a close contest, but WINTER never truly lost control. She justified her status by securing victory in straight games. “The first match of a tournament is always very difficult, especially against a teammate. Nana is a very strong player, and it was extremely important that I was able to win the second game after trailing 4–8. Otherwise, it would have been an even tougher battle to come through. I didn’t feel any of the muscular problems I’ve had in recent weeks during today’s match, I was pain-free,” explained WINTER. Jia Nan YUAN – Nina MITTELHAM 3-1 (11-6, 11-6, 5-11, 13-11) The clash between 2024 champion Jia Nan YUAN of France and 2021 winner Nina MITTELHAM of Germany highlighted the dominance of the more recent titleholder. After the opening exchanges, the pendulum swung decisively in YUAN’s favor from the third game onward. MITTELHAM maintained constant pressure, but YUAN responded with composure and sealed the victory in the fourth game. “I’m very happy because I had already played against her two or three times before and this time I finally won. In our previous matches, I think twice, I was leading 2–0 or 3–1, but I ended up losing 4–3. Even in the last game today it was very close. In my head I kept telling myself not to repeat what happened the last time. I stayed calm and focused on every single point,” said YUAN. Sofia POLCANOVA – Jieni SHAO 3-0 (11-5, 11-7, 11-8) After the the superb start in opening two games Austria’s Sofia POLCANOVA faced more challenging third part of the game. SHAO rose her play but Sofia whitstood the pressure. “ We’ve played each other many times, and I feel that against me she sometimes needs a little time to settle into the match. I’ve often had big leads before, even 2–0 or 3–1 and she has still managed to come back and play incredibly well. So I knew that even if the first two games seemed easy, the match was far from over. In the third set, she raised her level again and we had some amazing rallies. At 6–5 I was a bit lucky with a net ball, so today luck was on my side,” saod POLCANOVA. Austrian explained: “Tactically, I tried to step around more with my forehand. I had already done that in the first two games, but it became even more important in the third. I felt her backhand was very strong today and that I couldn’t break it with mine, so changing the rhythm and the placement of my shots was key.” Annett KAUFMANN – Ying HAN 2-3 (9-11, 6-11, 11-9, 12-10, 6-11) In the second all-German duel, 19-year-old qualifier Annett KAUFMANN quickly found herself two games down against reigning champion, three-time winner and fourth seed Ying HAN. KAUFMANN reduced the deficit by taking the third game and maintained her patience to break through HAN’s defensive play, forcing the match into a deciding set. In the end, experience proved decisive in the fifth game. “Annett didn’t start the match very well, but then played much

On the second day of play at the 2026 CCB Europe Top 16 Cup in the Omnisports venue in Montreux, the tournament’s biggest names entered the arena as the Round of 16 in the men’s event got underway. All matches of the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup will be available live worldwide on ETTU.tv and YouTube ETTU official, except in the following countries and territories, where specific broadcast agreements apply and access is restricted (geo-blocked). In these regions, fans should follow the tournament exclusively on the official local broadcasters listed here. See the pictures by Remi GROS here. Jonathan GROTH – Darko JORGIC 1–3 (14–12, 3–11, 8–11, 8–11) Last year’s runner-up and three-time champion Darko JORGIC opened his campaign with a win over Denmark’s Jonathan GROTH. After a neck-and-neck battle in the opening game, JORGIC shifted into a higher gear and tightened his control of the match. In the fourth game, the Slovenian led 9–5, but GROTH forced a timeout at 9–8. The short break worked in JORGIC’s favor, as he regrouped and sealed the victory. “I may have started the first game a bit too passively, waiting for Jonathan’s mistakes, and in a few rallies I was overly aggressive, going for full power. The opening round is always tough and very important, and that adds extra pressure. After that, I found my rhythm. In the second game I began to dominate with my serve, my returns improved, and my overall game became more stable. I avoided the quick mistakes I made at the beginning of the match. I’m happy with this first win. As I said, the opening rounds are always the hardest, the ice is broken and now we move forward,” said JORGIC. Anders LIND – Dimitrij OVCHAROV 3-0 (11-7, 11-8, 11-9) On his third appearance in Montreux, Denmark’s Anders LIND defeated Dimitrij OVTCHAROV, one of the most successful players in the history of the event, who has competed 16 times at the Top 16 and lifted the trophy on five occasions. “The opening round is always difficult. It never feels comfortable with new tables and new balls. Today I don’t think I played my best, but I performed as well as I could under these circumstances and got the most out of my game,” said LIND. LIND had previously faced OVTCHAROV twice, beating him most recently in league competition, but this time he introduced a new weapon. “I believe my serve made the difference today. I experimented with a few new variations and, for the first time in a match, I used some serves I had never tried before. They worked quite well. Sometimes trying new things can backfire, but today it helped me. I’m glad I took the risk and I plan to keep developing that part of my game.” Reflecting on the closing stages of the third game, LIND added: “I always get a bit nervous when I lead 2–0. I don’t really know why, but I rarely lose from that position, so it’s fine.” Anton KALLBERG – Benedikt DUDA 2-3 (6-11, 11-6, 11-5, 12-14, 13-15) European Championship runner-up and No. 5 seed in Montreux Benedikt DUDA recovered from a 1–2 deficit to defeat No. 9 seed Anton KALLBERG of Sweden. KALLBERG even held a match point in the fourth game before losing the duel by the narrowest of margins. DUDA claimed the opening game, but the momentum quickly shifted. KALLBERG’s powerful play dictated the pace and control of the match. The swing continued until 3–4 in the third game, when DUDA created his first real advantage and moved to three game points. Out of nowhere, KALLBERG erased them and surged forward to earn a match ball. Power and precision kept DUDA alive on the brink of defeat and forced the contest into a deciding game. The final exchanges were played neck and neck, with both players battling on a knife’s edge. “Anton played incredibly well today, much better than in my last clear win over him in the Bundesliga. He played the short game extremely well and produced some excellent forehand flips. It’s good to have won such a tight match in the first round. If it’s Möregårdh in the quarterfinals, I have nothing to lose, I’ve clearly lost the last matches against him.” Surviving match point in the fourth game proved to be a turning moment. “The most important thing was that I stayed in the match the whole time. After losing the first game, Anton started playing incredibly well, very aggressive and almost without mistakes, especially over the table. His forehand flick was so strong, like a Chinese penhold player. I don’t think I won more than a point or two against it. He was playing at a very high level, but mentally I kept myself in the game. Even when he had a match point in the fourth game, I believed I could still win and just focused on trusting myself,” added DUDA. The suspense carried into the fifth game. “Another key moment was at 6–6 in the fifth set. I lost two points on my serve and he had a big chance to finish the rally, but when he didn’t, I told myself to stay in the match because another opportunity would come. Staying that focused comes from a lot of mental training and experience. Matches are rarely easy — you don’t often step on court and win 3–0. Most of the time it’s a tough battle, especially in Europe where the level is so high. You have to accept that both players will win and lose points. In the end, it’s about making brave decisions, trusting yourself and taking your chances when they appear.” Felix LEBRUN -Alvaro ROBLES 3-0 (11-4, 11-8, 11-7) There were no chinks in Felix LEBRUN’s armour in his duel against Alvaro ROBLES, who had come through the qualification stage a day earlier in Montreux. “It was a great opening round, a solid 3–0 win. There were a few tense moments in the middle of