The 2026 European Championships got underway at Arena Stožice in Ljubljana on Sunday, with the Women’s Singles group stage producing plenty of excitement from the very first matches. The opening round featured the second- and third-ranked players in each group, and several encounters showed just how little separates the competitors. Eight of the 23 matches went to five games, with some decided by the narrowest of margins. The home crowd had something to celebrate early on as Slovenia’s Katarina STRAZAR made a confident start against Austria’s Elina FUCHS. STRAZAR dominated the opening game 11-2 and maintained control to complete a straight-games victory. “I’m not surprised by my performance. Already before the match, I knew I would give it my all and fight till the end no matter what. I am, however, a little surprised by how quickly I got the feeling for the arena. I hit three shots well right at the start, though things could easily have gone the other way. That immediately boosted my confidence. After that, things started flowing, and I managed to outplay my opponent using spin,” said STRAZAR. Her compatriot Lara OPEKA came close to adding another Slovenian win. Facing Jersey’s Hannah SILCOCK, OPEKA recovered from losing the opening game to move 2-1 ahead. However, SILCOCK fought back, taking the fourth game 12-10 before closing out the decider 11-8. There was no shortage of drama elsewhere. Portugal’s Mariana SANTA had to dig deep against Slovakia’s Dominika WILTSCHKOVA. After five closely contested games, SANTA finally sealed victory 12-10 in the decider. Belgium’s Lessia LEWYCKYJ also needed all five games to overcome Sweden’s Angelina BEBAWY. Twice in front and twice pegged back, LEWYCKYJ eventually found the winning touch in the deciding game, which she took 11-9. Bulgaria’s Maria YOVKOVA followed a similar path against Ulyana MIASHCHANSKAYA (ETTU1), winning 3-2 after a hard-fought encounter. Her compatriots also enjoyed a successful start. Tsvetelina GEORGIEVA recovered from losing the opening game to defeat Serbia’s Reka BEZEG 3-1, while Viktoria PERSOVA overcame Wales’ Danielle KELLY by the same margin. Hungary’s Rebeka NAGY was another player pushed to the limit. Against Czechia’s Jana VASENDOVA, she won the third game 12-10 but lost the fourth by the same score before pulling away in the fifth to secure victory. Finland’s Marina DONNER also emerged victorious from a five-game contest against Hungary’s Judit NAGY, while Ukraine’s Anastasiya DYMYTRENKO started with a 3-1 win over Sweden’s Siri BENJEGÅRD. For Czechia, Hanka KODET and Karin GROFOVA had a much smoother passage through their opening matches. KODET conceded just 11 points in her straight-games victory over England’s Ella PASHLEY, while GROFOVA was equally convincing against North Macedonia’s Amelia UCE-NIKOLOV. England’s Tianer YU and Norway’s Martine TOFTAKER also opened with 3-0 wins, overcoming Latvia’s Sabina MUSAJEVA and Sweden’s Nomin BAASAN respectively. The Slovenian supporters had less to cheer in the remaining home matches. Laura RAHOTIN PAVIČ lost 3-1 to Portugal’s Julia LEAL, while Tjasa NOVAK was beaten in straight games by Poland’s Anna BRZYSKA.

France’s Alexis LEBRUN will arrive at the European Championships in Ljubljana carrying some of the finest memories of his career – and two titles to defend. Two years ago in Linz, LEBRUN produced a memorable campaign to become European Men’s Singles champion, while also joining forces with his younger brother Félix to claim the Men’s Doubles crown. Now, at 23, the Frenchman returns to the continental stage as a more experienced player and with an even stronger position among Europe’s elite. “For me, it is one of those amazing moments. I think it is my best memory in table tennis. I played at a crazy good level, so I have very good feelings when I remember that tournament. What I remember most is how I felt at the table. It was very special to experience that,” said LEBRUN. The situation in Ljubljana will be different. In Linz, LEBRUN entered the event without carrying the weight of being one of the leading contenders. Two years later, after adding more major titles and medals to his collection, he knows expectations have changed. “For sure, it is a little bit different. I think I have improved a lot as well. Before Linz, I was really an outsider, and now I would say I am not the favourite. I think Truls and Félix are the favourites, but I am just behind them. It is different, but it also gives me more confidence because I know I managed to do it when I was a big outsider. Now that I have improved, I know I have a chance to do it again.” LEBRUN has continued to strengthen his position at the top of European table tennis since his triumph in Austria. He won Team gold with France at the 2025 European Championships in Zadar and claimed back-to-back Europe Top 16 titles in 2025 and 2026. His record extends well beyond the continental stage. LEBRUN was part of the French team that won bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, helped France to World Championships Team silver in Busan in 2024 and Team bronze in London in 2026, while also winning Men’s Doubles bronze at the 2025 World Championships in Doha. With Ljubljana one of his major targets at the start of the season, LEBRUN has placed particular emphasis on his preparation. “I played a lot of tournaments to prepare for Ljubljana. We also went to China with our full staff to prepare for this event. For me, it is the most important event at the beginning of the season, so I will try to prepare as much as I can and be really ready for the tournament.” LEBRUN expects the battle for medals in Ljubljana to be particularly demanding, with the strength of European table tennis continuing to grow. “I think this year the level is very, very high. European table tennis has improved a lot in recent years, so in Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles it will be very tough, but I hope I will have good results.” Alongside his Singles title defence, LEBRUN will also have another European crown to protect with Félix. The brothers arrive in Ljubljana as the reigning European Men’s Doubles champions and the world’s top-ranked pair. “We are the reigning champions and also number one in the world, so of course we want to defend this title. It is never easy to win titles when you are the favourite because there are many very good players in Europe. We have prepared a lot in doubles for this event, so we will try to enjoy every match and keep going for the title.” Having entered Linz as an outsider and left with two gold medals, LEBRUN arrives in Ljubljana in a very different position – but with the memory of that remarkable week still providing confidence as he prepares to defend his European crowns.

Germany will arrive at the 2026 European Championships in Ljubljana with one of the strongest women’s line-ups in the field, headed by top seed Sabine WINTER and featuring Ying HAN, Nina MITTELHAM, Annett KAUFMANN and Franziska SCHREINER. The top four all enter the Championships with significant ambitions in the Women’s Singles event. WINTER heads the German challenge after an outstanding 2026 season in which she won the Europe Top 16 title in Montreux. The 33-year-old is a two-time European Women’s Doubles champion and five-time European Team champion, while her best Singles result at the European Championships remains the bronze medal she won in Munich in 2022. Despite entering Ljubljana as the top seed, WINTER is taking little notice of her position in the draw. “I haven’t thought much about the seeding so far. Unfortunately, being seeded doesn’t win you matches. What it does show me, however, is that on a good day I definitely belong among Europe’s best and can beat anyone there. Unfortunately, you don’t always play equally well and you aren’t in top form every day. Every one of my opponents there can play very good table tennis.” The European Singles crown remains one of WINTER’s major ambitions, although her preparations have been complicated by the cervical disc problem that interrupted her season during the summer. She has since returned to full training. “It’s true that becoming European Singles champion is one of my sporting dreams. I had actually set that as my goal for this October in Ljubljana. But in recent weeks I definitely haven’t looked ready to win the title. Becoming European champion is extremely difficult anyway. The slipped disc I suffered this summer certainly hasn’t made it any easier – and unfortunately it doesn’t simply disappear from one day to the next. But I am back in full training and, especially over the past week, I have been able to train very intensively. My form in training is improving. The dream for 2026 is not over yet.” Alongside WINTER, Germany can count on three-time Europe Top 16 champion Ying HAN. The 43-year-old is also a five-time European champion, with four Team titles and the Mixed Doubles crown she won in 2018. HAN, however, expects a particularly demanding battle in Ljubljana, not least from her own teammates. “My main opponents will once again come from Germany – and the European Championships are even more difficult than the Europe Top 16, where for a long time only two representatives from each nation were allowed to play. But I’m not putting myself under any pressure ahead of the European Championships. I’ll simply try to fight for a medal in Slovenia.” Nina MITTELHAM has come increasingly close to the Singles crown at the last two editions. She won silver in Munich in 2022 before adding bronze in Linz two years later. The 29-year-old already owns European titles in Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles and the Team event, leaving Singles as the missing piece in her European Championships collection. “Unfortunately, it’s not automatic, but it is definitely my goal! After all, it’s the only title I am still missing at the European Championships. I have worked well and played well over the past few months, so I am travelling to the European Championships in good form. I hope I can play my best table tennis, and then we’ll see how far that takes me. It certainly won’t happen by itself.” At 20, Annett KAUFMANN represents the younger generation of Germany’s challenge. Already European champion at U15, U19 and U21 level and a three-time German champion, she will now look for her first Women’s Singles medal at the senior European Championships. “I’m in very good form at the moment, even though I recently had to take a short break because of some minor elbow pain. I have developed very positively since the last European Individual Championships in 2024. Winning a Singles medal at the European Championships would be really cool. As for the colour, I wouldn’t mind for my first medal this time – it would be the first step. The title is definitely still missing from my collection and I absolutely want to win it one day. It certainly won’t be a walk in the park, but I’ve already beaten many good players. Naturally, that gives me confidence. But at such an important tournament, all the other players will obviously be highly motivated as well.” Germany will also have strong options in the Doubles events. WINTER will partner HAN in Women’s Doubles, while KAUFMANN joins MITTELHAM. In Mixed Doubles, KAUFMANN will play alongside Patrick FRANZISKA and MITTELHAM with Benedikt DUDA. HAN believes her partnership with WINTER could be particularly effective. “We’ve trained together quite well and we’re approaching it without pressure. I think we’re quite a good pairing. Maybe I even have a better chance of winning a medal together with Sabine than in Singles. One of our strengths is that, because of our playing materials as well, we are very uncomfortable opponents for anyone. And of course Sabine can immediately attack with her strong forehand whenever the opportunity arises. Basically, we have everything! I’m looking forward to the Doubles!”