On the second day of play at the European Team Championships in Zadar, the high pressure took its toll. Bronze medalists from Malmö, team France, failed to reach the Round of 16. After their surprising loss to the Netherlands on the opening day, today Spain, seeded No. 15, proved stronger than the No. 3 seeds.
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Maria XIAO, Sofia-Xuan ZHANG, and Maria BERZOSA secured a memorable victory over Jia Nan YUAN, Prithika PAVADE, and Charlotte LUTZ. Both XIAO and ZHANG were pushed the full distance but held their nerve in the decisive moments, winning by narrow margins.
“We went out there with nothing to lose. They were clearly the favorites, so we had to fight for every point. Things worked out because we believed in our chances and tried to take control of the match, and it went our way,” said Maria XIAO.
Sofia-Xuan ZHANG admitted that tension was high throughout:
“Honestly, I was really nervous. Even at the end, when I was shaking hands with the girls, I was still in my own world, it didn’t feel like it was really over. The match was very close: two went 3–2, another 3–1, all of them tight. We knew we were in a tough group, and if we wanted to advance, we had to find the right tactics and fight until the end. We did that, and it paid off. We’re happy with the result and ready for more.”
For Maria BERZOSA, this was her first appearance at the senior European Team Championships, and she rose to the challenge.
“To be honest, when I went into the match, I was very nervous. I played the first game nervously, but then I told myself, ‘I don’t feel like losing.’ She was the favorite, on paper she should have won, and we were already ahead. So I thought, ‘I have to give it my all,’ and the nerves went away.”
In Group H, the leaders Ukraine justified their status, securing top position and a rest day before the Round of 16, with no need to worry about the outcome of the third group match. After their opening win over Türkiye, Ukraine also defeated Slovakia.
Margaryta PESOTSKA won both of her encounters, against Barbora VARADY and Ema LABOSOVA, while Veronika MATIUNINA also overcame LABOSOVA. Slovakia’s only point came from Tatiana KUKULKOVA, who earned a strong consolation victory.
Sweden’s Christina KALLBERG, Linda BERGSTRÖM, and Filippa BERGAND overcame Austria’s Sofia POLCANOVA, Nina SKERBINZ, and Yuan LIU, with POLCANOVA earning both of Austria’s points by defeating KALLBERG and BERGSTRÖM.
“I felt nervous going into the deciding game. It was a match I was supposed to win, so it’s always special,” said Christina KALLBERG. “I got a good start, and her playing style suited me well, so it felt comfortable in the end. I also want to give credit to our bench today, they really showed our great team spirit.”
It is second win for Sweden after they prevailed against Greece yesterday, so they will have two days for rest.
“It feels great to win the group, and I think we deserve it. Of course, they have one of the best number ones in POLCANOVA, but I believe we are stronger as a team.”
