On the fifth day of play at the European Team Championships in Zadar, the top 16 teams battled for a place in the quarter-finals.
Poland – Austria 3–2
Poland advanced to the quarter-finals after a thrilling 3–2 victory over Austria. For the Polish side, Natalia BAJOR, Zuzanna WIELGOS, and Katarzyna WĘGRZYN each contributed to the decisive scoreline.
In Austria’s team, Sofia POLCANOVA secured two wins, but Karoline MISCHEK and Yuan LIU were unable to provide the needed support.
“The key was to stay in the match despite POLCANOVA’s two wins, we knew she would get them,” said WIELGOS.“For me, the receive is the most important part of my game, and I’m happy it worked well today. I was very stressed; playing a decisive match at such an important stage of the Championships didn’t make it easier.However, I managed to stay focused until the end.”
Ukraine – Hungary 3–0
Ukraine’s trio of Margaryta PESOTSKA, Veronika MATIUNINA, and Tetyana BILENKO halted Hungary’s progress with a commanding 3–0 victory.
For Hungary, Georgina POTA, Rebeka NAGY, and Johanna PETERY were unable to find a way through.
PESOTSKA’s opening win over POTA (3–1) proved decisive, setting the tone for Ukraine’s overall success.
“My match against POTA was very close because we’ve played each other many times and know each other’s game well,” explained PESOTSKA.
“I needed to stay calm and focused in the key moments. I managed to do that, and it was a very tight win. The crucial part of our team victory was to stop Georgina.”
Portugal – Luxembourg 3–0
Portugal’s trio Fu YU, Jieni SHAO, and Julia LEAL advanced to the quarter-finals with a 3–0 victory over Luxembourg’s Sarah DE NUTTE, Tessy DUMONT, and Enisa SADIKOVIC.
One of the biggest surprises of the Women’s Team group stage, Luxembourg failed to claim a single individual win this time, but the scoreline does not fully reflect how hard-fought the match was.
Sarah DE NUTTE came back from 0–2 down to level the score before narrowly losing 10–12 in the decisive game, while Enisa SADIKOVIC also pushed LEAL to the full distance.
“At this level, it’s normal that we have to be at the top of our game,” said LEAL.
“It’s already Day 5 of the Championships, and I’ve gained a lot of confidence here. Against Ukraine, I expect a really tough match.”
Netherlands – Czechia 3–1
Led by the refreshed Jie LI, the Netherlands defeated Czechia 3–1 to reach the quarter-finals. The Dutch team, Jie LI, Britt EERLAND, and Shuohan MEN, overcame Hana MATELOVA, Veronika POLAKOVA, and Hanka KODET in a hard-fought encounter.
LI claimed victories over both MATELOVA and POLAKOVA, while EERLAND prevailed against POLAKOVA. KODET secured the only point for the Czech side with a win over MEN.
“It feels like in every European Championship we somehow have to play Czechia,” reflected EERLAND with a smile.
“We were even a little surprised we didn’t face them in the group stage, it’s as if it was meant to happen in the last 16. It’s always a tough match against them. MATELOVA is a well-known player, and their younger ones already have medals from the youth circuit, so you can’t underestimate them. Sometimes it’s even more difficult because you don’t know exactly how they’ll play or what they’ll bring that day, maybe they catch fire and win big matches.”
EERLAND underlined the team’s determination:
“No matter what happens, we want to be there as a full, united team. We didn’t want to underestimate them at all. They also changed their order, so LI had to play MATELOVA at the end that was expected to be tight. It became a match with some extra tension, but LI fought through it really well. She didn’t put herself under pressure, she kept the pressure on the table, and that made the difference.”
Speaking about her own win against POLAKOVA, she added:
“Starting 1–0 up helped me to settle in. I noticed she played with a different rhythm and timing, so sometimes it was better just to slow the pace, touch the ball softly, and keep it on the table. I focused on small details, that’s how I won points. I’m happy I could keep that level for all three games.”
EERLAND also commented on Shuohan MEN’s loss to KODET:
“Our number three had already beaten KODET once before, so we knew she could be dangerous again. But when you’ve beaten someone before, you also expect from yourself to do it again and that brings extra pressure. We told her: ‘You don’t have to win, they’re the ones who must. Just put the pressure on them.’ She really tried to fight her own nerves, you could see how much she wanted it. In the end, it was a bit of a mental game.
It’s a pity she couldn’t take the match, but we were confident that LI could finish it for us and she did. I’m proud of how we handled it as a team. In the end, we did it together, and that’s what matters most.”
Spain – Sweden 0–3
Sweden’s team of Linda BERGSTRÖM, Christina KÄLLBERG, and Filippa BERGAND advanced to the quarter-finals after a commanding 3–0 victory over Spain’s Maria XIAO, Huan ZHANG, and Elvira RAD.
BERGSTRÖM and KÄLLBERG produced impressive performances against XIAO and ZHANG, setting the tone for Sweden’s success. In the closing match, BERGAND was pushed to the limit by RAD, but held firm to complete the sweep.
BERGSTRÖM on her match:“It was almost a perfect match. I could play the way I wanted throughout the three sets, and I’m happy I could secure the first point for the team.”
On the team’s performance: “It’s really strong to beat Spain 3–0. Stina played a very good match against an opponent she doesn’t like to face that much, and Filippa finished it off with a very strong win. It feels great to win 3–0.”
On the next opponent (likely Germany):
“It will be tough, they’re probably the best team here. But we’ll really give them a fight. It would be fun to break their winning streak since they haven’t lost a singles match since the European Championships before Malmö. We’ll do our best tomorrow and see how far it takes us.”
Serbia – Romania 2–3
In one of the most dramatic encounters of the European Team Championships in Zadar, Romania’s trio of Andreea DRAGOMAN, Bernadette SZÖCS, and Elizabeta SAMARA battled back twice from behind to edge Serbia’s Sabina ŠURJAN, Aneta MAKSUTI, and Izabela LUPULESKU 3–2 in the decisive fifth match.
After a thrilling four encounters, it all came down to the final duel between DRAGOMAN and MAKSUTI, with Romania eventually sealing their place in the quarter-finals.
Bernadette SZÖCS: “I felt a lot of pressure, of course. It wasn’t easy at all to go to the table when the score was 2–1 for them. But I knew what I had to do, and I knew how important it was for me to bring those two matches.
It was a very tough match, we’re very close in level. I’m really proud of myself for staying confident even at 2–1 down. Even though I felt the pressure, I managed to control myself and play well. I’m proud of that, and now I have more confidence going into the next duels.”
On the final match between DRAGOMAN and MAKSUTI, she added:
“I had a lot of emotions because it was such a tough one. But I believed she could win, so I tried to give her confidence and show that I was there to support her. I’m really proud of her for managing to win, because playing at 2–2 is never easy, it’s very tough. But she handled it really well. I’m just happy that we won, that’s the most important thing. It doesn’t matter who wins or loses individually; what matters is that the team works together.”
Andreea DRAGOMAN: “We expected from the beginning that it would be a tough match. We know they’re real fighters, every time we play against them, it’s always close. It was really hard to play at 2–2. I had a match point at 2–1, then it went to 2–2 again, but I tried to stay calm and focus on what I had to do. I think that really helped me.”
On her earlier match against Sabina ŠURJAN, DRAGOMAN said:
“ I know her well, we’ve played many times before. I won last time, so I was confident at the beginning. But I think the tables and the balls didn’t really suit my game this time, and she played very well.”
England – Germany 0–3
Reigning champions Germany continued their dominant run at the European Team Championships in Zadar, claiming their third consecutive 3–0 victory, this time over England.
The German trio of Annett KAUFMANN, Sabine WINTER, and Nina MITTELHAM overcame Tin-Tin HO, Tianer YU, and Ella PASHLEY in straight matches. Only Tin-Tin HO managed to take a single game, against KAUFMANN in the opening encounter.
“The start wasn’t great, but Tin-Tin plays an awkward style,” said the 19-year-old KAUFMANN. “I found my rhythm better afterwards and could finish the match quite confidently in the end.”
Sabine WINTER faced a few tight moments in the first two games against Tianer YU, before cruising through the third to secure Germany’s second point.
Making her first appearance of the Championships, Nina MITTELHAM, who had missed the group stage due to illness, showed strong form against 17-year-old Ella PASHLEY.
“I’m feeling better overall. In the rallies, I still missed a bit of rhythm, but that’s also due to the opponent and the hall. My serves worked well, and I’m happy with my performance.” said MITTELHAM.
Tomorrow at 13:00, the German women will face Sweden.
Croatia – Slovakia 1–3
Slovakia advanced to the next round, while Croatia’s campaign came to an emotional close in front of their home supporters. Barbora VARADY, Tatiana KUKULKOVA, and Ema LABOSOVA produced a spirited performance to defeat Hana ARAPOVIĆ, Lea RAKOVAC, Ivana MALOBABIĆ 3–1.
The home crowd saw Hana ARAPOVIĆ give Croatia a dream start with a dominant 3–0 victory over VARADY. However, Slovakia quickly regrouped. Tatiana KUKULKOVA edged out Lea RAKOVAC in a tense five-game battle to level the score, before Ema LABOSOVA turned the match in Slovakia’s favour by overcoming Ivana MALOBABIĆ 3–2 .
In the decisive fourth match, KUKULKOVA once again proved decisive, defeating ARAPOVIĆ 3–2 to seal the win for Slovakia and end the Croatian team’s hopes of a quarter-final spot.
Ema LABOSOVA:“I was actually really happy to play at 1–1, because if I had gone in at 0–2, it would have been different , the pressure would have been much higher, and I would’ve been more stressed. This way, I felt more relaxed, which was really important.
I wasn’t too nervous, because at 1–1, the match wouldn’t have ended even if I lost. I was leading 2–0 and had a tactic that worked, but then my opponent changed hers, and I started making mistakes. I stopped being patient, but luckily, in the last game, I managed to win a few, even some lucky , points.
At 10–8, I completely messed up because Kuky was shouting from the bench, ‘Don’t play too risky!’ and of course, I played risky. Then I told myself, ‘Okay, whatever, just go for it , you just have to win.’ Luckily, it worked out, and I’m really happy about my win.”
Tatiana KUKULKOVA:”The first match went exactly how we expected, but I treated it as if it were 0–0. It didn’t suit me at all , I thought it would, but it just didn’t. Somehow, I managed to win with a bit of luck.
Then, in the fourth match, I played incredibly well , honestly, I didn’t expect to perform that well. It was great. When it was 2–1 after the first three matches, there was a lot of panic , everyone was nervous about what would happen if we lost the next one. But then some calmness came. My opponent started playing worse; she had been very strong in her earlier matches but lost her rhythm a bit.
At 2–2, I knew I was in a better mindset. She had to win, but I could , and that made all the difference. In the end, we made it happen.”
