The Women’s Doubles Event final at the 2026 European Championships in Ljubljana will feature two Polish players on opposite sides of the table after Zuzanna WIELGOS and Anna BRZYSKA (POL) and the Slovak-Polish combination of Tatiana KUKULKOVA (SVK) and Natalia BAJOR (POL) secured their places in the gold medal match.
Both pairs came through demanding semifinals at Arena Stožice, with WIELGOS and BRZYSKA recovering twice from a game down to overcome Germany’s Annett KAUFMANN and Nina MITTELHAM 3-2 (8-11, 11-9, 9-11, 12-10, 11-5), while KUKULKOVA and BAJOR produced an impressive straight-games victory over Romania’s experienced Bernadette SZOCS and Elizabeta SAMARA 3-0 (13-11, 11-6, 11-7).
For WIELGOS and BRZYSKA, the semifinal was a test of resilience. After losing the opening game, the Polish pair levelled the match, only to fall behind again. They saved their best table tennis for the decisive stages, taking the fourth game 12-10 before dominating the fifth.
“It was a very close match. We started badly and lost the opening game, but in the second game our positioning changed and we felt much more comfortable playing in that formation. Even so, we only won it 11-9, so it was still very tight. We then lost the next game, but we kept believing that we could turn the match around. In the fifth game, we were in control and played our best game of the entire match. We are extremely happy that we managed to win and that we will play in tomorrow’s final,” said BRZYSKA.
WIELGOS highlighted the importance of their complementary styles and the improvement in her attacking game as the match progressed.
“I think it was a very difficult match for us. We lost the opening game, which was also very close, and I felt that I did not play particularly well at the beginning because my forehand was not working as it did later in the match. In the following games, my forehand improved a lot. I was hitting the ball hard, and whenever KAUFMANN and MITTELHAM managed to return my shots, Anna was there to finish the point.”
She added:
“Just like in yesterday’s match, I think the key was that I played aggressively and Anna finished the rallies with her forehand. Another important factor was Anna’s backhand. She moved very well and kept up with the rallies. Even when her return with the long pimples was a little higher, our opponents often just pushed the ball back, giving me the opportunity to attack with spin or more power. I think we played very well together, and in the deciding game we were completely dominant.”
In the other semifinal, KUKULKOVA and BAJOR delivered one of the most significant victories of their partnership, defeating a Romanian combination with an outstanding European Championships record.
SZOCS won the Women’s Doubles European title alongside Sofia POLCANOVA in 2022 and finished runner-up with the same partner in 2024. SAMARA is a two-time European Women’s Doubles champion, having won gold with Daniela DODEAN in 2009 and 2012, in addition to collecting three silver and two bronze medals.
However, KUKULKOVA and BAJOR refused to be intimidated by their opponents’ experience. The opening game proved crucial as they recovered from 7-9 down to take it 13-11 before controlling the following two games.
“We are very happy. It was the first time we played against the Romanian pair, Bernadette SZOCS and Elizabeta SAMARA. I think the most important moment was the opening game. We were leading 7-3, then suddenly found ourselves 7-9 down, but managed to win it 13-11. After that, we played better and better. We were leading throughout the following game, so we are really pleased,” said BAJOR.
“At the last European Championships, we had match point in the semifinal against Baška and Hanna, but we lost that match. Now we are very happy because we have reached our first European Championships final together.”
KUKULKOVA explained how their tactical approach helped them neutralise the Romanian pair.
“As Natalia said, the first game was very important. We also won the toss again, so we knew I would play against Bernadette SZOCS in the first and third games because she does not like playing against pimples. I think it worked very well at the beginning. We went 5-0 up, and she could hardly return a ball. Of course, they came back because they are very good players, and that was normal. But we stayed calm and did our best.”
The Slovak player admitted that memories of their previous European Championships semifinal defeat briefly returned when they approached match point.
“The second game was also good, and in the third, I have to admit, we were a little lucky. When we were leading 10-6 and lost the next point, I thought, ‘Oh my God, here we go again.’ I remembered what happened at the previous European Championships. But this time we handled the situation very well, and I think we were the better pair.”
KUKULKOVA and BAJOR, bronze medallists in 2024, have now improved on that achievement and will compete for their first European Women’s Doubles title together.
Their adversaries, WIELGOS and BRZYSKA, have already secured their first European Championships Women’s Doubles medals, making Saturday’s final a meeting between an established medal-winning partnership and a Polish pair enjoying a breakthrough tournament.
