Both the Men’s and Women’s Events were marked by surprises in the group stage, but several of the teams that arrived in Zadar as favourites managed to recover after early setbacks and bounce back strongly to secure their place in the Final Stage of the European Team Championships 2027, which will be held in Porto. After two rounds of play-off matches, Slovenia and France in the women’s event, and Austria and Czechia in the men’s event, booked their tickets for the next stage of the continental competition. In the Women’s Team event, France, represented by Jia Nan YUAN, Prithika PAVADE, and Leana HOCHART, recorded convincing 3–0 victories over both Wales and Türkiye to finish in positions 17–18 and secure qualification. Slovenia’s trio of Ana TOFANT, Sara TOKIĆ, and Katarina STRAŽAR faced far greater pressure, going the full distance in both of their encounters against Greece and Bulgaria, but ultimately prevailed to join France among the qualified teams. In the Men’s Team event, Austria’s Andreas LEVENKO, Robert GARDOS, and Maciej KOŁODZIEJCZYK overcame Ukraine and the Netherlands to clinch their spot in the Final Stage. Czechia’s Lubomir JANČAŘÍK, Pavel ŠIRUČEK, and Radim MORÁVEK also delivered a strong performance, defeating Italy and Hungary by identical 3–1 margins.

On the third day of play at the European Team Championships in Zadar, the teams seeded No. 2 and No. 3 in their respective groups fought for their remaining positions in the Round of 16, which will be played on Thursday. Additionally, the teams that reached the last 16 also confirmed their qualification for the 2026 World Championships in London. England – Greece 1–3 Group D: Portugal 2–0, Greece 1–1, England 0–2 Despite a strong start, highlighted by Tom JARVIS’s win over Ioannis SGOUROPOULOS, Greece secured their spot in the knockout stage as the second-placed team in the group. Panagiotis GIONIS overcame both JARVIS and Paul DRINKHALL, while Georgios STAMATOUROS prevailed against Samuel WALKER. “Today we knew we had to win 3–0 or 3–1, because England beat Portugal. England is a very good team, even though they are here without PITCHFORD, for them that’s a big loss,” said Panagiotis GIONIS. “We played freely, we believed we could do it, and I think all the guys played perfectly. If Ioannis had been a little luckier, he could have won the first match as well, and maybe we could have taken first place in the group. But in the end, we’re very happy. We focused a lot on this game, believed in ourselves, and fought hard. We were a little luckier today, and we won.” Asked if he had any preferences for the Round of 16 draw, GIONIS smiled: “Of course, we have some preferences. If you play against Sweden, France, or Germany, it’s tougher, you have to be honest about that. But our goal was to qualify, and now we’ve done it. We’ll just play, enjoy the moment, and see what happens. For us, it’s already good to play another match, and we’re very happy with our performance. If we get a good draw, well, I’m dreaming a little (laughs), maybe if we can have Belgium, that would be a very good draw for us. But we’ll see.” The Greek Olympian added:“When you qualify from such a difficult group, you start believing in everything. We know it’s tough to beat the top teams, but in sports, you never know what can happen. Now we’ll play more freely, it’s a great experience, especially for the young players, as it’s their first time reaching the top 16 at the Europeans. All our young players are getting more experienced; they play in strong leagues. What’s most important is that we enjoy it, stay relaxed, prepare well, and stay focused. In the end, anything can happen, we’ve seen many surprises in recent years, and everyone can beat everyone if you believe in yourself. The key is to work, practice, and believe.” Finland – Poland 1–3 Group H: Belgium 2–0, Poland 1–1, Finland 0–2 Poland recovered from their opening-round defeat against Belgium and advanced to the knockout stage after a solid victory over Finland. Milosz REDZIMSKI was the backbone of the team’s success with two wins, against Benedek OLAH and Aleksi RASANEN, while Marek BADOWSKI added one more point by beating RASANEN. Alex NAUMI scored Finland’s only win, overcoming Samuel KULCZYCKI. “For me, it was really nice,” said Milosz REDZIMSKI. “I wasn’t feeling great in the morning at the beginning, but after overcoming some problems with low energy, I played quite well. I didn’t see much of Samuel’s game, but I saw it was very close. Marek played great and won quickly, so we’re very happy. We feel strong and ready to fight for a medal.” “We’ve played many times against Benedek OLAH because he competes in the Polish League, so we were very well prepared tactically. That preparation was the key, we knew we needed to beat him to win the team match, and we did it. We’re really happy.” Marek BADOWSKI added: “We fight for every game. We know our potential, and we know we can beat very good teams here. We’re prepared and ready to give everything. We had a very tough match against Belgium, and we wanted to do things right today, we prepared well for this match.” Netherlands – Slovakia 1–3 Group F: Romania 2–0, Slovakia 1–1, Netherlands 0–2 Slovakia advanced to the next stage after a 3–1 victory over the Netherlands. Gabrielius CAMARA gave the Dutch team a better start with a win over Lubomir PISTEJ, but Yang WANG was in splendid form, defeating both Kas VAN OOST and CAMARA. Alexander VALUCH added the third point with a win over Barry BERBEN. “They have a very young and competitive team, so we knew it would be a tough match. We played them last time in Malmö, we won 3–0, but all the matches were very close, so we knew it would be hard again,” explained the experienced Lubomir PISTEJ. “I didn’t start well, but my adversary played really good and deserved to win. Then WANG Yang came back with an easy victory; he’s in very good shape. At one moment he was down 1–11 and 0–4, that’s 15–1 in total, and then he came back somehow! Lucky for us, because it was really not an easy match today. We knew this was our most important match in the group, and we managed to win, so we’re very happy.” PISTEJ added:“Two points from WANG were the key, but also VALUCH, he didn’t play yesterday, and today he got the chance and took it from position three. It was good for us to lead 2–1; it helped Yang mentally as well. I was ready to step in if needed. I think we are normally the stronger team, but you always have to prove it on the table.” Serbia – Ukraine 3-2 Group C: Germany 2-0, Serbia 1-1, Ukraine 0-2. Serbia secured a hard-fought 3–2 victory over Ukraine in Group C, with Dimitrije LEVAJAC making a triumphant return to the line-up after recovering from a shoulder injury. Playing his first matches of the championships, LEVAJAC won both encounters confidently overcoming Anton LIMONOV, and then staging a remarkable comeback against Andrii GREBENIUK. Trailing

The last day of the Group Stage matches at the European Team Championships in Zadar brought decisive clashes for the remaining places in the Round of 16. Additionally, the teams that reached the last 16 also secured qualification for the World Championships in London 2026. Belgium – Czechia 1–3 Group 4: Portugal 2–0, Czechia 1–1, Belgium 0–2 Czechia recovered from their earlier defeat against Portugal and, with a win over Belgium, secured a place in the Round of 16. Hana MATELOVA beat both Margo DEGRAEF and Julie VAN HAUWAERT, while Veronika POLAKOVA overcame Margo DEGRAEF. Lilou MASSART claimed Belgium’s only point, prevailing against Karin GROFOVA in a tight five-game duel. “I think Veronika started off really well, winning 3–2, and that gave me a nice sense of calm as well,” said Hana MATELOVA. “For me, it was actually quite an advantage that the Belgian team changed their lineup. I won both of my matches comfortably, so that’s great. I’m really enjoying the young energy and spirit in our team, we’re always taking photos, Snapchats, stories, but I don’t mind. It’s all part of it.” Spain – Netherlands 0–3 Group 3: Netherlands 2–0, Spain 1–1, France 0–2 Both Netherlands and Spain secured their place in the second stage by overcoming France in the previous two rounds. Today, the Dutch team confirmed their top position in the standings and a better draw position by defeating Spain in straight matches. Netherlands’ Britt EERLAND, Jie LI, and Shuohan MEN overcame Maria XIAO, Sofia-Xuan ZHANG, and Maria BERZOSA without due alarm. “I think after beating France we were, of course, a little bit more confident, but we didn’t really think ahead yet. We also watched the match between France and Spain, and we saw that Spain really pushed France hard, they wanted to win, not just play. From that match, we felt the pressure too, knowing they would come strong against us, so we had to go all in. Of course, nobody wants to lose, so we stayed super focused. Maybe not always the nicest, but very focused, and that showed in our performance. For me, for Jie, and for Shuohan at number three, she was a little nervous, but I’m happy she could finish the match for us,” said Britt EERLAND. Asked about the next goal, EERLAND continued: “It would be great to go for a medal, of course. But as I said before, we’re the type of team that just wants to win, it doesn’t matter if it’s the semifinals, final, or group stage, we just want to win. So we’ll keep fighting and try to make it as difficult as possible for everyone. Most importantly, we’ll play our own game and our best table tennis.” “You never know, any match can be the deciding one, any point can turn the momentum. So if we have a chance, even a small one, we have to take it. I’m also very happy for Shuohan that she could win her match; it’s great for her confidence going forward in the tournament. Of course, we still have to see who we’ll play next and how we can prepare, because we also have Tanja, so we’ll do everything to play our best table tennis and find the best possible tactics.” Austria – Greece 3–0 Group 5: Sweden 2–0, Austria 1–1, Greece 0–2 After Aikaterini TOLIOU defeated Yuan LIU in a long and hard-fought duel, Austria shifted into a higher gear. Sofia POLCANOVA beat both Malamatenia PAPADIMITRIOU and TOLIOU in straight games (3–0), while Karoline MISCHEK prevailed against Ioanna GERASIMATOU to complete the victory. “It was our goal to qualify for the last 16 and also to secure a place at the World Championships in London 2026, so now that we’ve done it, we are, of course, really happy,” said Sofia POLCANOVA. “Today we showed that we are one team and that we did what we had to do. I might be the number one in the team, but we’re all one unit — I’m happy when everyone can play and win. As the top player, I do feel the pressure, but I believe that if I can win two matches, the other girls can also deliver, and today, that was exactly the case.” Although Nina SKERBINZ did not play in this match, POLCANOVA spoke warmly about her young teammate’s debut. “This is our first tournament together with Nina, and I hope she can gain valuable experience here at the European Championships, not only from me, but also from the other players on the team.” England – Italy 3-2 Group 7: Croatia 2-0, England 1-1, Italy 0-2. England emerged victorious in a tense five-match duel against Italy, clinching second place in Group 7 and a spot in the Round of 16. It was Italy who started stronger, as Giorgia PICCOLIN defeated Tin-Tin HO in the opening encounter. England then responded with Tianer YU’s convincing win over Gaia MONFARDINI. The balance shifted again when Nicole ARLIA overcame Jasmin WONG, but HO and YU held their nerve to seal England’s overall 3–2 triumph. “The first match against Giorgia PICCOLIN was a tough loss for me. I had control for most of it, but unfortunately she changed a few things and I couldn’t find a way to win,” said HO. “In my second match against Gaia MONFARDINI I felt really good, she played my game, and I’m happy that I managed to win 3–0. Overall, we’re so happy that we reached the Round of 16 and showed some really good table tennis.” Overall we are so happy that we managed to get in the round of 16 and showed a good game,”said HO. Slovenia – Serbia 0–3 Group 2: Germany 2–0, Serbia 1–1, Slovenia 0–2 Serbia’s Izabela LUPULESKU, Sabina ŠURJAN, and Aneta MAKSUTI overcame Slovenia’s Sara TOKIĆ, Ana TOFANT, and Katarina STRAŽAR to secure second place in the group and a spot in the Round of 16. “We’re satisfied. We knew our opponents wouldn’t be easy. It’s true, we were

The Day 2 of the European Team Championships in Zadar brought long and dramatic clashes in the Men’s Event. See all pictures here. Teams already secured the place in the Round of 16 are: Sweden, France, Germany, Romania, Croatia and Belgium. After a tense battle, the bronze medalists from Malmö, team Portugal, suffered a shock defeat at the hands of England. All three English players, Samuel WALKER, Tom JARVIS, and Paul DRINKHALL, posted victories, while Joao GERALDO won both his matches for Portugal. “In the first match, I really took all my chances and played the way I needed to. In the second match, I was leading 1–0 and 2–1, 5–2… It was a good match,” said Tom JARVIS, who eventually lost his second encounter against GERALDO. Sam WALKER shared his thoughts on the team’s goals: “We’ve done it with the dream of medals. I mean, that would be great, but it’s not something easy. Of course, we believe we can do it, but it’s not something we’re particularly thinking about. We’re just trying to focus on each match.” Experienced Paul DRINKHALL summarized: “We know Portugal are a strong side. We came in as underdogs, but we all managed to get a win today, so it was a great team performance. We did the right things at the right time, which got us over the line. It’s a good performance.” Tomorrow England will face Greece. “I think that one is a 50–50 match, and tomorrow will be the same,” added JARVIS. “We’ve got to go in again and make sure things go our way.” Drama also unfolded in the other first-round duel between Belgium and Poland, which eventually went in favor of Cédric NUYTINCK, Adrien RASSENFOSSE, and Martin ALLEGRO. Milosz REDZIMSKI gave Poland a dream start by defeating NUYTINCK, but RASSENFOSSE leveled with a win over Maciej KUBIK. Once again, Marek BADOWSKI put Poland ahead, and REDZIMSKI looked on course to seal the victory for Poland when RASSENFOSSE recovered from a 1–2 deficit to push Belgium into a decisive fifth match. KUBIK and NUYTINCK fought fiercely and produced another tense battle before Belgium finally sealed the victory. France were in furious mode. In under an hour, they swept Hungary to secure a place in the Round of 16. Felix LEBRUN beat Csaba ANDRAS, Alexis LEBRUN prevailed against David SZANTOSI, and Simon GAUZY overcame Balazs LEI. Felix LEBRUN said:“They played well, they had solid matches. I was playing in position two, against their number one, so we knew it wasn’t going to be easy for me. I’m happy to win and to take the match 3–0. We know him; he plays in the Bundesliga and already has some good results, so we knew he could play well. It really feels like now the team is clicking, everyone’s winning, and we’re finding our rhythm step by step. However, a 3–0 team win always feels good. Now we’ve got two days off, so we’ll train well and prepare for the second stage of the tournament after the Round of 16.” Asked about how the team will use the rest days, he continued: “We’ll talk about it after this, but I think we’ll do two training sessions tomorrow and maybe a physical session the next day. It depends on each player, everyone prepares in their own way so that we’re all ready for the next stage.” On how they spend downtime during the tournament, he smiled: “We just spend time together. We’ve got a great hotel, there’s a pool, the sea is right next to us, we go for walks… and we also brought the PlayStation, so we play together. It’s pretty classic; we just try to enjoy the breaks and spend time as a team.I t’s nice, honestly, and we enjoy being together. But of course, if someone wants to do their own thing, they can. It’s all about balance, we each have our space, but everyone’s happy to hang out together, so it’s easy.” On his own form, Felix added: “Pretty good, I feel fine, everything’s going well. The conditions are great, the venue is amazing. I’ve felt good in practice so far. In matches, I can still play better and build up more rhythm. That’s the goal for the next two days of training. I made a few rushed decisions today that I’ll try to avoid next time. But we have time to prepare properly. It’s basically a second tournament starting from Thursday, so it’s going to be exciting.” Asked about a minor injury:“At one point I felt something in my left arm. It’s nothing serious, just a small strain. It’s not bothering me much, but I put some ice on it afterward to reduce the inflammation. Nothing major.” Simon GAUZY reflected on his own improvement:“Personally, my goal was to do better than yesterday. I lost against a strong player, but I wasn’t happy with how I handled the match, he caused me a lot of trouble. Today, I was more solid; I played a complete match, my service and receive game were much better, and I was more aggressive. I’m happy with that.” Alexis LEBRUN added:“I’m also very happy with my performance today. I think I played well, I won 3–0, so I’m really pleased and looking forward to the rest of the tournament.” Simon GAUZY continued:“Right now, I don’t think any of us feel too much pressure. The tournament is long, and we don’t want to be nervous too early. We just want to take it match by match. We have two days off now, a chance to recover and practice. The real pressure will start in the knockout stage, so we just want to be ready when it comes.” Finally, Alexis LEBRUN looked ahead:“In my opinion, the strongest team is Germany. They have very strong players and have won so many titles at the European Championships. It’s always tough to face them, but I really hope we can meet them later in the tournament.” It was back

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. Their place in the Round of 16 already secured: Germany, Romania, Portugal, Sweden, Poland, Croatia, Netherlands, Spain and Ukraine. See all pictures here. 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.” Poland finished the first phase of the Championships at the top of their group. After defeating Bulgaria, the No. 6 seeds went on to overcome Hungary (seeded No. 12). Zuzanna WIELGOS went the full distance against Georgina POTA, Natalia BAJOR needed one game fewer to beat Judit NAGY, and Katarzyna WEGRZYN prevailed over Rebeka NAGY. Speaking about her match against the experienced Hungarian, Zuzanna WIELGOS said: “I was a little bit stressed because this was my first match of the tournament. I played against POTA for the first time, but I knew she is a really good player. I was leading 2–0, but then she played some very good points, so we went into the decider. I’m happy that I managed to stay focused and win the fifth set. Overall, it was a great team performance, and we will keep fighting in the next rounds.” Hana ARAPOVIC won full distance thriller against Giorgia PICCOLIN, but Gaia MONFARDINI leveled with the win over Lea RAKOVAC. Ivana MALOBABIC returned Croatia back in the lead with win over Debora VIVARELLI. MONFARDINI showed splendid shape and recorded second win over ARAPOVIC to push Italy into decider and in breathtaking finish RAKOVAC sealed the victory. Croatia’s Women’s Team Coach Dragutin ŠURBEK addmited:“It was a very stressful match, we went from victory to defeat and back again, it was extremely tense, just as I predicted. I take a bow to the girls. Of course, we are satisfied, this is a success but we haven’t said our last word yet. We don’t intend to stop here. Even finishing first in the group doesn’t mean much, because this championship is full of surprises.” Lea RAKOVAC: “I don’t even know what to say. Congratulations and full respect to every single girl, Hana, Ivana, everyone played great. Even those of us who lost to Monfardini, Gaia played really, really well, and I have huge respect for her. I also lost to her, but I can’t say I’m unhappy with my performance. She just played superbly! The most important thing is that our whole team played fantastically. Everyone on the bench, not just those on court, plus the crowd who supported us all the way. Absolutely everyone, we are all winners. The whole of Croatia won today. Hana ARAPOVIC helped me a lot before the last match, since she had already played and beaten PICCOLIN. I have to say, this was a victory for the entire team.” Hana ARAPOVIĆ: “This victory is proof of our teamwork, and I believe it has given us even stronger motivation going forward. Our first goal was to qualify for the World Championships, but now we’re

On the opening day at the European Team Championships, Olympic bronze medalists and World silver medalists, team France commenced their quest for European medal rostrum in Zadar with a convincing win over Spain. The best-ranked European player on duty in Zadar, Felix LEBRUN, recorded two victories on the opening day, against Daniel BERZOSA and Alvaro ROBLES. ROBLES also fell to the older LEBRUN brother, Alexis, while Juan PEREZ claimed Spain’s only point by defeating Simon GAUZY. “Berzosa started very strong, he’s such a good player, but I managed to come back and secure the win ,” said Felix LEBRUN.“Next in line is Hungary. We expect a tough match, but I think today we played very well and can continue to perform at this level. We have a strong team, and our goal is the title, but we know it will not be easy.” Sweden’s Mattias FALCK, Anton KALLBERG, and Elias RANEFUR opened their campaign in Zadar with a convincing 3–0 victory over Türkiye’s Abdullah YIGENLER, Ibrahim GÜNDÜZ, and Tugay YILMAZ. Anton KALLBERG reflected on the positive start:“We had a very good experience today. Winning 3–0 is always satisfying, and we can be happy with our performance. We’re looking forward to playing more matches and keeping the momentum going.” Asked about the team’s ambitions and the absence of Truls MÖREGÅRDH, he said: “Truls missing the event is a big blow for us, of course, but we’re still dreaming of defending our title from last time. It’s going to be tough, but that has to be our goal.” KALLBERG also praised his teammate’s composure:“Mattias did really well. Maybe he didn’t play his very best table tennis, but he managed to stay strong in the tight moments, winning two very close games. That’s what matters going forward, building confidence and learning to stay calm at 9–9 or 10–10, finding solutions when it really counts.” “We have no pressure on us, we feel like we have nothing to lose. We all want to perform well, and we believe we can fight for medals again. It’s just a great feeling to be back at the European Championships.” Mattias FALCK agreed that the team made a solid start. “The first match is always a bit nerve-racking, but we started well. A 3–0 victory is a great way to begin, we all won our matches, and that gives us confidence for tomorrow.” He emphasized Sweden’s medal ambitions despite the team’s injury setback: “We want to fight for the medals as always. Unfortunately, Truls is injured, and we’re missing our number one, but we’re still aiming for a strong tournament and hopefully to reach the final.” Reflecting on his own match, FALCK added: “The margins are always small at this level. It was a close match, and my opponent played well. I just tried to stay calm and sometimes do something unexpected, a different serve or receive, when the score got tight. The key was to keep my cool. Usually, I’m more nervous at the beginning of a match, but it gets easier as it goes on. I just try to focus on each point, stay composed, and follow my game plan.” Romania prevailed against the Netherlands, though the start was anything but easy. Iulian CHIRITA was pushed to the full distance against Gabrielius CAMARA, while Eduard IONESCU needed one game fewer to overcome Kas VAN OOST, and Ovidiu IONESCU completed the job against Barry BERBEN. “It was a hard match we knew they had good players. The first matches are always tough, and I hope we’ll get better with every round,” said Iulian CHIRITA. “I also had a small accident with my racket I had to change it because I tore a rubber, but I still managed to stay focused. It was a good start for the team; the boys did their jobs, and we’re happy to start the Championships with a 3–0 win.” The clash between Portugal and Greece ended in favor of the Portuguese team. Joao GERALDO beat Ioannis SGOUROPOULOS, Tiago ABIODUN overcame Konstantinos KONSTANTINOPOULOS, and although Joao MONTEIRO lost to Panagiotis GIONIS, he later sealed the overall victory by defeating SGOUROPOULOS. “ GIONIS and I have known each other for more than 20 years, we’ve played so many matches. Today was his turn to win, but it was a very good match,” said Joao MONTEIRO. “Eventually, I managed to recover and win against Ioannis, and we hope to continue in this shape throughout the event.” Host nation Croatia represented by Tomislav PUCAR, Andrej GAĆINA, and Frane KOJIC, kept the home supporters at the edge of their seats with a thrilling 3–2 victory over Moldova’s Andrei PUTUNTICA, Vladislav URSU, and Denis TERNA. PUCAR defeated both PUTUNTICA and URSU, while TERNA overcame KOJIC. GAĆINA lost to URSU but clinched the decisive match against PUTUNTICA to secure the win. Croatian Men’s Team Coach Neven KARKOVIĆ said: “We expected a tough and close match like this. We hoped it wouldn’t be, but in the end, it was. There were many twists and turns. They didn’t really surprise us, except perhaps PUTUNTICA, who played much better than we had seen before. He caused us problems even though he lost both of his matches. As for PUCAR, that’s what I really want to highlight. He played superbly. The first match he started a bit nervously, which is completely normal under pressure, he simply couldn’t afford to lose. But in his second match, against their best player, he was absolutely brilliant. I think he surprised everyone, the opponent, the crowd, the TV viewers, and even me personally. So dominant and composed, he swept their number one in the first two sets, which brought us all back after the earlier shock when KOJIC lost to Moldova’s third.” Tomislav PUCAR added:“It was a difficult match, just as we expected. We knew they were a tricky opponent. They were seeded third in the group based on rankings, but that doesn’t reflect their true level, they simply do not play many international events. The

The start of the 2025 European Team Championships in Zadar already brought an upset of major proportions. Seeded only No. 18 in the Women’s Event, the Netherlands overcame third-seeded France after a long, dramatic clash that featured an outstanding comeback by Britt EERLAND and Jie LI, securing victory for the Dutch team. Favourites for the title, France opened the duel strongly, Jia Nan YUAN swept EERLAND 3–0 in the opening match. Prithika PAVADE then faced a much tougher challenge; Jie LI forced her to go the full distance before France established a 2–0 lead. Shuohan MEN gave the Netherlands some breathing space with a win over Charlotte LUTZ, before EERLAND pushed the match into the decider with a determined performance against PAVADE. The final duel between Jie LI and Jia Nan YUAN was a nerve-racking battle that eventually went to a dramatic fifth game. “It’s a great feeling to win a match like this. As a team we always believed we could come back, especially now, with Jie LI back in the squad, we wanted to prove we can still fight for everything. Shuohan also showed great fighting spirit, and I’m proud of what we achieved together. We gave everything, and we deserved this win,” said Britt EERLAND. It was also a significant comeback on an individual level. Eerland, currently ranked No. 27 in Europe, defeated PAVADE, who holds the No. 8 position. “Our matches are always tight. Today it was about handling the moment, both sides felt the pressure, and in the end it wasn’t about tactics but about who could keep the quality in the rallies. Even if I had lost, I would have been proud of how I played and how I fought,” Britt said. On LI’s victory, Eerland added: “We already knew Jie could beat YUAN and that it would be a tough match. The most important thing was for her to stay patient, we kept reminding her of that during coaching. We all believe in each other, and that belief made the difference.” Both EERLAND and LI returned to the national team this season after their breaks. “My last international match was in 2019, so I had almost five years away from competition. Now that my child is a little older, it’s easier to travel and play again, and I still love the sport, so coming back felt natural,” said Jie LI. “I had to stop playing for a while because of COVID-19. Now I value every match even more and want to be a good example for my son. Both Britt and I came back after breaks, this is our first European Championship since returning,” she added. Asked about playing the deciding match, Li explained: “I had already played against Yuan in the French league, so I knew it would be difficult, but I was familiar with her style. At such a big event the emotions are stronger, so I focused mainly on the mental side of the game.” Looking ahead to their next opponent, Spain, EERLAND said: “We haven’t really thought about that yet. We’ll have a rest day tomorrow, but we’ll come to the hall to watch their match and prepare. This win gives us a lot of confidence for what’s ahead. And now, as both of us are mums, we’ll enjoy morning sessions even more,” she laughed. It was not only the Netherlands celebrating the return of experienced players, Ukraine also started successfully, defeating Türkiye, with Tetyana BILENKO back in the national team after a long absence. “It was my first match in a long time, I hadn’t played for the national team for four years. I was a bit nervous, but I’m happy I could show my best game. The atmosphere in our team is very positive, and there were many nice emotions,” said BILENKO. Meanwhile, Portugal’s Fu YU, Jieni SHAO, and Matilde PINTO defeated Belgium’s Lilou MASSART, Margo DEGRAEF, and Julie VAN HAUWAERT comfortably, 3–0. “For a first match, I felt good and played solidly. We didn’t expect major problems today. Our goal as a team is to win a medal, step by step. The next match against Czechia will be harder, but we are ready for it,” said Jieni SHAO. Poland’s Anna BRZYSKA, Natalia BAJOR, and Katarzyna WEGRZYN overcame Bulgaria’s Maria YOVKOVA, Tsvetelina GEORGIEVA, and Kalina HRISTOVA after a shaky start. Yovkova opened with a win over BRZYSKA, but BAJOR turned the momentum, leading Poland to victory. “We managed to come back and hope to perform better next time. The first rounds are always tough, but we’ll keep pushing and do our best. It’s a strong competition, and we believe we can continue to perform well,” said Katarzyna WEGRZYN. Sweden Overcame Greece in Straight Matches. Christina KALLBERG, Linda BERGSTRÖM, and Filippa BERGAND delivered strong performances at the start, giving Sweden a confident opening victory over Greece. “I’m really proud of the team for making such a strong start. I think we all did what we needed to do and produced solid performances. It’s always tough to begin a tournament — normally you feel a bit nervous — but in the end, I think we were all quite stable,” said Christina KALLBERG. “I think I played well and was the better player in this match. I stayed more active, managed to play my game all the way through, and it worked well.” Reigning champions Germany began their title defence with a solid 3–0 victory over Slovenia, led by Sabine WINTER in her new role as the team’s number one. “We have a great team, and it doesn’t really matter who takes the lead. Of course, I’ll do everything I can to contribute my best and I’m happy to step in as the leading player when needed. Starting a tournament with a 3–0 win is always positive. Annett had a tighter match but handled it well in the fifth set, which will help her confidence going forward. I’m happy with my own match, and Yuan finished it off decisively.