At the European Team Championships in Zadar, the women’s semi-final line-up is complete. In the penultimate stage, Portugal will take on Germany, while Romania will face the Netherlands in two highly anticipated encounters for a place in the final.
Poland – Netherlands 1-3
- Natalia BAJOR – Britt EERLAND 3-1 (11-4, 8-11, 13-11, 11-6)
- Anna BRZYSKA – Jie LI 0-3 (1-11, 5-11, 2-11)
- Zuzanna WIELGOS – Shuohan MEN 1-3 (9-11, 11-5, 7-11, 5-11)
- Natalia BAJOR – Jie LI 1-3 (11-5, 4-11, 3-11, 9-11)
In the opening session of the day, the Netherlands made history by returning to the medal podium for the first time since 2017, when the team also featured Britt EERLAND and Jie LI.
Facing a young and ambitious Polish team, the Dutch side showed resilience to earn a 3–1 victory and secure their place among the top four in Europe.
Poland took the early lead after Natalia BAJOR defeated Britt EERLAND 3–1. However, Jie LI quickly levelled the score with a dominant win over Anna BRZYSKA 3–0, her defensive game proving too difficult for the 19-year-old opponent to break through.
In the third match, Shuohan MEN overcame Zuzanna WIELGOS 3–1, before LI returned to the table to defeat BAJOR once more, this time 3–1 sealing the Netherlands’ victory and a guaranteed medal.
Britt EERLAND:“We played better today. Yesterday, LI said she felt that everyone was growing into the tournament more and more. We’re here with a goal, and we’re fighting for it. We don’t want to lose that momentum, and I think we really built on it today. After the match, she said, ‘We’re not done yet.’
The hardest part of the quarter-finals is always the mental game, the one who can still play under pressure is the one who comes out on top. Every match is a fight. LI said she really had to start attacking to make her opponent feel more pressure, and she made small but smart adjustments that made things uncomfortable for her opponent.
I tried the same, to change things up, but it was really difficult to get her out of rhythm. I had a small chance to turn it around and even took a timeout for that moment; I felt I had done everything right. But in the end, it’s all about teamwork, we warm up together, change positions, and support each other.
Before she started, LI said, ‘If I don’t win, you can still win,’ so we have full confidence in one another. Anton and Maaike, our coach and physio, everyone supports us. I really feel we’re working as one team.”
Reflecting on Poland’s challenge, EERLAND added:
“LI has played many times against Anna, so she’s experienced in this style. We weren’t really worried, but we didn’t know if Poland would change their order, that was the only question mark. Before my first match, I was nervous, but I told myself that even if I lost, I just had to do my best. I think my opponent was also nervous, so I just gave everything. She was nervous too, but when she made her choices, she committed fully and put real quality behind the ball, that kind of extra effort can make the difference.”
Germany – Sweden 3–0
- Sabine WINTER – Christina KÄLLBERG 3–1 (11–6, 9–11, 11–8, 11–5)
- Annett KAUFMANN – Linda BERGSTRÖM 3–0 (11–7, 11–8, 11–8)
- Nina MITTELHAM – Filippa BERGAND 3–0 (11–6, 12–10, 11–5)
Reigning champions Germany once again demonstrated their quality and consistency, sweeping Sweden 3–0 to reach the semi-finals of the European Team Championships in Zadar and secure another medal.
Led by Sabine WINTER, Annett KAUFMANN, and Nina MITTELHAM, the German side delivered a disciplined performance against a determined Swedish team featuring Christina KÄLLBERG, Linda BERGSTRÖM, and Filippa BERGAND.
WINTER gave Germany the perfect start, overcoming KÄLLBERG 3–1 after four well-contested games. KAUFMANN extended the lead with a straight-games win against defensive specialist BERGSTRÖM, before MITTELHAM sealed the tie with a convincing victory over BERGAND.
Sabine WINTER:“I played my best match today, though there’s still room to improve, especially with my forehand and variation. It’s easier said than done under pressure, but I’ll take the confidence into tomorrow and aim to raise my level again.”
Nina MITTELHAM: “Filippa Bergand played much better than last time, but even when she had a set ball, I always felt in control and stayed quite relaxed throughout the match.”
Annett KAUFMANN: “It was a solid team performance. There were tight moments, but we never felt in danger. Playing against defense suits me, I’ve practiced that since I was ten.”
Coach Tamara BOROS: “I expected tough matches today. Sabine was excellent in key moments, Annett played smart and patient, and Nina impressed me after her illness. The whole team, including Mia and Yuan, showed great spirit.”
Ukraine – Portugal 2–3
- Margaryta PESOTSKA – Fu YU 3–1 (4–11, 11–4, 11–9, 11–4)
- Veronika MATIUNINA – Jieni SHAO 2–3 (9–11, 11–2, 5–11, 11–8, 5–11)
- Tetyana BILENKO – Julia LEAL 3–0 (11–5, 11–4, 11–7)
- Margaryta PESOTSKA – Jieni SHAO 0–3 (7–11, 6–11, 10–12)
- Veronika MATIUNINA – Fu YU 2–3 (7–11, 11–4, 10–12, 11–6, 3–11)
Portugal extended their remarkable streak of reaching the medal rounds at the European Team Championships to four consecutive editions, following a dramatic 3–2 victory over Ukraine in the quarter-finals in Zadar.
Portugals had to fight back from 1–2 down, showing remarkable composure under pressure to clinch the deciding match in five games.
Margaryta PESOTSKA gave Ukraine a strong start by defeating Fu YU 3–1, but Jieni SHAO levelled the score after a five-game battle against Veronika MATIUNINA. Tetyana BILENKO then restored Ukraine’s lead with a straight-games victory over Julia LEAL, before SHAO struck again, beating PESOTSKA to force a decisive fifth match.
In the final clash, Fu YU held her nerve against MATIUNINA, prevailing 3–2 to secure Portugal’s place in the semi-finals.
Fu YU:“We needed to stay focused despite the great pressure. Especially the last match was very difficult for me. Jieni did her part of the job perfectly by giving us two points, so the pressure was on me to deliver the third one, and I’m very happy I managed to do it.”
Jieni SHAO: “I needed to be at the top of my game to win both my matches. There wasn’t much room for mistakes today, every point mattered.”
Romania – Slovakia 3–0
- Bernadette SZÖCS – Ema LABOSOVÁ 3–0 (11–3, 11–7, 11–7)
- Elizabeta SAMARA – Tatiana KUKULKOVÁ 3–1 (11–2, 11–9, 10–12, 11–9)
- Andreea DRAGOMAN – Barbora VARADY 3–0 (11–3, 11–9, 11–7)
Top-seeded Romania showed no mercy against Slovakia, recording a 3–0 victory to secure their place on the medal rostrum at the European Team Championships in Zadar.
Romania was in full control throughout the tie. Bernadette SZÖCS opened with a confident straight-games win over Ema LABOSOVÁ, followed by Elizabeta SAMARA, who overcame Tatiana KUKULKOVÁ 3–1 after a brief stumble in the third game. Andreea DRAGOMAN then completed the sweep with a strong performance against Barbora VARADY.
Andreea DRAGOMAN: “It looked easy, but it really wasn’t. We felt good at the table and confident, but every game was important, and we fought for every point. It was difficult for me because I didn’t expect to play against VARADY, last time I lost to her after being 2–0 ahead. I know she can come back at any moment, so I tried to stay focused on every point until the end. I’m really happy about this win.”
Bernadette SZÖCS: “Today we played much better than yesterday. We knew from the beginning that we had to stay focused for every match, and we did that very well. As Andreea said, it may look easy from the outside, but it really wasn’t. I’m very proud of my teammates, and we’re now looking forward to the next step — the semi-finals.”
