The Women’s Singles Round of 16 at the European Championships in Ljubljana delivered a major surprise on Friday as Wales’ Anna HURSEY eliminated defending champion Sofia POLCANOVA of Austria in a dramatic seven-game encounter. Bernadette SZOCS also survived a fierce battle, while Germany’s Ying HAN and Annett KAUFMANN secured an all-German quarterfinal.
HURSEY produced one of the biggest victories of her career, defeating POLCANOVA 4-3 (6-11, 12-10, 11-8, 20-18, 8-11, 10-12, 11-8).
The encounter featured a remarkable fourth game, which HURSEY eventually claimed 20-18. POLCANOVA, who won the European Singles titles in Munich in 2022 and Linz in 2024, fought back to force a deciding game, but the Welsh player held firm to end the Austrian’s title defence.
“It was a really tough match, both mentally and physically. Playing best of seven is demanding, especially when the rallies are so long. She’s a very strong opponent, and we know each other very well because we’ve played doubles together,” said HURSEY.
“I’m very happy to have won. She’s also a very nice person, and it was a good match.”
HURSEY also highlighted the adjustments required to adapt to the playing conditions in Ljubljana.
“It’s really nice to play here. The conditions are quite different from what I’m used to. At WTT events, we play with different balls, so I’ve had to adjust to the tables and balls here. I’m still getting used to them, but things are going well for me.”
Looking ahead, she added:
“I’ll give it everything I have, and hopefully I can produce another good performance.”
Romania’s Bernadette SZOCS was forced to dig deep against Poland’s Natalia BAJOR, recovering twice from difficult positions to prevail 4-3 (13-15, 9-11, 11-8, 11-3, 13-15, 11-3, 11-6).
BAJOR took the opening two games before SZOCS responded to level at 2-2. The Polish player regained the lead by taking the fifth game 15-13, but SZOCS again fought back, dominating the final two games to secure her quarterfinal place.
“In the games I lost, I made some easy mistakes and some very poor decisions. But in the games I won, I felt very comfortable and won by quite a big margin. After going 2-0 down, I managed to come back to 2-2 quite easily,” said SZOCS.
“I wasn’t afraid at all, but somehow I didn’t feel that I had everything under control. I told myself that I had nothing to lose and that I had to keep fighting. I had never lost against her before, so that gave me confidence and helped me stay positive.”
The Romanian explained that the deciding game was won through patience and better tactical decisions.
“I’m proud of myself for coming back from 2-0 and then 3-2 down. In the deciding game, I think I played very intelligently. I made much better decisions and placed the ball extremely well. That was the key to winning, because I think the match was really 50-50 today.”
SZOCS admitted that the disappointment of losing the Women’s Doubles semifinal earlier in the day, alongside Elizabeta SAMARA, had affected her.
“We had played very well until the semifinal, but today we simply didn’t produce our best table tennis. Our opponents played well, of course, but we didn’t perform the way we wanted. I genuinely believed that Elizabeta and I had a chance to become European champions. We have both been European champions in doubles before, and I hoped that our experience could make the difference.”
She also praised the emerging generation of young players and emphasised the importance of mental strength.
“There is a very strong new generation coming through, and I’m really proud to see so many talented young players emerging. At the same time, it puts a lot of pressure on us because it’s never easy to play against them.”
“I’m not particularly happy with the way I played today, but I have to take the positives from this match. You cannot always win easily or play perfectly. What really matters is how you deal with difficult situations. My game wasn’t at its best, but mentally I was very strong.”
Germany’s Ying HAN continued her impressive progress with a commanding 4-0 victory over Slovakia’s Tatiana KUKULKOVA (11-4, 11-9, 11-7, 11-4).
HAN’s defensive game proved too difficult for KUKULKOVA, although the German remained cautious throughout the encounter.
“I actually felt quite confident that I could win this match. She’s a very good player, but I knew that playing against defenders isn’t necessarily one of her strengths,” said HAN.
“Nevertheless, I took the match very seriously because she’s been playing extremely well recently and has had a very good tournament. There were a few important points where she played some excellent shots, and I thought things might become a little more difficult, particularly in the second and third games.”
HAN believes she is gradually finding her best rhythm at Arena Stožice.
“I’m gradually getting used to the hall and the playing conditions, and I’m slowly finding my rhythm. I feel more comfortable now, and I hope I can continue playing like this.”
Her next opponent will be German teammate Annett KAUFMANN, who overcame Luxembourg’s experienced Ni Xia Lian 4-1 (11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10, 11-1).
KAUFMANN had to adjust her tactical approach against the experienced left-hander’s unusual playing style.
“It definitely wasn’t an easy match. I enjoy playing against opponents who use this kind of rubber, but I was really impatient at the beginning. I also have to say that she didn’t play like a typical long-pimple player,” said KAUFMANN.
“But around the middle of the fourth game, I realised that I could simply push a few balls back onto the table and wait for the right opportunity to attack. It took me some time to settle down and remind myself what the game plan actually was.”
KAUFMANN credited her early training against different types of rubber for helping her deal with such opponents.
“I’m really grateful to my first coach, who has been working with me since I was seven years old. He trained me against anti-spin, long pips and short pips, so these kinds of opponents aren’t a problem for me now. He taught me how to understand the game, which allows me to adapt quickly to different situations.”
HAN expects a demanding all-German quarterfinal, with a European medal awaiting the winner.
“I’m looking forward to playing against my teammate. At least one of us will reach the next round and secure a medal. We’ve played each other twice before, and the last time she had some really good chances against me. She’s a real fighter, plays very aggressively and can be extremely dangerous for me.”
