Germany’s Benedikt DUDA and Nina MITTELHAM are the new European Mixed Doubles champions after overcoming France’s Alexis LEBRUN and Charlotte LUTZ in a thrilling five-game final at the European Championships in Ljubljana. In a contest filled with spectacular rallies, dramatic momentum swings and match points for both pairs, the Germans prevailed 3-2 (11-7, 7-11, 13-11, 6-11, 17-15) at Arena Stožice. Bronze medals went to Romania’s Eduard IONESCU and Bernadette SZOCS, and Sweden’s Kristian KARLSSON and Christina KALLBERG.
The victory gave MITTELHAM her second European Mixed Doubles crown, following her triumph alongside Dang QIU in 2020, while DUDA celebrated his first title in the event. For LEBRUN and LUTZ, who only began playing together in July, the silver medal marked an impressive achievement, with LUTZ securing her first European Championships medal.
The final delivered drama until the very last point. DUDA and MITTELHAM took the opening game 11-7, but the French pair responded to level the contest. The Germans edged the third game 13-11 before LEBRUN and LUTZ forced a decider with an 11-6 success in the fourth.
Nothing could separate the two pairs in the fifth game. Both had opportunities to claim the title, with the French pair holding several match points, but DUDA and MITTELHAM refused to surrender. After a remarkable battle, the Germans finally converted their opportunity to seal the gold medal 17-15.
“What an incredible final! We weren’t quite as sharp as we had been in the earlier rounds, but that’s understandable after playing so many matches. It was a real battle. Alexis played extremely well, and Charlotte LUTZ was incredibly strong too. She caught me out two or three times with perfectly placed shots, both down the line and into the wide angles,” said DUDA.
“I was actually relieved when Alexis started serving with sidespin on match point because that gave me the opportunity to put real quality into my return and make the next ball difficult for them. Nina and I fought incredibly hard. We saved a match point, and then Nina produced some fantastic returns against the backhand serve that had been causing us problems throughout the match. I’m just incredibly happy. A European title is a European title, and winning one feels amazing. It’s such a fantastic feeling.”
DUDA explained that dealing with LUTZ’s service game had been one of their biggest challenges throughout the final.
“One of the biggest difficulties for us was when Nina had to receive Charlotte LUTZ’s serves. I have to say, Charlotte served extremely well. I also had some problems with the high serves, and Alexis occasionally got a few easier balls to attack. That was something we really struggled with, and we kept trying to find a solution.
“But Nina did an excellent job. Charlotte’s serves eventually became a little less effective, some of them started coming half-long, and Nina was immediately there to attack. She made some excellent decisions and played very bravely, especially at the crucial moments.”
The German pair also had to overcome the physical demands of a long tournament.
“Of course, by the end of the tournament, we were both a little tired. This was my eleventh match here and Nina’s twelfth, so it’s normal that you don’t feel quite as sharp anymore. But we fought incredibly hard, and there were some outstanding rallies in the fifth game. Towards the end, Charlotte started making a few more mistakes and became a little more rushed, which fortunately helped us secure the victory. It was an excellent final that really could have gone either way,” DUDA added.
MITTELHAM, who added another European title to her record, acknowledged the extraordinary quality of the contest and the narrow margin between victory and defeat.
“It was an incredibly intense match, absolutely crazy. Both pairs played unbelievably well. The level was extremely high, and nobody was making many easy mistakes, so the match was close throughout.
“I’m just so happy that we managed to win in the end. I don’t think this final deserved a loser. Both pairs deserved to win because it was such an incredibly close contest.
“If someone had told me before the tournament that we would win the gold medal, I wouldn’t have believed them. We certainly weren’t expecting this.”
The German champions had already shown their potential earlier in the competition, including an impressive straight-games victory over a strong partnership featuring Álvaro ROBLES.
“You always start to think about what might be possible. We had already beaten a very strong pair 3-0 earlier in the tournament. Álvaro is an excellent doubles player, a World Championships silver medallist in doubles, so beating them was a very important result for us,” explained DUDA.
“To be honest, I think that was probably our best match of the tournament. Not that the other matches were bad, but the level we had to produce in that one was extremely demanding. After that, of course, you begin to think that a medal might be possible. Then we played against the pair from Moldova, our semifinal went extremely well, and once we reached the final, anything was possible.”
MITTELHAM agreed with her partner’s assessment of their progress through the tournament.
“I agree with everything Benedikt said. I don’t really have much to add.”
For the French pair, the defeat was particularly painful after coming so close to their first title together.
“I’m very sad to lose this match,” admitted LEBRUN.
LUTZ shared her partner’s disappointment but was also proud of their achievement.
“I feel the same. We had match points, but it was a very high-level match, and in the end we lost. Hopefully, next time. It’s still a very good medal, and it’s my first one.”
Reflecting on the decisive moments, LUTZ admitted that the difference between gold and silver had been extremely small.
“It was a very difficult match, and I think both sides had plenty of chances. We both had match points, and it really was a 50-50 contest. In the end, it came down to small details. Perhaps I made the wrong decision on one or two balls, choosing to flick when I should have pushed instead.
“But that’s sport. It was an incredibly tough match from beginning to end, and we fought for every point. We gave everything we had, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough today.”
The French player also reflected on the number of opportunities both pairs had in the deciding game.
“I’m not exactly sure how many match points we had. The game went all the way to 17-15. I think they had two or three, while we probably had four or five, so perhaps we had one or two more chances than they did. But that’s sport. They fought incredibly hard for the victory as well.”
Despite the disappointment, LUTZ emphasised the significance of reaching the European final so soon after beginning her partnership with LEBRUN.
“Still, this is my first European Championships medal, and I really appreciate what we’ve achieved. I’m very happy to have won it together with Alexis. We only started playing doubles together in July this year, so winning a medal already is a great achievement, even though, of course, we wanted the gold.”
DUDA and MITTELHAM had secured their place in the final with a convincing 3-0 (11-8, 11-4, 14-12) semifinal victory over Romania’s Eduard IONESCU and Bernadette SZOCS.
LEBRUN and LUTZ had reached the gold-medal match following a dramatic 3-2 (6-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-13, 11-9) semifinal victory over Sweden’s Kristian KARLSSON and Christina KALLBERG, recovering from a game down and a 6-9 deficit in the second game.
Mixed Doubles – Final
- Benedikt DUDA / Nina MITTELHAM (GER) beat Alexis LEBRUN / Charlotte LUTZ (FRA) 3-2 (11-7, 7-11, 13-11, 6-11, 17-15).
Semifinals
- Benedikt DUDA / Nina MITTELHAM (GER) beat Eduard IONESCU / Bernadette SZOCS (ROU) 3-0 (11-8, 11-4, 14-12).
- Alexis LEBRUN / Charlotte LUTZ (FRA) beat Kristian KARLSSON / Christina KALLBERG (SWE) 3-2 (6-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-13, 11-9).
