Romania’s Eduard IONESCU and Bernadette SZOCS, Germany’s Benedikt DUDA and Nina MITTELHAM, Sweden’s Kristian KARLSSON and Christina KÄLLBERG, and France’s Alexis LEBRUN and Charlotte LUTZ have secured medals at the European Championships in Ljubljana after advancing to the Mixed Doubles semifinals.
See the photos by Jure MARKOVEC here.
Two quarterfinals went the full five games, with Romania and France surviving dramatic finishes, while Germany and Sweden progressed in straight games. With bronze medals guaranteed to all four semifinalist pairs, the focus now turns to the battle for the European title.
For Bernadette SZOCS, the 3-2 victory alongside Eduard IONESCU over France’s Thibault PORET and Prithika PAVADE was particularly emotional. The Romanian pair recovered from losing the opening game and held their nerve in a tense decider to prevail 9-11, 13-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9.
“I am so happy and excited. I cannot describe how I feel right now. It was a very difficult match. Our opponents were leading, but we stayed positive and kept fighting. I think the key was how well we complement each other,” said SZOCS.
The Romanian star, who arrived in Ljubljana with 13 European Championship medals, including three gold, highlighted the understanding she has developed with IONESCU, both at the table and away from competition.
“We knew it would be a very difficult match, and we had prepared several tactics. Sometimes I was down, sometimes he was down, but we knew how to keep each other positive. We complement each other very well, and I think it also helps that we are good friends away from the table.”
Although this is their first European Championships together, the Romanian combination had already demonstrated its potential on the WTT circuit.
“Of course I am happy about the medal. This is our first European Championships playing together, and we have already achieved some amazing results on the WTT circuit. I believed we could win a medal because we play so well together. Now we want to relax a little because it was an unbelievably tough match, and then we will prepare for our next opponents.”
Germany’s Benedikt DUDA and Nina MITTELHAM continued their impressive run in Ljubljana with a 3-0 victory over Moldova’s Alexandra CHIRIACOVA and Vladislav URSU (12-10, 11-5, 11-9), securing their place in the Mixed Doubles semifinals and guaranteeing a medal.
Although the scoreline suggested a comfortable victory, the opening and third games were closely contested, with the Germans prevailing by just two points on each occasion.
“When you are playing for a medal, it doesn’t matter who is on the other side of the table. You have to deliver your best performance. Matches like these are never easy,” said MITTELHAM, a five-time European champion.
“I became a little nervous at times. Making two service errors at 10-8 is something that normally doesn’t happen to me. I’m very happy that we managed to get through those difficult moments.”
Their success in Ljubljana represents a significant improvement for a partnership that had struggled earlier in the season. At three WTT tournaments together this year, DUDA and MITTELHAM were eliminated in the opening round of the main draw on each occasion.
For DUDA, the difference lies in their growing understanding of each other’s game.
“We have found our playing style and adapted well to each other. I know what Nina does on receive, and she knows what I generally do on receive. That means we get the kind of balls back that we are used to dealing with in Singles. That’s why it is working so well,” explained DUDA, the Men’s Singles silver medallist at the 2024 European Championships in Linz.
After eliminating defending champions and top seeds Álvaro ROBLES and Maria XIAO of Spain in the Round of 16, the German combination now faces Romania’s Eduard IONESCU and Bernadette SZOCS for a place in the final.
“If we continue playing like this, we will be really difficult to beat. Tomorrow, we will give everything,” added DUDA.
Sweden’s Kristian KARLSSON and Christina KÄLLBERG were equally impressive, defeating Portugal’s Miguel SANTA and João GERALDO 3-0 (13-11, 11-7, 11-2).
After edging a closely contested opening game, the Swedish pair grew increasingly dominant, producing an assured performance to secure their place among Europe’s leading four combinations.
“I think we played a really good match from start to finish, just like in the Round of 16 yesterday. When we are aggressive and follow up each other as well as we did today, we know we are a very tough match for anyone,” said KARLSSON.
For KÄLLBERG, the victory brought a particularly special milestone: her first European Championship medal. However, the Swedish player made it clear that the pair’s ambitions extend beyond reaching the podium.
“It feels incredible. To claim a medal here is something I’ve dreamt of and fought for, for a very long time. However, when we’re playing at this level, there’s no reason to celebrate yet, as we have our eyes on the gold,” said KÄLLBERG.
France’s Alexis LEBRUN and Charlotte LUTZ completed the semifinal line-up after surviving another five-game thriller against Luxembourg’s Luka MLADENOVIC and NI Xia Lian.
The French combination prevailed 3-2 (13-11, 5-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9), with the deciding game remaining on a knife-edge until the final two points.
“It was not the best combination at the end, but we managed to win those two points for 11-9 in the fifth. I took some risks on the return, so I’m very happy and proud of us. It was a great match, very difficult and very strange, so I’m very happy to secure this medal,” said LEBRUN.
For LUTZ, the result represented her first European Championship medal, achieved after a contest that tested the French pair’s nerves and tactical flexibility.
“For me, it’s the first medal ever, so I’m very happy that we managed to win this match in the end. It was a really difficult situation for us, but we found solutions to win the fifth game. It was very stressful, but we made the right choices at the end,” said LUTZ.
Looking ahead to the semifinals, she added:
“I think the semifinal will be a different kind of match, so we will be able to play our table tennis, maybe even a little better.”
The defeat ended the Mixed Doubles campaign of Luxembourg’s NI Xia Lian, one of the most decorated players in European table tennis history. The two-time European Women’s Singles champion has seven European Championship medals to her name, including three gold.
Mixed Doubles – Quarterfinal results
- Benedikt DUDA / Nina MITTELHAM (GER) beat Alexandra CHIRIACOVA / Vladislav URSU (MDA) 3-0 (12-10, 11-5, 11-9)
- Eduard IONESCU / Bernadette SZOCS (ROU) beat Thibault PORET / Prithika PAVADE (FRA) 3-2 (9-11, 13-11, 12-10, 6-11, 11-9)
- Kristian KARLSSON / Christina KÄLLBERG (SWE) beat Miguel SANTA / João GERALDO (POR) 3-0 (13-11, 11-7, 11-2)
- Alexis LEBRUN / Charlotte LUTZ (FRA) beat Luka MLADENOVIC / NI Xia Lian (LUX) 3-2 (13-11, 5-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-9)
