France’s Prithika PAVADE produced one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 European Championships in Ljubljana on Friday, defeating top seed Sabine WINTER of Germany to reach the Women’s Singles quarterfinals. The opening Round of 16 sessions at Arena Stožice also brought impressive victories for Romania’s Elena ZAHARIA and Russia’s Elizabet ABRAAMIAN, while Germany’s Nina MITTELHAM survived a dramatic seven-game battle.
Ninth seed PAVADE overcame WINTER 4-2 (11-7, 11-5, 6-11, 7-11, 11-8, 12-10), ending the German favourite’s hopes of claiming the European Singles crown.
PAVADE made an excellent start, taking the opening two games before WINTER responded to level the contest. The French player regained control in the fifth and held her nerve in a closely contested sixth game to complete a major victory.
“Honestly, it’s quite incredible. The whole match was crazy. I started extremely well, then WINTER came back and I felt the match slipping away from me. I’m not entirely sure how I managed to win the fifth game, but in the end, it was a magnificent match,” said PAVADE.
“Beating a player of her calibre at the European Championships obviously means a great deal to me. Everything happened so quickly towards the end that I’m still gradually coming down from the excitement. My heart is still racing!”
Despite facing the top seed, PAVADE revealed that she had entered the match genuinely believing she could win.
“When you go into a match like this, if you don’t believe in yourself, you’ve already lost before you start. I really had a lot of confidence in myself. I felt that I was playing well, and more importantly, I had some tactical ideas. I said yesterday that if I could manage to impose my game tactically, I knew I had the possibility of causing WINTER problems.”
The French player admitted that finding solutions after WINTER’s comeback was crucial.
“Above all, I needed to find tactical solutions when I felt the match turning in WINTER’s favour. She won two games quite quickly, and I could feel that she was dominating. I was frustrated, and the important thing was to find a few small adjustments that might allow me to get back into the match.
“To be honest, I couldn’t even tell you exactly what made the difference. I just saw that I had managed to get back level on the scoreboard. When you reach 8-8, you have to make the right decisions. Suddenly, you begin to see things more clearly and understand better what you need to do.”
PAVADE was particularly proud of the composure she maintained in the closing stages.
“In the final game, it becomes much more mental because you can see that you have a real opportunity to win. I’m very proud that I managed to stay calm, maintain a clear mind and make the right decisions.”
For now, she is determined to enjoy the victory before turning her attention to Saturday’s quarterfinal.
“Everything is still very fresh, so I haven’t really started thinking about the next match yet. First, I need to come down from the excitement and enjoy this victory. Right now, I really haven’t thought about what comes next. I just want to enjoy this moment, and then, of course, do everything necessary to be fully ready for tomorrow.”
Another major result came from 35th seed Elizabet ABRAAMIAN, who defeated fifth seed Jia Nan YUAN of France in straight games, 4-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8).
ABRAAMIAN, ranked No. 40 in the October ETTU ranking, showed remarkable composure against one of the leading contenders for the title.
“I’m really happy with how I played. It was my first time playing against YUAN, and I know she’s a really good player. To be honest, I’ve always wanted to play against her and see how I would do. I knew I had to get my tactics right because otherwise, it could have been a much tougher match,” said ABRAAMIAN.
The Russian player also revealed that she has been competing with a painful muscle injury sustained earlier in the tournament.
“It’s quite a serious issue, to be honest, but I’m trying not to think about it too much. I picked up the injury on the second day of the tournament. It’s a muscle injury, and it’s pretty painful. It’s not just the kind of soreness you get after training – it’s a proper injury.
“We’re working with the doctor and the rest of the team to manage it. When I’m playing, I usually don’t feel it too much or think about it, but the pain comes back after the match. So I’m just happy I can keep playing. That’s the most important thing.”
With a European Championships medal now just one victory away, ABRAAMIAN is determined to remain focused.
“Of course, winning a medal is a dream of mine, and it’s the next big goal I want to achieve. I’ve won the national championships four times, and now I really want to win a medal here. I’d love to win gold, too. That’s my ambition, and I believe I can do it. But for now, I’m just taking it one match at a time and not thinking too far ahead.”
Romania’s Elena ZAHARIA also continued her impressive campaign, defeating Italy’s Gaia MONFARDINI 4-2 (11-8, 11-3, 11-4, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9).
Seeded 33rd, ZAHARIA has now reached the quarterfinals at only her second senior European Championships, having lost in the opening round two years ago.
“I feel such a sense of relief now. I can finally breathe again because I knew I was facing a very tough opponent. MONFARDINI has played extremely well throughout this tournament. We met a few months ago at the US Smash, where I won 3-2, and that was an equally intense match.
“I knew this would be a very tactical encounter. She is a very strong and aggressive player, and I knew I would have to keep raising my level and fight for every point because every single point was important,” said ZAHARIA.
Reflecting on her progress, the Romanian added:
“This is my best result so far because it is only my second senior European Championships. Two years ago, I lost in the opening round. This time, I knew I had an opportunity with the draw, and I believed I could compete with these players and raise my level.
“I can now make better use of all the experience I have gained, including from my junior career. I feel more confident and more experienced.”
Germany’s Nina MITTELHAM completed the quartet of quarterfinalists from the opening sessions after overcoming Romania’s Andreea DRAGOMAN 4-3.
MITTELHAM appeared to be in control with a 3-1 lead, but DRAGOMAN fought back to force a deciding game. The German eventually prevailed, admitting that the encounter had taken a considerable physical and mental toll.
“It was definitely a very exhausting match, and now I feel extremely relieved. I was very tense throughout, actually right from the beginning. I was leading 3-1, but then I lost two games, both of which I think were at 9-9. That stays in your mind, and I really didn’t want the deciding game to reach 9-9 again.
“DRAGOMAN played extremely well and adapted to the match very effectively. I couldn’t execute everything I had planned because she played in a way that made things uncomfortable for me. In the end, I’m simply relieved that I managed to win.”
MITTELHAM also revealed that she has been struggling with illness during the Championships.
“Today is actually the first day I’ve felt that my cold is finally improving. I slept well, but of course I can still feel the effects of being unwell over the past few days. I’m a little more tired than usual and not quite as sharp or explosive physically.
“Considering that, I think it was a really good performance. Obviously, I would have preferred not to play seven games, but that’s how it went. Now I have a few hours to prepare for the mixed doubles, and tomorrow I’ll only have one match.”
