The last day of the Group Stage matches at the European Team Championships in Zadar brought decisive clashes for the remaining places in the Round of 16.
In the Women’s Event, after the first two days of play, the teams that had already secured their place in the knockout phase were: Germany, Romania, Portugal, Sweden, Poland, Croatia, Netherlands, Spain, and Ukraine.
Additionally, the teams that reached the last 16 also secured qualification for the World Championships in London 2026.
Belgium – Czechia 1–3
Group 4: Portugal 2–0, Czechia 1–1, Belgium 0–2
Czechia recovered from their earlier defeat against Portugal and, with a win over Belgium, secured a place in the Round of 16. Hana MATELOVA beat both Margo DEGRAEF and Julie VAN HAUWAERT, while Veronika POLAKOVA overcame Margo DEGRAEF. Lilou MASSART claimed Belgium’s only point, prevailing against Karin GROFOVA in a tight five-game duel.
“I think Veronika started off really well, winning 3–2, and that gave me a nice sense of calm as well,” said Hana MATELOVA. “For me, it was actually quite an advantage that the Belgian team changed their lineup. I won both of my matches comfortably, so that’s great. I’m really enjoying the young energy and spirit in our team, we’re always taking photos, Snapchats, stories, but I don’t mind. It’s all part of it.”
Spain – Netherlands 0–3
Group 3: Netherlands 2–0, Spain 1–1, France 0–2
Both Netherlands and Spain secured their place in the second stage by overcoming France in the previous two rounds. Today, the Dutch team confirmed their top position in the standings and a better draw position by defeating Spain in straight matches.
Netherlands’ Britt EERLAND, Jie LI, and Shuohan MEN overcame Maria XIAO, Sofia-Xuan ZHANG, and Maria BERZOSA without due alarm.
“I think after beating France we were, of course, a little bit more confident, but we didn’t really think ahead yet. We also watched the match between France and Spain, and we saw that Spain really pushed France hard, they wanted to win, not just play. From that match, we felt the pressure too, knowing they would come strong against us, so we had to go all in.
Of course, nobody wants to lose, so we stayed super focused. Maybe not always the nicest, but very focused, and that showed in our performance. For me, for Jie, and for Shuohan at number three, she was a little nervous, but I’m happy she could finish the match for us,” said Britt EERLAND.
Asked about the next goal, EERLAND continued:
“It would be great to go for a medal, of course. But as I said before, we’re the type of team that just wants to win, it doesn’t matter if it’s the semifinals, final, or group stage, we just want to win. So we’ll keep fighting and try to make it as difficult as possible for everyone. Most importantly, we’ll play our own game and our best table tennis.”
“You never know, any match can be the deciding one, any point can turn the momentum. So if we have a chance, even a small one, we have to take it. I’m also very happy for Shuohan that she could win her match; it’s great for her confidence going forward in the tournament. Of course, we still have to see who we’ll play next and how we can prepare, because we also have Tanja, so we’ll do everything to play our best table tennis and find the best possible tactics.”
Austria – Greece 3–0
Group 5: Sweden 2–0, Austria 1–1, Greece 0–2
After Aikaterini TOLIOU defeated Yuan LIU in a long and hard-fought duel, Austria shifted into a higher gear. Sofia POLCANOVA beat both Malamatenia PAPADIMITRIOU and TOLIOU in straight games (3–0), while Karoline MISCHEK prevailed against Ioanna GERASIMATOU to complete the victory.
“It was our goal to qualify for the last 16 and also to secure a place at the World Championships in London 2026, so now that we’ve done it, we are, of course, really happy,” said Sofia POLCANOVA. “Today we showed that we are one team and that we did what we had to do. I might be the number one in the team, but we’re all one unit — I’m happy when everyone can play and win.
As the top player, I do feel the pressure, but I believe that if I can win two matches, the other girls can also deliver, and today, that was exactly the case.”
Although Nina SKERBINZ did not play in this match, POLCANOVA spoke warmly about her young teammate’s debut.
“This is our first tournament together with Nina, and I hope she can gain valuable experience here at the European Championships, not only from me, but also from the other players on the team.”
England – Italy 3-2
Group 7: Croatia 2-0, England 1-1, Italy 0-2.
England emerged victorious in a tense five-match duel against Italy, clinching second place in Group 7 and a spot in the Round of 16.
It was Italy who started stronger, as Giorgia PICCOLIN defeated Tin-Tin HO in the opening encounter. England then responded with Tianer YU’s convincing win over Gaia MONFARDINI. The balance shifted again when Nicole ARLIA overcame Jasmin WONG, but HO and YU held their nerve to seal England’s overall 3–2 triumph.
“The first match against Giorgia PICCOLIN was a tough loss for me. I had control for most of it, but unfortunately she changed a few things and I couldn’t find a way to win,” said HO.
“In my second match against Gaia MONFARDINI I felt really good, she played my game, and I’m happy that I managed to win 3–0. Overall, we’re so happy that we reached the Round of 16 and showed some really good table tennis.”
Overall we are so happy that we managed to get in the round of 16 and showed a good game,”said HO.
