On the second day of play at the European Team Championships in Zadar, the high pressure took its toll. Bronze medalists from Malmö, team France, failed to reach the Round of 16. After their surprising loss to the Netherlands on the opening day, today Spain, seeded No. 15, proved stronger than the No. 3 seeds.
Their place in the Round of 16 already secured: Germany, Romania, Portugal, Sweden, Poland, Croatia, Netherlands, Spain and Ukraine.
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Maria XIAO, Sofia-Xuan ZHANG, and Maria BERZOSA secured a memorable victory over Jia Nan YUAN, Prithika PAVADE, and Charlotte LUTZ. Both XIAO and ZHANG were pushed the full distance but held their nerve in the decisive moments, winning by narrow margins.
“We went out there with nothing to lose. They were clearly the favorites, so we had to fight for every point. Things worked out because we believed in our chances and tried to take control of the match, and it went our way,” said Maria XIAO.
Sofia-Xuan ZHANG admitted that tension was high throughout:
“Honestly, I was really nervous. Even at the end, when I was shaking hands with the girls, I was still in my own world, it didn’t feel like it was really over. The match was very close: two went 3–2, another 3–1, all of them tight. We knew we were in a tough group, and if we wanted to advance, we had to find the right tactics and fight until the end. We did that, and it paid off. We’re happy with the result and ready for more.”
For Maria BERZOSA, this was her first appearance at the senior European Team Championships, and she rose to the challenge.
“To be honest, when I went into the match, I was very nervous. I played the first game nervously, but then I told myself, ‘I don’t feel like losing.’ She was the favorite, on paper she should have won, and we were already ahead. So I thought, ‘I have to give it my all,’ and the nerves went away.”
In Group H, the leaders Ukraine justified their status, securing top position and a rest day before the Round of 16, with no need to worry about the outcome of the third group match. After their opening win over Türkiye, Ukraine also defeated Slovakia.
Margaryta PESOTSKA won both of her encounters, against Barbora VARADY and Ema LABOSOVA, while Veronika MATIUNINA also overcame LABOSOVA. Slovakia’s only point came from Tatiana KUKULKOVA, who earned a strong consolation victory.
Sweden’s Christina KALLBERG, Linda BERGSTRÖM, and Filippa BERGAND overcame Austria’s Sofia POLCANOVA, Nina SKERBINZ, and Yuan LIU, with POLCANOVA earning both of Austria’s points by defeating KALLBERG and BERGSTRÖM.
“I felt nervous going into the deciding game. It was a match I was supposed to win, so it’s always special,” said Christina KALLBERG. “I got a good start, and her playing style suited me well, so it felt comfortable in the end. I also want to give credit to our bench today, they really showed our great team spirit.”
It is second win for Sweden after they prevailed against Greece yesterday, so they will have two days for rest.
“It feels great to win the group, and I think we deserve it. Of course, they have one of the best number ones in POLCANOVA, but I believe we are stronger as a team.”
Poland finished the first phase of the Championships at the top of their group. After defeating Bulgaria, the No. 6 seeds went on to overcome Hungary (seeded No. 12). Zuzanna WIELGOS went the full distance against Georgina POTA, Natalia BAJOR needed one game fewer to beat Judit NAGY, and Katarzyna WEGRZYN prevailed over Rebeka NAGY.
Speaking about her match against the experienced Hungarian, Zuzanna WIELGOS said:
“I was a little bit stressed because this was my first match of the tournament. I played against POTA for the first time, but I knew she is a really good player. I was leading 2–0, but then she played some very good points, so we went into the decider. I’m happy that I managed to stay focused and win the fifth set. Overall, it was a great team performance, and we will keep fighting in the next rounds.”
Hana ARAPOVIC won full distance thriller against Giorgia PICCOLIN, but Gaia MONFARDINI leveled with the win over Lea RAKOVAC. Ivana MALOBABIC returned Croatia back in the lead with win over Debora VIVARELLI.
MONFARDINI showed splendid shape and recorded second win over ARAPOVIC to push Italy into decider and in breathtaking finish RAKOVAC sealed the victory.
Croatia’s Women’s Team Coach Dragutin ŠURBEK addmited:“It was a very stressful match, we went from victory to defeat and back again, it was extremely tense, just as I predicted. I take a bow to the girls. Of course, we are satisfied, this is a success but we haven’t said our last word yet. We don’t intend to stop here. Even finishing first in the group doesn’t mean much, because this championship is full of surprises.”
Lea RAKOVAC: “I don’t even know what to say. Congratulations and full respect to every single girl, Hana, Ivana, everyone played great. Even those of us who lost to Monfardini, Gaia played really, really well, and I have huge respect for her. I also lost to her, but I can’t say I’m unhappy with my performance. She just played superbly! The most important thing is that our whole team played fantastically. Everyone on the bench, not just those on court, plus the crowd who supported us all the way. Absolutely everyone, we are all winners. The whole of Croatia won today. Hana ARAPOVIC helped me a lot before the last match, since she had already played and beaten PICCOLIN. I have to say, this was a victory for the entire team.”
Hana ARAPOVIĆ: “This victory is proof of our teamwork, and I believe it has given us even stronger motivation going forward. Our first goal was to qualify for the World Championships, but now we’re aiming higher.”
Germany’s Sabine WINTER, Annett KAUFMANN, and Yuan WAN overcame Serbia’s Sabina ŠURJAN, Izabela LUPULESKU, and Aneta MAKSUTI in straight matches.
Annett KAUFMANN reflected on her performance:“I already felt much more comfortable today and found my rhythm better. After my one-and-a-half-week training break, I knew things could only improve compared to yesterday. I’ve played against ‘Lupi’ many times in the Bundesliga, and we know each other very well. The basics and my tactics worked well — though, of course, there are still one or two ups and downs.”
Sabine WINTER added:“It wasn’t my best match in terms of play, but Sabina performed very well. She has a very good touch for my forehand balls. In the first set, I made two service mistakes, which rarely happens to me — that’s when I realized I was nervous. But I fought hard, point by point, and stayed in it. In the end, the most important thing is that I won the match and was able to hold my ground even when things didn’t go perfectly. That’s good to know for the rest of the tournament. Maybe I’ll jump into the sea during the two-day break — but we’ll still squeeze in one or two training sessions between the swims!”
