The second day of play at the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup in the Omnisports venue in Montreux brings together the continent’s elite 16 players in the women’s event. With the main draw underway, Europe’s top stars are set to clash in a series of high-level encounters as they battle for a place in the next stage of one of the most prestigious tournaments on the calendar.
All matches of the CCB Europe Top 16 Cup will be available live worldwide on ETTU.tv and YouTube ETTU official, except in the following countries and territories, where specific broadcast agreements apply and access is restricted (geo-blocked). In these regions, fans should follow the tournament exclusively on the official local broadcasters listed here.
See the pictures by Remi GROS here.
Maria XIAO – Elizabeta SAMARA 3-2 (8-11, 11-7, 24-22, 9-11, 11-6)
The opening two games betwen Maria XIAOof Spain and Elizabeta SAMARAof Romania were shared, and the turning point of the match came in a dramatic third game. XIAO showed nerves of steel in a tense, high-quality battle. She raced to a 9–3 lead before SAMARA fought back to come back. XIAO reached game point at 10–7, triggering a nerve-wracking finish in which opportunities shifted from one side to the other. SAMARA had several chances to close it out, but XIAO seized her moment at 23–22 and finally secured the game 24–22.
Competing in Montreux for the 16th time, SAMARA had reached the final last year, and her experience was evident. She responded in the fourth game, edging a tight contest to force a deciding set.
XIAO, however, did not lose focus. Playing with control and patience, she managed the decider well to seal the victory. On her third appearance in Montreux, the Spaniard improved on her previous results, having finished ninth on both earlier occasions.
“In the third game I think I had more than five set points. I was leading 10–7, if I remember correctly, and at that moment I felt a bit stressed because I really wanted to close the game. In the end we were both a little lucky, but I think I was slightly luckier in those final points. The key change was that I focused on relaxing my arm and simply playing my game, without thinking about the score. I just reacted to the ball and stayed in the rally. That mindset made the difference. After that, the fourth set went quite smoothly in SAMARA’s favor, and in the fifth my main priority was to keep the ball on the table, extend the rallies and avoid easy mistakes. I think that was important because Elizabeta became a bit tense and missed a few simple shots, which gave me extra confidence to finish the match,” said XIAO.
Sabine WINTER – Xiaona SHAN 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-8)
The all-German clash between last year’s semifinalists, top seed Sabine WINTER and No. 14 seed Xiaona SHAN, was a close contest, but WINTER never truly lost control. She justified her status by securing victory in straight games.
“The first match of a tournament is always very difficult, especially against a teammate. Nana is a very strong player, and it was extremely important that I was able to win the second game after trailing 4–8. Otherwise, it would have been an even tougher battle to come through. I didn’t feel any of the muscular problems I’ve had in recent weeks during today’s match, I was pain-free,” explained WINTER.
Jia Nan YUAN – Nina MITTELHAM 3-1 (11-6, 11-6, 5-11, 13-11)
The clash between 2024 champion Jia Nan YUAN of France and 2021 winner Nina MITTELHAM of Germany highlighted the dominance of the more recent titleholder. After the opening exchanges, the pendulum swung decisively in YUAN’s favor from the third game onward.
MITTELHAM maintained constant pressure, but YUAN responded with composure and sealed the victory in the fourth game.
“I’m very happy because I had already played against her two or three times before and this time I finally won. In our previous matches, I think twice, I was leading 2–0 or 3–1, but I ended up losing 4–3. Even in the last game today it was very close. In my head I kept telling myself not to repeat what happened the last time. I stayed calm and focused on every single point,” said YUAN.
Sofia POLCANOVA – Jieni SHAO 3-0 (11-5, 11-7, 11-8)
After the the superb start in opening two games Austria’s Sofia POLCANOVA faced more challenging third part of the game. SHAO rose her play but Sofia whitstood the pressure.
“ We’ve played each other many times, and I feel that against me she sometimes needs a little time to settle into the match. I’ve often had big leads before, even 2–0 or 3–1 and she has still managed to come back and play incredibly well. So I knew that even if the first two games seemed easy, the match was far from over. In the third set, she raised her level again and we had some amazing rallies. At 6–5 I was a bit lucky with a net ball, so today luck was on my side,” saod POLCANOVA.
Austrian explained:
“Tactically, I tried to step around more with my forehand. I had already done that in the first two games, but it became even more important in the third. I felt her backhand was very strong today and that I couldn’t break it with mine, so changing the rhythm and the placement of my shots was key.”
Annett KAUFMANN – Ying HAN 2-3 (9-11, 6-11, 11-9, 12-10, 6-11)
In the second all-German duel, 19-year-old qualifier Annett KAUFMANN quickly found herself two games down against reigning champion, three-time winner and fourth seed Ying HAN.
KAUFMANN reduced the deficit by taking the third game and maintained her patience to break through HAN’s defensive play, forcing the match into a deciding set. In the end, experience proved decisive in the fifth game.
“Annett didn’t start the match very well, but then played much better afterwards. I simply tried not to think about winning or losing and just fought point by point. Now I’ll try to calm down a bit, get some rest, and then take a relaxed look at who I’ll be facing in the quarterfinals,” said HAN.
Prithika PAVADE – Fu YU 0-3 (8-11, 5-11, 12-14)
Portugal’s Fu YU was on course for victory after taking the opening two games against France’s Prithika PAVADE. The seventh seed PAVADE struggled to find her rhythm against the 10th-seeded YU.
The French player responded in the third game, racing to a 5–1 lead. YU gradually closed the gap from 8–6 to 9–9 and earned a match point at 10–9. A nerve-wracking exchange followed, with several game and match points shifting from one side to the other before the experienced YU finally sealed the victory.
“Last time I lost against PAVADE, so despite our previous record I felt uneasy before this match. I didn’t want to leave any chances open. My service game was very important and it worked well. In the third game I didn’t play well in the first five points, but it was good that I managed to regain my focus,” said YU.
Bernadette SZOCS – Natalia BAJOR 0-3 (3-11, 8-11, 8-11)
The 2018 Europe Top 16 winner Bernadette SZOCS of Romania showed no weaknesses in her victory over Poland’s Natalia BAJOR to secure a place in the quarterfinals.
“I didn’t want to give Natalia any chances today because I’ve had many difficult matches against her. She’s a top player and can come back from any score. I once lost to her after leading 2–0, 9–3 in Jeddah, and since then I’ve learned that against her a match is never over. Even if I’m far ahead, I know I have to keep fighting for every point,” explained SZOCS.
The European No. 3 also spoke about her tactical approach.
“I’m very proud of my performance today. I stayed positive throughout the match and didn’t focus on the score. I just fought for every rally. My goal is to enjoy this tournament and take it one match at a time, and we’ll see what happens. What worked best for me was my mental strength and my tactics. My coach helped me a lot with the game plan, I didn’t rely on just one tactic, but at least three. I also showed a lot of patience, and I think that made a big difference.”
Eduard IONESCU – Alexis LEBRUN 0-3 (4-11, 5-11, 7-11)
Reigning champion Alexis LEBRUN began his 2026 campaign with an impressive straight-games victory over Romania’s Eduard IONESCU.
“Overall I feel really good. The 3–0 score speaks for itself, I played a very strong match. He’s a player who gave me problems when I came back from injury and I had lost to him before, so I’m very happy to take my revenge. Next up is a big match against Simon. I watched a bit of his game and he’s playing very well, so it will be great to face him again. I played him recently, and he often enjoys playing the same opponents again, especially fellow French players. It should be a really good match and I’m looking forward to it,” said LEBRUN.
The relentless pace imposed by LEBRUN left little room for IONESCU to respond.
“The rhythm of the match was very fast, and that was part of my tactic. He’s a player who thrives in long rallies and needs them to settle into the match. I tried to finish points within the first two or three shots, where I felt I had an advantage. In longer rallies he can be extremely solid, so I focused on disrupting him early in the exchanges. It may not have been pretty, but it was effective.”
Charlotte LUTZ – Linda BERGSTROM 3-0 (11-0, 11-3, 11-4)
Qualifier Charlotte LUTZ of France defeated Sweden’s Linda BERGSTROM in impressive fashion to book her place in the quarterfinals.
“I’m very happy with my performance today. It’s true that I had beaten her several times before, but in events like this anything can happen. I prepared as usual and went into the match with all my weapons, a lot of motivation and aggression. It paid off from start to finish, so I’m really satisfied,” said LUTZ.
The French player once again showed her strength against defensive styles of play.
“I think my victory is mainly because I feel very comfortable against defensive players. I also know Linda quite well since we’ve played several times before. I already had two matches in my legs while she hadn’t played yet, and I tried to use that to my advantage. Tactically I played a very solid match. She couldn’t find a solution, so I focused on staying consistent throughout, and that made the difference.”
In the quarterfinals, LUTZ will face Bernadette SZOCS.
“My next opponent won’t be easy, to be honest. But I’m excited to play this quarterfinal. I’ve faced her twice before and lost both times, but I know I’m capable of turning things around. I’m going to do everything I can to make that happen.”
