Pavade beats top seed Winter and Hursey ousts holder Polcanova as Ni Xia Lian, 63, exits Euros in Ljubljana

The women's singles at the European Table Tennis Championships in Ljubljana was blown open on Friday, 16 October, as top seed Sabine Winter and defending champion Sofia Polcanova both lost in the last 16. France's Prithika Pavade beat Germany's Winter 4-2 and Wales' Anna Hursey edged Austria's Polcanova in seven games, while 63-year-old Ni Xia Lian's remarkable run ended against Germany's Annett Kaufmann.

Pavade topples the top seed

Pavade, the ninth seed, made a fast start against Winter, taking the first two games 11-7 and 11-5. Winter levelled the match by winning the next two 11-6 and 11-7, but the French player regained control, taking the fifth 11-8 and the sixth 12-10 to seal a 4-2 win and a place in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

Hursey survives a marathon against Polcanova

Hursey's victory over Polcanova was even closer. The Welsh player lost the opening game 6-11 before winning the next three, including a 20-18 fourth game. Polcanova fought back to take the fifth 11-8 and the sixth 12-10, forcing a decider, but Hursey held her nerve to win it 11-8 and complete a 4-3 upset of the defending champion.

Ni Xia Lian's run ends against Kaufmann

Luxembourg's Ni Xia Lian had been one of the stories of the championships after reaching the last 16 at the age of 63. Her run ended against Kaufmann, who won 4-1 (11-9, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10, 11-1). Ni took the third game and stayed close in the fourth before Kaufmann ran away with the fifth.

Kaufmann now faces team-mate Ying Han in an all-German quarter-final, which guarantees Germany a medal because there is no bronze-medal play-off at the European Championships. Han beat Slovakia's Tatiana Kukulkova 4-0 without dropping a game.

More seeds fall

The upsets were not limited to the top of the draw. Elizabet Abraamian, the 35th seed, swept fifth seed Jia Nan Yuan of France 4-0, winning every game 11-9 or 11-8. Romania's Elena Zaharia, seeded 33rd, beat Italy's Gaia Monfardini 4-2 to continue her run.

Romania's Bernadette Szocs, who also won mixed doubles bronze in Ljubljana, needed seven games to beat Poland's Natalia Bajor, coming from two games down to win 11-6 in the decider. Germany's Nina Mittelham beat Romania's Andreea Dragoman 4-3 before going on to win the mixed doubles title later in the evening with Benedikt Duda.

The quarter-final line-up

That leaves eight quarter-finalists: Pavade, Hursey, Kaufmann, Han, Abraamian, Zaharia, Szocs and Mittelham.

The quarter-finals are scheduled for Saturday, 17 October, with the championships ending on Sunday, 18 October. In women's doubles, Poland's Anna Brzyska and Zuzanna Wielgos reached the final after beating Kaufmann and Mittelham 3-2.

Key takeaways

• Ninth seed Prithika Pavade beat top seed Sabine Winter 4-2.
• Anna Hursey knocked out defending champion Sofia Polcanova 4-3, including a 20-18 fourth game.
• Ni Xia Lian, 63, lost 4-1 to Annett Kaufmann in the last 16.
• Kaufmann and Ying Han meet in an all-German quarter-final, guaranteeing Germany a medal.

FAQ

Who knocked out Sabine Winter at the 2026 European Championships? France's Prithika Pavade beat the German top seed 4-2 in the women's singles last 16 in Ljubljana.

How did Ni Xia Lian do in Ljubljana? The 63-year-old reached the last 16 before losing 4-1 to Germany's Annett Kaufmann on 16 October.

Who are the women's singles quarter-finalists? Prithika Pavade, Anna Hursey, Annett Kaufmann, Ying Han, Elizabet Abraamian, Elena Zaharia, Bernadette Szocs and Nina Mittelham.

Sources: European Table Tennis Union, Eurosport, Flashscore, tischtennis.de