The favorites from France faced the Netherlands on the second day of the European Mixed Team Championships. Despite a valiant effort from the Dutch team, they were unable to win a single match or set against the strong French squad.
France vs Netherlands
Thom Gicquel and Delphine Delrue kicked off the tie with a dominant 21-10, 21-7 victory over Andy Buijk and Meerte Loos. In the men's singles, Christo Popov was given the chance to play, while France rested Alex Lanier and Toma Popov. Christo did not disappoint, securing a commanding 21-9, 21-12 win over 20-year-old Noah Haase.
Léonice Huet extended France’s lead to 3-0 with a solid performance against young Flora Wang, who just two months ago represented the Netherlands at the European Junior Championships.
Eloi Adam and Leo Rossi were given the opportunity in men’s doubles and defeated Ties Van Der Lecq and Brian Wassink 21-15, 21-15. Despite good resistance from the Dutch duo, the French pair proved too strong.
Margot Lambert and Camille Pognante wrapped up the tie, securing a 5-0 victory for France with a 21-13, 21-16 win over Kirsten De Wit and Meerte Loos.
Tomorrow, the Netherlands will take on Germany, while France faces Czechia.
Czechia vs Germany
In the other match of the session, Germany and Czechia battled in an intense clash filled with close encounters.
Czechia’s top men’s singles player, Jan Louda, came out strong against Germany’s Matthias Kicklitz, taking the first game 21-12. He maintained control until 11-10 in the second game, but Kicklitz found his rhythm and turned the match around, winning 21-13. The momentum carried into the deciding game, where Kicklitz raced to a 16-7 lead. Louda fought back to 14-16, but couldn’t sustain his comeback, ultimately losing 21-16.
The women’s singles match was another marathon, lasting 1 hour and 6 minutes. Miranda Wilson and Tereza Švábíková went the distance, but Wilson edged out the Czech player with a hard-fought 19-21, 21-19, 21-16 victory.
With Germany leading 2-0, experienced duo Marvin Seidel and Daniel Hess stepped onto the court in men’s doubles. However, they struggled early on, falling behind 18-12. Hess, who felt uncomfortable on the court, admitted, “We kept fighting and fighting to get it going somehow, and Marvin (Seidel) really overtook some rallies, and I could just hang in.”
Despite the shaky start, they staged an impressive comeback to take the first game 21-19. In the second game, they found their rhythm and dominated 21-6.
Germany also clinched victories in women’s doubles and mixed doubles, resulting in a decisive 5-0 win—bringing them one step closer to the semifinals.
Decisive matches await
Tomorrow, the final group stage matches will determine which teams advance to the knockout rounds.
In Group 1, England faces Spain, while Denmark meets Azerbaijan.
In Group 2, France takes on Czechia, and Germany battles the Netherlands.
All matches will be streamed live on BadmintonEurope.tv.