Estonian women's badminton team record historic win to reach Euro finals
The Estonian women's badminton team made history in Tallinn on Friday, defeating Italy to reach the European Championship finals for the first time.
The Estonian women's badminton team defeated Italy in Tallinn on Friday to reach the European Championship finals for the first time in history.
To ensure qualification for the finals, Estonia needed a win against Italy in Tallinn. They started the match well, with Estonian number one player Kristin Kuuba defeating Yasmin Hamza 21-14, 21-11. However, in the next match, Italy fought back and Janja Stiglic restored the balance with a 21-14, 21-12 win over Helis Paust 21:14, 21:12.
In the third singles match, Kathleen Kruus won the first game against Emma Piccinini, but the Italian confidently took the second game and led by four points going into the decisive game. Nevertheless, Kruus managed to turn the tide to win the match 21-13, 11-21, 21-17.
That put Estonia 2-1 in front overall going into the doubles.
Kuuba and partner Helina Rüütel held their nerve to record a 21-8, 21-4 win over Italy's Hamza and Chiara Passeri 21-8, 21-14, confirming Estonia's place in the European Championship finals for the first time in history.
The Estonian women's team won all three of their matches in the group. After starting out with a 3-2 win over Spain, they followed up with a 4-1 victory against the Netherlands.
The Estonian men's team face Luxembourg in their final tie of the qualifying tournament in Tallinn on Saturday. However, they are no longer able to reach the finals
The Badminton Europe 2026 European Team Finals take place in Istanbul on February 11-15.
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Editor: Viktor Solts, Michael Cole
