The 39-year-old TO had to make the thumbs in the final in three sets (18-21, 21-10 and 21-15) for the Swiss Cynthia Mathez. ‘Kiki’ was a title defender in singles. In 2023 in Rotterdam she was crowned European champion for the first time. In the mixed doubles, she, on the side of Brent van der Kelen, went down in two sets (21-4 and 21-6) against the Swiss Ilaria Olgiati and the Italian Yuri Ferrigno.
“I have a double feeling about this European Championship,” said ‘Kiki’ afterwards. “On the one hand it is great that in the mixed doubles we got so far with two WH1 players. Brent did it super well here too. On the other hand, the single-final was a must for me anyway, but I can’t extend my title in that. That is disappointing. Never before I have had to win a tournament so hard.”
Brent van der Kelen (WH1) participated in a European Championship for the second time, and made it in singles to the quarterfinals. In the men’s doubles he did not get through the groups with the Brit Oliver Vaughan, but in the mixed double he took his first European Championship medal. “That is of course great,” he said. “I learned a lot at this European Championship.”
The third Belgian at the European Championship was Mathis Tilte, who lost both group matches in singles, in the SL4 class for standing players. In the men’s doubles he did not get through the groups with the Slovak Rudolf Klein.
