After months away from the biggest stage, Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva are back on the HSBC BWF World Tour and making their presence felt – with new strategies, fresh motivation, and a silver medal in hand.
After the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the Stoeva name was absent from the draws of World Tour tournaments. Seven months later, they have returned to top-tier competition. “We took a little break, mentally and physically. We’ve tried to go back to the shape we were in, and this first big tournament of the year is helping us,” Gabriela shared after one of their matches in the YONEX German Open last week.
However, Gabriela and Stefani were far from taking a break from badminton. “We were working pretty hard,” Stefani revealed. The sisters were deep in training, working on their technique and style. “In Bulgaria, we practice only with boys. Our defense is quite good because they smash like crazy. Our coach changed our style of game. We try to be more aggressive now. I think it’s working pretty well,” she explained.
Despite stepping away from the biggest events, the sisters were training hard and taking part in some events in the European Circuit and in other continents, gathering some great results not only in women’s doubles, but also in women’s singles for Stefani and in mixed doubles for Gabriela.
In fact, Gabriela won the mixed doubles title in the Bahrain International partnered with Evgeni Panev, while Stefani secured the gold in women’s singles at Egypt International and on home soil in the Bulgarian International.
Exploring the other disciplines – and succeeding in them – has helped the sisters’ partnership. “Since I started playing singles, it’s helped me to cover the court, especially when I play doubles,” Stefani pointed out. Gabriela agreed, highlighting the benefits of also playing separately. “When we play different disciplines, we can work on our weaknesses. It’s a change for us, not playing together all the time, and it’s going well.”
The sisters started the year with a round of 16 exit at the Swedish Open but then went on to win the 33rd Iran Fajr International Challenge together. Now, in the German Open, they have secured a well-deserved silver medal. “We are not fighting on court, we are enjoying it and fighting as one,” Stefani remarked at the Super 300 tournament.
They say the third time’s the charm and despite fighting hard for it, the sisters could not live up to the popular saying. The Stoevas had already finished as runner-ups twice in Mülheim, so this was their third time in the final. “We love to play here. The atmosphere is amazing. Seeing so many people in the hall supporting us helps us when we go on court,” Stefani expressed.
The title clash between the Bulgarian duo and Mizuki Otake/Miyu Takahashi lasted an hour and 15 minutes. Despite pushing the match to three games, Gabriela and Stefani Stoeva couldn't prevent the Japanese pair from securing the title with a strong finish.
“This is one of our favourite tournaments. We’re happy that we could play in the final again,” Gabriela stated. The next test awaits at the historic YONEX All England, where they will take on Chinese Taipei’s Ching Hui Chang/Ching Tun Yang, currently ranked 18th in the world, in the opening round.