Stefani Stoeva (Bulgarian: Стефани Стоева; born 23 September 1995) is a Bulgarian badminton player specializing in doubles. Her current partner is her older sister, Gabriela Stoeva. They competed at the 2016, 2020 and the 2024 Summer Olympics.[2] The duo together have won gold medals in the 2015 and 2023 European Games and also three successive European Championships in 2018, 2021 and 2022 editions.[3][4] Stefani Stoeva has also won some individual titles in women's singles competition.
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| Country | Bulgaria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 23 September 1995[1] Galabovo, Bulgaria[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2009–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Right | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Highest ranking | 8 (with Gabriela Stoeva 8 November 2018) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | 18 (with Gabriela Stoeva 24 September 2024) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
editStoeva started playing badminton at age 9 at the Haskovo School Club in 2007. She won gold medals at the U17 European Championships in the girls' singles and doubles.[5] At the 2014 Scottish Open Grand Prix, she won in the women's doubles event, partnered with Gabriela Stoeva. They beat Heather Olver and Lauren Smith of England in the finals round with the score 21-7, 21-15.[6]
In 2015, she won the Dutch Open in women's doubles against the top seeds, World No.7 Eefje Muskens and Selena Piek of Nederlands with the score 24–22, 21–15 in the final.[7] She won the Russian Open against Johanna Goliszewski and Carla Nelte of German 21–15, 21–17.[8] She competed in the European Games, and won gold in the women's doubles alongside her sister.[9]
In 2016, Stoeva competed at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, but did not advance to the knocked-out stage after placing third in the group D stage.[10]
In 2017, she became the women's doubles runner-up at the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold. They lost to China pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan with the score 16–21, 15–21.[11] The sisters also won the silver medal at the European Championships.[12]
2020–2021: Second European Championships title
editStefani and her partner Gabriela were lost in the initial rounds in two opening tournaments in 2020. They lost in the first round to Chang Ye-na and Kim Hye-rin at the Indonesia Masters, and to world number 1 Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan in the Thailand Masters. The Stoeva then reached the final in the Spain Masters, losing the final to Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu in a close rubber games.[13] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous tournaments on the 2020 BWF World Tour were either cancelled or rescheduled for later in the year, they then felt the atmosphere of a tournament in Sofia in October, at the Bulgarian International,[14] where she and her partner emerged victory at that tournament. The duo then ended the season by winning the Super 100 event at the SaarLorLux Open.[15]
The Stoevas opened the 2021 season as the finalists in the Swiss Open, losing the title to the rising Malaysian pair Pearly Tan and Thinaah Muralitharan.[16] They then finished runner-up in the Orléans Masters this time losing to Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai of Thailand. The duo then clinched their first title of the year by winning their second European Championships title in Kyiv, Ukraine.[17] The duo competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but were eliminated in the group stage.[18]
2022: 3rd European Championships title
editStefani and her partner Gabriela opened the 2022 season with quite satisfactory results, by becoming finalists in the German Open. They then won 3 consecutive tournaments, in the Swiss Open, Orléans Masters and in their third European Championships.[19]
Stefani and Gabriela ended the year on poor form, exiting four of their final six tournaments in the first round. Her sister, Gabriela, stated that their partnerships were lost communication on court, only arguing, and the energy around them was pretty negative.[20]
2023: Second European Games gold
editIn the first semester of 2023, Stoeva has not been able to win any single titles, as her best results with Gabriela was being quarter-finalists in the Malaysia, India and the German Opens.[21] Stefani and Gabriela claimed their first title of the year by winning the gold medal at the European Games, beating Dutch pair Debora Jille and Cheryl Seinen in the finals.[22] They also competed in the BWF World Championships, but had to be knocked out in the early rounds by Yeung Nga Ting and Yeung Pui Lam of Hong Kong. In the remaining tournaments in 2023, they were able to win the International Challenge titles in Scotland, Bahrain and Wales,[23] as well as finished runner-up in the Irish Open.[24]
2024
editStoeva won her first international title in 2024 at the Azerbaijan International.[25] She and her partner reached the finals in the German Open, but lost to Chinese pair Li Yijing and Luo Xumin.[26] As the defending champion at the European Championships, Stoeva unable to defend their title after lost to French pair Margot Lambert and Anne Tran in the final.[27]
Achievements
editEuropean Games
editWomen's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Baku Sports Hall, Baku, Azerbaijan |
21–12, 23–21 | |||
| 2023 | Arena Jaskółka, Tarnów, Poland |
21–7, 21–17 |
European Championships
editWomen's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Sydbank Arena, Kolding, Denmark |
11–21, 21–15, 11–21 | |||
| 2018 | Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín, Huelva, Spain |
21–12, 21–10 | |||
| 2021 | Palace of Sports, Kyiv, Ukraine |
21–14, 21–19 | |||
| 2022 | Polideportivo Municipal Gallur, Madrid, Spain |
21–14, 21–10 | |||
| 2024 | Saarlandhalle, Saarbrücken, Germany |
21–16, 17–21, 11–21 |
European Junior Championships
editGirls' singles
| Year | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | ASKI Sport Hall, Ankara, Turkey | 21–13, 23–25, 21–19 |
Girls' doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | ASKI Sport Hall, Ankara, Turkey | 21–11, 21–18 |
BWF World Tour (8 titles, 7 runners-up)
editThe BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[28] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300 (part of the HSBC World Tour), and the BWF Tour Super 100.[29]
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Level | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Swiss Open | Super 300 | 21–19, 15–21, 18–21 | |||
| 2018 | Orléans Masters | Super 100 | 21–8, 21–14 | |||
| 2018 | Dutch Open | Super 100 | 21–17, 21–18 | |||
| 2018 | French Open | Super 750 | 14–21, 19–21 | |||
| 2018 | SaarLorLux Open | Super 100 | 22–20, 15–21, 21–19 | |||
| 2018 | Scottish Open | Super 100 | 21–16, 21–9 | |||
| 2019 | Dutch Open | Super 100 | 21–10, 22–20 | |||
| 2020 | Spain Masters | Super 300 | 21–18, 20–22, 17–21 | |||
| 2020 | SaarLorLux Open | Super 100 | 21–8, 21–11 | |||
| 2021 | Swiss Open | Super 300 | 19–21, 12–21 | |||
| 2021 | Orléans Masters | Super 100 | 16–21, 16–21 | |||
| 2022 | German Open | Super 300 | 16–21, 30–29, 19–21 | |||
| 2022 | Swiss Open | Super 300 | 21–14, 21–12 | |||
| 2022 | Orléans Masters | Super 100 | 21–15, 21–14 | |||
| 2024 | German Open | Super 300 | 7–21, 21–13, 18–21 |
BWF Grand Prix (3 titles, 3 runners-up)
editThe BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Brasil Open | 5–11, 7–11, 11–4, 10–11 | |||
| 2014 | Scottish Open | 21–7, 21–15 | |||
| 2015 | Russian Open | 21–15, 21–17 | |||
| 2015 | Dutch Open | 24–22, 21–15 | |||
| 2016 | Dutch Open | 21–17, 17–21, 16–21 | |||
| 2017 | Swiss Open | 16–21, 15–21 |
- BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
- BWF Grand Prix tournament
BWF International Challenge/Series (37 titles, 10 runners-up)
editWomen's singles
| Year | Tournament | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Hungarian International | 23–21 21–14 | ||
| 2012 | Bulgarian Hebar Open | 17–21, 21–18, 10–21 | ||
| 2012 | Bulgarian International | 9–21, 18–21 | ||
| 2013 | Indonesia International | 21–13, 15–21, 12–21 | ||
| 2013 | Bulgarian Eurasia Open | 21–16, 21–18 | ||
| 2013 | Turkey International | 14–21, 21–16, 21–19 | ||
| 2014 | Slovenian International | 21–18, 21–14 | ||
| 2014 | White Nights | 14–21, 17–21 | ||
| 2024 | Bulgarian International | 18–21, 21–15, 21–8 | ||
| 2024 | Egypt International | 21–10, 22–20 |
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Turkiye Open | 21–14, 16–21, 21–10 | |||
| 2012 | Banuinvest International | 19–21, 21–17, 16–21 | |||
| 2012 | Bulgarian Hebar Open | 15–21, 21–14, 21–11 | |||
| 2012 | Bulgarian International | 21–9, 21–17 | |||
| 2012 | Turkey International | 19–21, 21–14, 23–21 | |||
| 2013 | Bulgarian Eurasia Open | 11–21, 8–21 | |||
| 2013 | Belgian International | 21–13, 11–21, 18–21 | |||
| 2013 | Bulgarian International | 21–15, 21–10 | |||
| 2013 | Turkey International | 21–15, 21–8 | |||
| 2014 | Austrian International | 21–17, 20–22, 21–15 | |||
| 2014 | Orléans International | 14–21, 7–21 | |||
| 2014 | Finnish Open | 17–21, 14–21 | |||
| 2014 | Slovenian International | 21–16, 21–17 | |||
| 2014 | Spanish Open | 21–14, 21–9 | |||
| 2014 | Swiss International | 11–6, 11–5, 11–9 | |||
| 2014 | Turkey International | 21–11, 21–9 | |||
| 2015 | Orléans International | 22–20, 16–21, 21–9 | |||
| 2015 | Spanish International | 21–16, 21–11 | |||
| 2015 | Bulgarian International | 21–14, 21–10 | |||
| 2015 | Welsh International | 21–10, 22–20 | |||
| 2015 | Irish Open | 21–10, 22–24, 21–9 | |||
| 2015 | Italian International | 21–19, 18–21, 13–6 retired | |||
| 2015 | Turkey International | 21–19, 21–12 | |||
| 2017 | Bulgarian Open | 21–16, 21–12 | |||
| 2018 | Bulgarian Open | 21–16, 21–19 | |||
| 2019 | Spanish International | 21–8, 21–10 | |||
| 2019 | Belgian International | 21–16, 21–15 | |||
| 2019 | Italian International | 21–11, 21–14 | |||
| 2020 | Bulgarian International | 21–8, 21–9 | |||
| 2023 | Scottish Open | 19–21, 21–11, 21–12 | |||
| 2023 | Irish Open | 19–21, 21–17, 22–24 | |||
| 2023 | Bahrain International | 21–19, 21–14 | |||
| 2023 | Welsh International | 24–22, 21–11 | |||
| 2024 | Azerbaijan International | 21–14, 21–7 | |||
| 2024 | Bulgarian International | 21–5, 21–10 | |||
| 2024 | Dutch Open | 21–15, 21–18 | |||
| 2024 (II) | Bahrain International | 21–6, 21–8 |
- BWF International Challenge tournament
- BWF International Series tournament
- BWF Future Series tournament
References
edit- ^ a b "Stefani Stoeva Player Profile". BWF-Tournament Software. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "Badminton - STOEVA Stefani". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ^ Pavitt, Michael. "Badminton doubles delight for Bulgaria and Denmark as they secure first Baku 2015 European Games golds". Inside the Games. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ Poghosyan, Lilit (3 May 2018). "Stoeva sisters: We will aim for top 5". Badminton People. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ "Стефани Стоева еврошампионка по бадминтон" (in Bulgarian). Viasport.bg. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Scottish Grand Prix: Robert Blair & Imogen Bankier retain title". BBC News. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Koo Kien Keat/Tan Boon Heong, Stoeva sisters win Dutch Open". Badminton Planet. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Russian Open 2015 – 3 take first Grand Prix in 3 years". Badzine. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Stoeva sisters secure first Bulgarian gold". Baku 2015. Archived from the original on June 28, 2015. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Olympics-Badminton-Women's doubles Group D results". Reuters. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Yonex Swiss Open 2017: Big Wins in Basel". Yonex. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "England's golden day in Denmark". Badminton Europe. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ "Indonesia's Greysia-Apriyani badminton pair secure Barcelona Spain Masters title". The Jakarta Post. 25 February 2020. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Raftery, Alan (16 September 2020). "Stoevas: Everything here is very strict". Badminton Europe. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Sukumar, Dev (2 November 2020). "SaarLorLux Open: Gilmour Breaks Title Drought". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Raftery, Alan (7 March 2021). "Kim Astrup/ Anders Rasmussen are back on top and Stoevas stunned in final". Badminton Europe. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Raftery, Alan (2 May 2021). "Stoevas secure second title". Badminton Europe. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
- ^ "Bulgaria at the Olympics: Stefani Stoeva, Gabriela Stoeva Win Their Last Match in Badminton Group Play Stage". Bulgaria News Agency. 27 July 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Трета европейска титла за сестри Стоеви в Мадрид" (in Bulgarian). Marica. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Kumar, Prem (12 January 2023). "Malaysia Open: less fighting, more talking". Badminton World Federation. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Tan, Ming Wai (13 January 2023). "A Malaysian washout at Malaysia Open". New Straits Times. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "We have our first European Games 2023 badminton champions". Krakow-Małopolska 2024 3rd European Games official website. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Badminton: Stoeva sisters win their fourth doubles title of the year". Bulgarian National Radio. 3 December 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Becerra, Gaia Diakhite (18 November 2023). "Battle of the youngsters". Badminton Europe. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ "Bulgarian badminton players Stefani Stoeva, Gabriela Stoeva win women's doubles title in Baku". Bulgarian News Agency. 11 February 2024. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "German Open: Breakthrough Title for Christo Popov". Badminton World Federation. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "Стефани Стоева и Габриела Стоева завоюваха сребърни отличия на двойки жени на Европейското първенство по бадминтон в Германия" (in Bulgarian). Bulgarian News Agency. 14 April 2024. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ Alleyne, Gayle (19 March 2017). "BWF Launches New Events Structure". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
- ^ Sukumar, Dev (10 January 2018). "Action-Packed Season Ahead!". Badminton World Federation. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
External links
edit- Stefani Stoeva at BWFBadminton.com
- Stefani Stoeva at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)