The European Circuit continues in Kraków with the Polish International 2025 presented by YONEX, taking place from Thursday 18th to Sunday 21st of September. Among the highlights are Poland’s Paulina Hankiewicz/Kornelia Marczak, the top seeds in women’s doubles and reigning champions.

The Polish pair have had a busy year on the World Tour, in addition to competing at the European and World Championships. Now they’re back on home soil, aiming to defend the title they won last year.

“We are especially proud that we managed to win the tournament last year here in Poland. It was our very first International series tournament victory, which made the moment even more special for us. Playing in front of our home crowd is always a joy, and we feel so much happiness and gratitude,” shared Hankiewicz.

“This year, our main goal is simply to enjoy every match and to show our best badminton.”

Currently ranked 37th in the world, their highest to date, Hankiewicz/Marczak have had their best run since their partnership began at the start of 2023. Last season, they won three titles in the European Circuit – the Polish International, Czech Open, and Norwegian International.

“The atmosphere during the final [last year] was truly special. A lot of people came to watch, as two Polish pairs were facing each other (…). Playing in front of such a supportive crowd is always more enjoyable, and we will definitely remember those emotions. It was also our first tournament win that season. A victory that gave us great confidence and started a very successful year, which brought us to where we are today.”

This year has seen them go deeper into top-level competition, playing a lot in Asia. “The World Tour was a big challenge for us, with a lot of travel and new things to get used to.
It was our first time playing at this level, so there were many emotions, but we also learned a lot. Playing in Asia taught us patience and gave us the chance to see the best players in the world up close.”

Despite starting their tournament directly in the round of 16, the pair are staying focused from the beginning. “It doesn’t really change our preparation. We need to be fully focused from the very first match. Every match is equally important to us.”

And this week in Kraków, the goal is clear. “Our goal is simply to play our best badminton. What matters most is that we are a team on court and that we play together.”

Other highlights
There’s plenty of home talent to cheer for this week – mixed doubles second seeds Szymon Slepęcki/Anastasia Khomich, seventh seed Mikolaj Szymanowski and eighth seed Dominik Kwinta in men’s singles, Weronika Gorniak in women’s singles, and Robert Cybulski/Przemysław Szydłowski in men’s doubles.

There’s also plenty of international talent set to compete in Kraków. Ditlev Jaeger Holm, Stefani Stoeva, Malik Bourakkadi/Kenneth Neumann, Lærke Hvid/Anna Klausholm, and Malik Bourakkadi/Leona Michalski are among the top names.

Watch the tournament live
All matches will be streamed live on BadmintonEurope.com

Schedule:

• Wednesday 18 September – 10am CEST: Qualification + Mixed Doubles R32
• Thursday 19 September – 9am: Main draw R32 (MS/WS/MD/WD) + R16
• Friday 20 September – 9am: Quarterfinals + Semifinals
• Saturday 21 September – 9am: Finals

For draws and more information on the Polish International 2025 presented by YONEX, click here.