Local heroes impressed by the atmosphere

Cheered on loudly by several school classes in the stands, Milena Schnider fought bravely for every point for 72 minutes and repeatedly managed to catch up when she fell behind. However, the BC Adliswil player ultimately missed out on a place in the main draw by the narrowest of margins: the 24-year-old was defeated 29-27, 20-22, 17-21 by Anna Siess Ryberg in the women's singles qualifying round on Tuesday (10 March 2026). ‘It's annoying. In hindsight, you always think, “If only I had done this or that differently,”’ said Milena Schnider immediately after her first encounter with the Dane in her career.

However, the world number 152 was delighted with the wonderful atmosphere in the St. Jakobshalle: "I was surprised that so many people were watching on Tuesday. It was especially sweet that so many little ones came,‘ said Milena Schnider. Early on Tuesday afternoon, the stands were filled with schoolchildren wearing T-shirts with the Swiss flag, holding up posters with the name of their idol and chanting ’Let's go, Milena, let's go‘ or simply ’Milena, Milena" between rallies.

The local hero, who studies mechanical engineering at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), had only found out the day before at around 6 p.m. that she had moved up from the reserve list to the qualifiers. ‘It was a bit stressful because I had university until 9 p.m. So I was glad that I didn't have to play until 12 noon,’ said Milena Schnider, who was also very grateful for the opportunity to compete in her home tournament at short notice.