# Gabriela Stoeva

Gabriela Stoeva (Bulgarian: Габриела Стоева; born 15 July 1994) is a Bulgarian badminton player specializing in doubles. Her current partner is her younger sister, Stefani Stoeva. The pair is the three-time European Champion and two-time European Games gold medalist as well. They competed at the 2016, 2020 and the 2024 Summer Olympics.

## Career

Gabriela Stoeva started playing badminton at age 10 in the Haskovo School Club. She joined the national team in 2008, and made a debut in the international event in 2009. In 2009, she won a bronze medal at the European U-17 Championships in the girls' doubles event partnered with her sister, Stefani Stoeva. And at the 2013 European U-19 Championships, the sister won the gold medal.
Stoeva won her first BWF Grand Prix title at the 2014 Scottish Open in the women's doubles event with her sister. They beat Heather Olver and Lauren Smith of England in the finals round with the score 21-7 21–15. In 2015, she also won the Grand Prix tournament at the Russian and Dutch Open. Stoeva competed in the 2015 European Games, winning gold in women's doubles alongside her younger sister
In 2017, the Stoevas finished as the runner-ups at the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold tournament, losing to the Chinese pair Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan in the straight games. The sisters also won the silver medal at the European Championships.

### 2018–2019: First ever Bulgarian to win the European Championships title

Gabriela started the 2018 season by finished as women's doubles runner-up in the Swiss Open with her sister Stefani. They then won their first title of the year in the Orléans Masters. Competing as the second seed in the European Championship, the Stoeva took advantage of the absence of the top seed Kamilla Rytter Juhl and Christinna Pedersen, by winning their first ever European title, becoming the first Bulgarian players to win the European title since the tournament was first held in 1968. At the home soil, Bulgarian Open, she played in two events, the women's doubles with her sister, while in the mixed doubles with Jakub Bitman of Czechia. She won the women's doubles title and reached the semi-finals in the mixed doubles. The Stoeva are increasingly being considered on the BWF World Tour, as proven by their ability to reach the semi-finals at the China Open, beating top pairs such as Lee So-hee and Shin Seung-chan in the second round, and then Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan in the quarter-finals. They are increasingly successful in Europe by winning titles such as Dutch Open, SaarLorLux Open, and Scottish Open, as well being runner-up in the French Open. They then reached their career high as world number 8 in the BWF World rankings, and also closed the season ranked as number 7 in the Tour Finals rankings.

### 2020–2021: Second European Championships title

Gabriela and her partner Stefani 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. 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, 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.
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. 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. The duo competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics but were eliminated in the group stage.

### 2022: 3rd European Championships title

Gabriela and her partner Stefani 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.
Gabriela and Stefani ended the year on poor form, exiting four of their final six tournaments in the first round. She stated that their partnerships were lost communication on court, only arguing, and the energy around them was pretty negative.

### 2023: Second European Games gold

In the first semester of 2023, Stoeva has not been able to win any single titles, as her best results with Stefani was being quarter-finalists in the Malaysia, India and the German Opens. Gabriela tried to partner with young player, Kaloyana Nalbantova, and was able to reach the quarter-finals in the Dutch International.
Gabriela and Stefani 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. 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, as well as finished runner-up in the Irish Open.

### 2024

Stoeva won her first international title in 2024 at the Azerbaijan International. She and her partner reached the finals in the German Open, but lost to Chinese pair Li Yijing and Luo Xumin. 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.

## Achievements
### European Games

Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2015 | Baku Sports Hall, Baku, Azerbaijan | Stefani Stoeva | Ekaterina Bolotova Evgeniya Kosetskaya | 21–12, 23–21 | Gold |
| 2023 | Arena Jaskółka, Tarnów, Poland | Stefani Stoeva | Debora Jille Cheryl Seinen | 21–7, 21–17 | Gold |

### European Championships

Women's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2017 | Sydbank Arena, Kolding, Denmark | Stefani Stoeva | Christinna Pedersen Kamilla Rytter Juhl | 11–21, 21–15, 11–21 | Silver |
| 2018 | Palacio de los Deportes Carolina Marín, Huelva, Spain | Stefani Stoeva | Émilie Lefel Anne Tran | 21–12, 21–10 | Gold |
| 2021 | Palace of Sports, Kyiv, Ukraine | Stefani Stoeva | Chloe Birch Lauren Smith | 21–14, 21–19 | Gold |
| 2022 | Polideportivo Municipal Gallur, Madrid, Spain | Stefani Stoeva | Linda Efler Isabel Lohau | 21–14, 21–10 | Gold |
| 2024 | Saarlandhalle, Saarbrücken, Germany | Stefani Stoeva | Margot Lambert Anne Tran | 21–16, 17–21, 11–21 | Silver |

### European Junior Championships

Girls' doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2013 | ASKI Sport Hall, Ankara, Turkey | Stefani Stoeva | Julie Finne-Ipsen Rikke Søby Hansen | 21–11, 21–18 | Gold |

### BWF World Tour (8 titles, 8 runners-up)

The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018, 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.
Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2018 | Swiss Open | Super 300 | Stefani Stoeva | Ayako Sakuramoto Yukiko Takahata | 21–19, 15–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
| 2018 | Orléans Masters | Super 100 | Stefani Stoeva | Delphine Delrue Léa Palermo | 21–8, 21–14 | Winner |
| 2018 | Dutch Open | Super 100 | Stefani Stoeva | Selena Piek Cheryl Seinen | 21–17, 21–18 | Winner |
| 2018 | French Open | Super 750 | Stefani Stoeva | Mayu Matsumoto Wakana Nagahara | 14–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2018 | SaarLorLux Open | Super 100 | Stefani Stoeva | Ni Ketut Mahadewi Istarani Rizki Amelia Pradipta | 22–20, 15–21, 21–19 | Winner |
| 2018 | Scottish Open | Super 100 | Stefani Stoeva | Émilie Lefel Anne Tran | 21–16, 21–9 | Winner |
| 2019 | Dutch Open | Super 100 | Stefani Stoeva | Rin Iwanaga Kie Nakanishi | 21–10, 22–20 | Winner |
| 2020 | Spain Masters | Super 300 | Stefani Stoeva | Greysia Polii Apriyani Rahayu | 21–18, 20–22, 17–21 | Runner-up |
| 2020 | SaarLorLux Open | Super 100 | Stefani Stoeva | Amalie Magelund Freja Ravn | 21–8, 21–11 | Winner |
| 2021 | Swiss Open | Super 300 | Stefani Stoeva | Pearly Tan Thinaah Muralitharan | 19–21, 12–21 | Runner-up |
| 2021 | Orléans Masters | Super 100 | Stefani Stoeva | Jongkolphan Kititharakul Rawinda Prajongjai | 16–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | German Open | Super 300 | Stefani Stoeva | Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan | 16–21, 30–29, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | Swiss Open | Super 300 | Stefani Stoeva | Linda Efler Isabel Lohau | 21–14, 21–12 | Winner |
| 2022 | Orléans Masters | Super 100 | Stefani Stoeva | Stine Küspert Emma Moszczyński | 21–15, 21–14 | Winner |
| 2024 | German Open | Super 300 | Stefani Stoeva | Li Yijing Luo Xumin | 7–21, 21–13, 18–21 | Runner-up |
| 2025 | German Open | Super 300 | Stefani Stoeva | Miyu Takahashi Mizuki Otake | 17–21, 22–20, 12–21 | Runner-up |

### BWF Grand Prix (3 titles, 3 runners-up)

The 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 | Stefani Stoeva | Johanna Goliszewski Carla Nelte | 5–11, 7–11, 11–4, 10–11 | Runner-up |
| 2014 | Scottish Open | Stefani Stoeva | Heather Olver Lauren Smith | 21–7, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2015 | Russian Open | Stefani Stoeva | Johanna Goliszewski Carla Nelte | 21–15, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2015 | Dutch Open | Stefani Stoeva | Eefje Muskens Selena Piek | 24–22, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2016 | Dutch Open | Stefani Stoeva | Setyana Mapasa Gronya Somerville | 21–17, 17–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
| 2017 | Swiss Open | Stefani Stoeva | Chen Qingchen Jia Yifan | 16–21, 15–21 | Runner-up |
    BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
    BWF Grand Prix tournament

### BWF International Challenge/Series (35 titles, 7 runners-up)

Women's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2011 | Turkiye Open | Stefani Stoeva | Alexandra Langley Lauren Smith | 21–14, 16–21, 21–10 | Winner |
| 2012 | Banuinvest International | Stefani Stoeva | Sandra-Maria Jensen Line Kjærsfeldt | 19–21, 21–17, 16–21 | Runner-up |
| 2012 | Bulgarian Hebar Open | Stefani Stoeva | Rumiana Ivanova Dimitria Popstoikova | 15–21, 21–14, 21–11 | Winner |
| 2012 | Bulgarian International | Stefani Stoeva | Özge Bayrak Neslihan Yiğit | 21–9, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2012 | Turkey International | Stefani Stoeva | Özge Bayrak Neslihan Yiğit | 19–21, 21–14, 23–21 | Winner |
| 2013 | Bulgarian Eurasia Open | Stefani Stoeva | Petya Nedelcheva Dimitria Popstoikova | 11–21, 8–21 | Runner-up |
| 2013 | Belgian International | Stefani Stoeva | Imogen Bankier Petya Nedelcheva | 21–13, 11–21, 18–21 | Runner-up |
| 2013 | Bulgarian International | Stefani Stoeva | Eva Lee Paula Lynn Obañana | 21–15, 21–10 | Winner |
| 2013 | Turkey International | Stefani Stoeva | Özge Bayrak Neslihan Yiğit | 21–15, 21–8 | Winner |
| 2014 | Austrian International | Stefani Stoeva | Olga Golovanova Viktoriia Vorobeva | 21–17, 20–22, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2014 | Orléans International | Stefani Stoeva | Imogen Bankier Petya Nedelcheva | 14–21, 7–21 | Runner-up |
| 2014 | Finnish Open | Stefani Stoeva | Line Damkjær Kruse Marie Røpke | 17–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2014 | Slovenian International | Stefani Stoeva | Victoria Dergunova Olga Morozova | 21–16, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2014 | Spanish Open | Stefani Stoeva | Imogen Bankier Kirsty Gilmour | 21–14, 21–9 | Winner |
| 2014 | Swiss International | Stefani Stoeva | Meiliana Jauhari Aprilsasi Putri Lejarsar Variella | 11–6, 11–5, 11–9 | Winner |
| 2014 | Turkey International | Stefani Stoeva | Özge Bayrak Neslihan Yiğit | 21–11, 21–9 | Winner |
| 2015 | Orléans International | Stefani Stoeva | Heather Olver Lauren Smith | 22–20, 16–21, 21–9 | Winner |
| 2015 | Spanish International | Stefani Stoeva | Anastasia Chervyakova Olga Morozova | 21–16, 21–11 | Winner |
| 2015 | Bulgarian International | Stefani Stoeva | Eva Lee Paula Lynn Obañana | 21–14, 21–10 | Winner |
| 2015 | Welsh International | Stefani Stoeva | Heather Olver Lauren Smith | 21–10, 22–20 | Winner |
| 2015 | Irish Open | Stefani Stoeva | Julie Finne-Ipsen Rikke Søby Hansen | 21–10, 22–24, 21–9 | Winner |
| 2015 | Italian International | Stefani Stoeva | Setyana Mapasa Gronya Somerville | 21–19, 18–21, 13–6 retired | Winner |
| 2015 | Turkey International | Stefani Stoeva | Özge Bayrak Neslihan Yiğit | 21–19, 21–12 | Winner |
| 2017 | Bulgarian Open | Stefani Stoeva | Bengisu Erçetin Nazlıcan İnci | 21–16, 21–12 | Winner |
| 2018 | Bulgarian Open | Stefani Stoeva | Amalie Magelund Freja Ravn | 21–16, 21–19 | Winner |
| 2019 | Spanish International | Stefani Stoeva | Émilie Lefel Anne Tran | 21–8, 21–10 | Winner |
| 2019 | Belgian International | Stefani Stoeva | Rachel Honderich Kristen Tsai | 21–16, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2019 | Italian International | Stefani Stoeva | Ekaterina Bolotova Alina Davletova | 21–11, 21–14 | Winner |
| 2020 | Bulgarian International | Stefani Stoeva | Maria Delcheva Hristomira Popovska | 21–8, 21–9 | Winner |
| 2023 | Scottish Open | Stefani Stoeva | Maiko Kawazoe Haruna Konishi | 19–21, 21–11, 21–12 | Winner |
| 2023 | Irish Open | Stefani Stoeva | Maiken Fruergaard Sara Thygesen | 19–21, 21–17, 22–24 | Runner-up |
| 2023 | Bahrain International | Stefani Stoeva | Kokona Ishikawa Mio Konegawa | 21–19, 21–14 | Winner |
| 2023 | Welsh International | Stefani Stoeva | Natasja P. Anthonisen Alyssa Tirtosentono | 24–22, 21–11 | Winner |
| 2024 | Azerbaijan International | Stefani Stoeva | Catherine Choi Josephine Wu | 21–14, 21–7 | Winner |
| 2024 | Bulgarian International | Stefani Stoeva | Tanya Ivanova Gergana Pavlova | 21–5, 21–10 | Winner |
| 2024 | Dutch Open | Stefani Stoeva | Chloe Birch Estelle van Leeuwen | 21–15, 21–18 | Winner |
| 2024 (II) | Bahrain International | Stefani Stoeva | Mysha Omer Khan Taabia Khan | 21–6, 21–8 | Winner |
| 2025 | Iran Fajr International | Stefani Stoeva | Bengisu Erçetin Nazlıcan İnci | 23–21, 21–16 | Winner |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
| 2013 | Bulgaria Eurasia Open | Anton Kaisti | Marvin Seidel Yvonne Li | 19–21, 21–9, 21–18 | Winner |
| 2013 | Turkey International | Anton Kaisti | Vasily Kuznetsov Viktoriia Vorobeva | 21–9, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2014 | Turkey International | Marcus Fernaldi Gideon | Jones Ralfy Jansen Cisita Joity Jansen | 21–17, 17–21, 12–21 | Runner-up |
| 2024 (I) | Bahrain International | Evgeni Panev | Aakash Ravikumar Sakshi Kurbkhelgi | 21–14, 21–18 | Winner |
    BWF International Challenge tournament
    BWF International Series tournament
    BWF Future Series tournament