Klara Lundquist scored 30 of Sweden's points in what ended with a programmatic crushing victory in Tallinn.
But the road there was not straightforward.
Estonia, a giant in the qualifying group, took advantage of Sweden's weak start to the match and had an early lead of 11–4. Sweden gradually pulled themselves together and gained an advantage, but with a few minutes left until the break, Estonia was back in the lead.
Then Sweden decided the match.
15 straight points before and after the break gave Sweden a grip with 43–30 and all tension was gone.
It felt like there might have been a bit of nerves at the beginning of the match, simple mistakes. It's nice that we can still come out strong in the second half and win by 30 points, summarizes veteran Frida Eldebrink, who scored 18 points and six assists, to SVT.
Sweden has started the European Championship qualifying with three straight wins, but will likely face a tougher challenge against Great Britain in Malmö on Sunday. When the teams met in the qualifying lead in Manchester a year ago, Sweden won by two points. If they win again on home soil, the European Championship, which takes place in June next year, is close for Sweden.
Played matches: Great Britain (away, win 64–62), Denmark (home, win 76–69), Estonia (away, win 82–52).
Remaining matches: Great Britain (home, Sunday), Denmark (away, February 6), Estonia (home, February 9).
The winner of the group advances to the European Championship. The four best of the eight group runners-up will also play in the European Championship.
The 2025 European Championship will be played on June 18–29 in four different host cities: Piraeus (Greece), Bologna (Italy), Brno (Czech Republic), and Hamburg (Germany).
