In the last round of the third day of play in the Under 19 Boys Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava, Slovakia became the first team to book their place in the quarterfinals. Seeded no. 6, Samuel PALUSEK, Samuel ARPAS, and Damian FLORO halted the spirited progress of the 28th seeds Switzerland, represented by Noe KEUSCH, Abishek VEPA, and Levi ULRICH, in straight matches. “We started really well at this tournament. We won the group stage – the hardest match was against Portugal, where we were 0-2 down, but we made a comeback and won 3-2. I am really proud of that win. In the Round of 16, we faced Switzerland and won every match 3-0; we didn’t lose a single game. We knew it would be a tough match, because one of their players had beaten me last time. So we couldn’t underestimate them, even though they weren’t among the top seeds. All of us played really well, and we didn’t have any problems during the matches. We hope to play the same way tomorrow. In my match, I knew I had to stay focused, and I tried to win every ball,” said ARPAS. Italy pushed top-seeded France to the limit in a high-quality encounter. Giacomo ALLEGRANZA claimed impressive victories over both Nathan PILARD and Nathan LAM, keeping Italian hopes alive. However, the French team showed composure and resilience – Flavio MOURIER defeated Matteo FANTONI, and in the decisive fifth match, PILARD overcame Giacomo IZZO to seal a narrow 3-2 win. The Spanish boys followed in the footsteps of their female counterparts and also secured a spot in tomorrow’s quarterfinals. No. 4 seeds Daniel BERZOSA, Luca KHIDASHELI, and Francesc CARRERA prevailed against 21st-seeded Norway, whose team included Khai Noah LAM, Martin FROSETH, and Michael FARNES. Poland needed only three matches to overcome Sweden, despite the close proximity in seeding suggesting a tighter contest. The Polish trio, Rafal FORMELA, Marcel BLASZCZYK, and Alan KULCZYCKI, seeded 8th, defeated Sweden’s Noa DAHLSTROM, Adam WALLIN, and Elias SJOGREN, who were seeded 10th. BLASZCZYK said: “In this match we were really focused. I think this was our best performance so far. Everyone in my team was ready, and we felt really good. When we saw the draw for the first time, we knew it would be a really hard match, because we had lost to them last year in the group stage in Malmö. I played against Adam WALLIN and won 3-0. I played really well, didn’t change anything, and just followed the tactics we had discussed with my coach. KULCZYCKI also played really well, at first he was a bit nervous and didn’t know how to play against SJOGREN. He lost the first game, but then he became more confident and won 3-1. In the next round, we will fight for every ball just like we did today.”

Watching 11-year-old Ladimir MAYOROV lead Spain to victory in the Round of 16 of the Under 15 Event at the European Youth Championships was a unique experience. Spain reached the quarterfinals after the team, seeded no. 9, defeated no. 4 seeds England 3-1. See photos here. MAYOROV overcame both Abraham SELLADO and Kacper PIWOWAR, while also partnering with Tianxiang ZOU to prevail in the doubles. SELLADO scored England’s sole point with a win over Alexander MALOV. However, it was not just the victory that captured attention in the Torax Arena in Ostrava — it was the style, the maturity, and the strategic intelligence that the 11-year-old boy displayed, thinking three steps ahead like a seasoned professional. His father and coach, Eduard MAYOROV, explained: “Ladimir has the mindset of a semi-professional and much older player. He trains every day for 3 to 4 hours – because he wants to. I don’t think it’s necessary, but he’s doing it because he enjoys the game. He enjoys thinking about tactics, about combinations. Twice a week, he is also in the high-performance center where he trains with me and his mother, Svetlana BAKHTINA, a former member of the national team.” In the quarterfinals, Spain will meet the top-seeded Italy. Danilo FASO and Francesco TREVISAN justified their ranking with a solid win over Hungary’s Mark GERGELY and Lenard SZABO. “In the first match, FASO Danilo played against GERGELY, which was a really good match – we believed in him because we knew FASO knows how to play against Mark. The next match I played against Lenard SZABO, which I lost 2-3; he was leading 2-0, but then I won two games and it was 2-2. In the fifth game, I was up 8:6 but lost 8:11. In the following matches — the doubles and my last singles – I was much calmer and more focused, and that helped me a lot to win. In doubles with FASO, we won 3-1, and in my last match against GERGELY, I played really well and won 3-1,” explained TREVISAN. Denmark, seeded no. 17, reached the top 16 and have now gone one step further. On their way to the quarterfinals, Malik SEVERINSEN and Emil HASSELBALCH overcame Portugal. “I can say that we slightly changed our lineup because we knew MALIK would need some breaks if we were to continue playing more matches – and we hit the right combination in the lineup. We led 2-0 early, which was a big advantage for us. The most difficult match was definitely the second one – Emil HASSELBALCH struggled a bit when he was leading, but fortunately, he played very smart and calm. In that match, he changed tactics — started to use more spin and a lot of short shots. Portugal really had problems with that, especially the short balls — we had identified that as a weakness from the start. In the next round, we can play more freely and with calmness. We’ve played a lot of youth series, so we actually expected to make it to the Round of 16,” explained coach Claus ARNSBAEK. In the Under 15 Girls Event at the European Youth Championships, Czechia found their winning rhythm in the Round of 16, played at the end of the third day of competition in Ostrava. Hanka KODET, Adela BRHELOVA, and Simona HOLUBOVA overcame Austria’s Mariia LYTVYN, Sophia PICHLER, and Vanessa TANG. “For sure, it is a big relief that we won against Austria. We knew it would be a tough match, but we stayed focused and tried to play our best the whole time. We struggled a lot in the group stage, so we are really happy that we made it to the Round of 16 – and I think we were a bit lucky. The most important match was the doubles, because that match is always the most decisive. In this match, we chose the tactic to play more short balls. In my singles match against Mariia LYTVYN, I felt really good because I had beaten her the last time we played – so maybe she had that in her head and was more nervous than me. But I didn’t focus on that win, because every match is different. I went into the match with a clear head. To be honest, it wasn’t a simple match, the last two points really helped me,” explained KODET. Romania’s Patricia STOICA and Maya Roberta MADAR were fully in control as they defeated Belgium’s Juliette DEDECKER and Temperance TANG in convincing fashion. France caused an upset by beating Sweden in straight matches. Lou-Anne BOCQUET, Eva LAM, and Albane ROCHUT exceeded expectations and outplayed Siri BENJEGÅRD and Angelina BEBAWY.

The knockout stage of the Under 19 Girls Team Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava heated up the atmosphere in the RT Torax Arena. The beginning of the Round of 16 brought the surprising absence of the Czech team, seeded no. 7, which caused disappointment among home supporters but opened the door for no. 30 seed Greece to feel the heat of the action. See photos here. However, Greece failed to prolong their stay among the top 16 teams and lost to Hungary in straight matches. The top-seeded team and reigning champions, France, showed no mercy against Bulgaria. Nina GUO ZHENG, Lena HOCHART, and Jade Quynh-Tien NUYNH won in straight matches. No. 2 seeds Germany followed suit – Lorena MORSCH, Mia GRIESEL, and Eireen KALAITZIDOU defeated Türkiye. Austria dropped one point against Italy. The team composed of Nina SKERBINZ, Elina FUCHS, and Julia DÜR overcame Irene MORETTI, Candela SANCHI, and Francesca SEU 3-1. “Our goal was to remain in the top division, but here we are in the top eight! I am very happy that we achieved it with a very young team. All the players are in their first Under 19 year, and it gives us great hope for the future,” said coach Ivana MALOBABIC, who is also a Croatian Olympian from Paris 2024. Austria is seeded at position 13, while Italy is just two places below at no. 15. “We were aware that in the Round of 16 there was no chance of an easy adversary. The Italian players are very aggressive, two of them play with materials, which makes it very difficult to find the game to beat them. We had to make very detailed tactics to manage it. Our no. 1, Nina, secured two wins and proved herself as a leader. She did exactly what we planned: being aggressive and focused, showing discipline. However, Elina FUCHS brought the crucial win to the team with a 3-2 victory over Candela SANCHI. She was 1-2 down and on the ropes, but she managed to recover. There wasn’t a single easy point in that match. I also have to say that our third player, Julia DÜR, gave a very brave performance. She faced a player with very strong spin.” Spain prevailed against Croatia, with Maria BERZOSA justifying her status by winning both of her matches against Neva GOJKOVIC and Victoria PUSTAJ. Mariona MUNNE added a point with a victory over Leeloo HAN VUKELJA. “When we saw the draw, we knew it would be a difficult match. All of us were under a lot of pressure. In the first match, Camila Renata MOSCOSO lost 1-3 — she was really nervous, and that’s why I think she lost. In the second match, I played against Neva GOJKOVIC. It was a really hard duel for me because she plays with a defensive style. The first game was 17-15 for me, so it gave me more power, and I won 3-1. I think this match was the most important for us, because if we went 0-2 down, it would’ve been really hard to make a comeback.” Maria BERZOSA continued: In the third match, Mariona MUNNE played against HAN VUKELJA and won 3-0. In my last match, I won 3-0 against PUSTAJ, but in the third game I was up 10-7, then it became 10-10. I stayed calm and focused. I think the most important point was when I played a really good counter-spin on match point. In the next round, we will play against Romania, which is a really strong team, but we will try our best for sure!” Last year’s runners-up, Romania, overcame Belgium.