In a breathtaking final of the Under 19 Boys Event, Romania clinched their fourth consecutive gold medal at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava. By doing so, they equaled the winning streaks of Germany (1995–1998) and the USSR (1975–1978), falling just one title short of France’s record five consecutive wins (2008–2012). Despite fielding a rejuvenated squad and being seeded only at position no. 5, Team Romania, composed of Iulian CHIRITA, Dragoș BUJOR, Robert Alexandru ISTRATE, and Luka OPREA, overcame all opponents on their way to the top. Silver medalists Portugal were represented by Tiago ABIODUN, Clément LAINE, Rafael KONG, and Tiago OLHERO. Bronze medals were awarded to Slovakia (Damian FLORO, Samuel PALUSEK, Samuel ARPAS, Jakub HOLUBCIK) and Hungary (Balázs LEI, Dávid SZÁNTÓSI, Balázs POÓR, Georgiosz KIZÁKISZ). This was Portugal’s first-ever final in this category; their only previous medal came in 2002 with João MONTEIRO and Tiago APOLÓNIA, when they took bronze. Romania has remained unbeaten in the team event since Belgrade 2022, and their legacy stretches back to their first title in 1958. In the final, team leader Iulian CHIRITA secured two key wins, over Clément LAINE and Tiago ABIODUN. The second match had the crowd in Torax Arena on the edge of their seats, but it was the deciding match between BUJOR and LAINE that delivered an unforgettable finish. Both players put on a show of quality and power in one of the most dramatic matches of the tournament. CHIRITA explained: “I played against LAINE five months ago, he was very aggressive in the first balls, but I discussed tactics with my coach and managed to win. For me, this is my fourth title, so I had the experience to play without pressure, while for him it was his first final, so of course, there were differences. My second match was against ABIODUN. It was really tough, and we were down 1-2 in matches, so I knew I had to play safely. Tiago played really well, but I just focused and took it point by point, I’m really happy I managed to win both of my matches.” For ISTRATE, debuting in the U19 category, it was a steep challenge — but one he embraced with pride: “This was my first European Youth Championships in U19. Romania now has four titles, and I’ve won my first, I’m so happy. Last year, I lost in the U15 final. I didn’t expect such a big difference between U15 and U19, but it really is much harder. I did my best and managed to win some important matches, even though I couldn’t beat KONG in the final. My biggest win here was definitely against LAM from France, I won 3-2, and that victory helped us beat France. Against KONG, there was a lot of pressure and the atmosphere was incredible. I played my best, but he played better.” After his spectacular performance, BUJOR admitted: “To be honest, I can barely talk, it was the hardest match of my life against LAINE, and I still can’t believe I won. I went into the deciding match very nervous. There was a lot of pressure. But I did an amazing job. I’m so proud I could win the deciding match in the deciding game. I also thank Clément for playing an incredible match. We had so many insane rallies. This was a huge experience for me. That last game, at 2-2, was just insane. I won 18-16, he had four or five match points. It was crazy. But I did it, and I’m really happy and proud of my teammates.” Romania’s road to the title included victories over Slovakia, France, and Italy in the knockout stage. Portugal reached the final by defeating Hungary, Czechia, and Belgium. Romania – Portugal 3-2 SEMI FINAL Romania – Slovakia 3-1 Portugal – Hungary 3-0

The French Under 19 Girls Team successfully defended their title at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava. France extended their reign after overcoming Ukraine in a tense final. Gold medalists for France were Nina GUO ZHENG, Leana HOCHART, Alexia NODIN, and Jade Quynh-Tien HUYNH. The Ukrainian team featured Veronika MATIUNINA, Olha PONKO, Daria KOVALOVA, Alina OVRIAKH, and Veronika VASYLENKO. Bronze medals went to Portugal, represented by Júlia LEAL, Matilde PINTO, and Mariana SANTA COMBA, and to Spain, with María BERZOSA, Camila Renata MOSCOSO, Mariona MUNNÉ, Sofía COUCE, and Irina GIMENO FONT. France, the reigning champions, also won the title in 2014, while Ukraine had last claimed gold in 2008 with Margaryta PESOTSKA in their ranks. In the final, Leana HOCHART led her team with two crucial victories — against Olha PONKO and Veronika MATIUNINA. “NODIN unfortunately lost 0-3. It was a really tough match for her because MATIUNINA is a very strong player. My match against MATIUNINA was insane. I was down 0-2, then came back to win 3-2. It’s the first time I’ve ever beaten her, so I’m really happy. When I was 0-2 down, I changed my serve and receive tactics. She started playing slower, which suited me more. We really believed in ourselves before the final, and we’re so happy we made it. I think this match was the toughest for us in this draw,” explained HOCHART. Only 15 years old, Nina GUO ZHENG — the youngest French player ever to reach the senior national team — posted an important win over Daria KOVALOVA. “I played the third match against KOVALOVA when the score was 1-1. I was a little stressed because I knew how important that match was — the third match is always crucial. After I won the first game, I started to calm down and I think I played really well. From the beginning, I had a good tactical plan for this opponent, and I followed it the whole match without changing anything. Our coach decided to put me in the third match. Honestly, it was a bit of a risk because we knew that MATIUNINA has trouble against defensive players, so we put NODIN against her. The last time I played against MATIUNINA, I lost really easily and didn’t know how to approach the match, so we thought NODIN had a better chance than me,” GUO ZHENG explained. On their way to the top of the podium, France defeated Portugal, Austria, and Bulgaria, while Ukraine reached the final by overcoming Spain, Germany, and Poland. FINAL France – Ukraine 3-1 SEMI FINAL Portugal – France 0-3

Italy successfully defended their crown in the Under 15 Boys Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava. They faced a fierce challenge from first-time finalists Türkiye on their way to another prestigious title. Before Malmö, Italy’s only previous victory in this category came in 1993. Danilo FASO, Francesco TREVISAN, Giulio CAMPAGNA, and Pietro CAMPAGNA were listed for the Italian champion team. Silver medalists Türkiye were represented by Kenan KAHRAMAN, Görkem ÖÇAL, Kuzey GÜNDOĞDU, and Ahmet ŞAHAN. The semifinalists were Germany, with Jonas RINDERER, Lukas WANG, Samuel KUHL, and Tian Nghia PHONG; and Poland, with Jan MRUGALA, Mateusz WISNIEWSKI, Piotr LACKI, and Hubert KWIECIŃSKI. In the final, TREVISAN and FASO overcame KAHRAMAN and ÖÇAL in singles, while Türkiye secured their only point in the doubles. “First, I played against KAHRAMAN. I had never won against him before, so I was a little bit scared. I didn’t start well, I lost the first game, but then I started to believe I had a chance, and I did it,” said TREVISAN and continued:”The last game was really crazy, I won 19-17, but it was up and down the whole time. I changed my receive at the end because his serve was always the same, and I also slowed things down, I stopped rushing and took more time.” Danilo FASO added: “I won the first match 3-0 against ÖÇAL. He’s a really good player. I had played against him at the Europe Top 10 and won there too, so I went into this match more relaxed. The last game was the most difficult, I won 14-12. I didn’t change much in the match, just stuck to my game.” FASO explained what happened in the doubles. “We lost the doubles 0-3. It was a really tough match, and they played really well. I think if we had won the second game, which we lost 13-15, we could’ve taken the match. But in the end, we lost 0-3. In the last encounter, I played against KAHRAMAN. I beat him 3-1. I was up 2-0 and 8-6, but lost that set 8-11. In the fourth set, I returned to my rhythm and won.” Both players agreed that the final was their toughest match of the tournament: “They are really good players, and we really wanted to win — and we made it!” On their way to the final, Italy defeated Germany, Spain, and Hungary in the knockout phase. Türkiye reached the ultimate match after victories over Poland, France, and Czechia. FINAL Türkiye – Italy 1-3 SEMI FINAL Germany – Italy 0-3 Poland – Türkiye 2-3

In the Under 15 Girls Team Event, Germany clinched their third consecutive title at the European Youth Championships. They added to a rich legacy that already includes gold medals from 1994, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2012, and 2021. In the final, Josephina NEUMANN and Koharu ITAGAKI (with Amelie Guzi JIA and Anna WALTER also listed in the team) halted the progress of the French team consisting of Lou-Anne BOCQUET, Lisa ZHAO, Eva LAM, and Albane ROCHUT. France is still waiting for gold in the girls’ category since 2019, when Prithika PAVADE led the team. This time, they had to settle for silver. The bronze medals went to Czechia, represented by Adéla BRHELOVÁ, Hanka KODET, Simona HOLUBOVÁ, and Laura MARSICKOVÁ; and to Italy with Manon LOTH, Sofia EPISCOPO, Gioia Maria PICU, and Matilde BUZZONI. The final was a one-sided affair, with Germany fully in control from start to finish. Josephina NEUMANN and Koharu ITAGAKI kept the momentum and composure throughout. Both players had already featured in last year’s gold-winning team in Malmö. On their way to the final, Germany dropped only one point, against Spain in the quarterfinals. France had an impressive run to the final, with their toughest test in the semifinal clash against Italy. NEUMANN lost only one match during the event, against Spain’s Renata SHYPSHA. “In my match against BOCQUET, I had the most trouble with her serves. She’s a left-hander, and I don’t practice often against left-handed players, so the beginning was a bit difficult for me. But I managed to handle it and won 3-0.” ITAGAKI remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. “I played against ZHAO and won 3-0, but every game was so close. I was a little nervous because the last two times I played her, it went to 3-2. So I knew it wouldn’t be an easy match.” Both players reflected on their doubles performance: “The doubles were really good. We didn’t discuss tactics or anything — we just played and enjoyed it. We trusted in our pairing and are really happy that we made it.” Speaking about previous matches, both players found common ground: “I think every match was difficult, but mentally, the toughest was definitely against Czechia. We knew KODET is a really strong player, and it would be hard to play against her. On the other hand, the most tactically challenging match was against France — we had no idea how they would play. Fortunately, we made it through and we’re very happy,” said ITAGAKI. NEUMANN added: “We were nervous before the final — but honestly, we were more nervous in the earlier matches.” FINAL Under 15 Girls Final: France – Germany 0-3 Semi final Germany – Czechia 3-0 Italy – France 2-3