France captured their second European Under 15 Girls Teams title after overcoming third seeds Germany 3-2 in a gripping final at the European Youth Championships in Gondomar. Seeded fifth, the French side completed an impressive campaign by defeating one of the pre-tournament favourites to lift the trophy. Sweden and Switzerland secured the bronze medals. Eva LAM gave France the perfect start with a composed 3-1 victory over Amelie Guzi JIA. Germany responded immediately as Anna WALTER edged Albane ROCHUT in a dramatic five-game encounter to level the match. Germany then moved ahead after JIA and WALTER combined to defeat LAM and ROCHUT in the doubles, putting the defending finalists within one point of the title. With France facing elimination, LAM produced another outstanding performance, defeating WALTER 3-1 to force the decisive fifth match. There, ROCHUT held her nerve against JIA, winning in four games to seal the title for France. It is the second European Under 15 Girls Teams crown for France, who once again demonstrated remarkable resilience by recovering from a 1-2 deficit in the final to deny Germany and complete a memorable championship run. Eva LAM:”I believed we could win because we had already beaten Germany 3-0 in the group stage. They changed their line-up for the final, but I was really happy that I could contribute two points in the singles. Of course, I was a little disappointed that we lost the doubles, but in the end we still got the victory. For my second singles, I just tried to stay calm and play my game. A final is never easy, no matter what happened earlier in the tournament. I think this was definitely the toughest match of the competition. Even though we had already played Germany in the group stage, a final is completely different. You have to deal with much more pressure, and that’s what made this match the biggest challenge.” Final France – Germany 3-2 Semi final Sweden – France 0-3 Switzerland – Germany 1-3

Poland celebrated a historic breakthrough at the European Youth Championships in Gondomar, claiming the nation’s first-ever Under 15 Boys Teams title. Until now, Poland’s team successes had come only in the Under 18 and Under 19 age categories, making this triumph another significant milestone for its youth programme. France and Sweden shared the bronze medals. In a thrilling final between the third and fourth seeds, Poland edged Germany 3-2 after another dramatic comeback. Germany struck first as Tien Nghia PHONG defeated Jakub TURECKI in straight games, but Hubert KWIECIŃSKI responded fiercly, overcoming Lukas WANG 3-0 to level the tie. The German pair of WANG and PHONG restored their advantage by winning the doubles, leaving Poland needing victories in both remaining singles. KWIECIŃSKI once again delivered under pressure, defeating PHONG in straight games to force the deciding match. There, TURECKI recovered after surrendering a two-game lead, holding his nerve in the fifth game to overcome WANG and secure Poland’s historic title. “This is incredible. My team has been amazing throughout the tournament. They gave me so much confidence, and I felt 100% ready every time I went to the table. “I was very confident before the decisive match against France, and I felt the same today. I believed in myself and in the team. “I think the semi-final against France was very difficult, but today’s final against Germany was even tougher,” said Jakub TURECKI. His teammate Hubert KWIECIŃSKI highlighted the team’s belief despite consecutive doubles defeats in the semi-final and final. “We played an amazing final. I think I played really well, and Kuba never gave up. We always believed in him, and we believe we can win every match together. “We played well in the doubles, but our opponents maybe had better chemistry and more experience, and they managed to win on both days. Still, in the end, we showed our strength in the decisive matches.” Germany – Poland 2-3 Semi final France – Poland 2-3 Germany – Sweden 3-0

France claimed their 12th Under 19 Boys Teams title at the European Youth Championships in Gondomar, defeating ninth seeds Romania 3-0 in a commanding final. The victory further strengthens France’s status as the most successful nation in the history of the event. Nathan LAM gave France the ideal start, beating Robert ISTRATE in straight games. Nathan PILARD then moved the French team to the brink of the title with another convincing 3-0 victory over Robert PODAR, before Antoine NOIRAULT sealed the championship by overcoming Andrei TIBIRNA in three close games. The triumph completed a remarkable run for the eighth seeds, who had already survived a dramatic semi-final against Poland before dominating the final. “It was an incredible final and a very strong performance from the whole team. We came here with the goal of winning the tournament, but you never know if you can actually achieve it. This title is the result of everything we have done this year, all the hard work in training and all the energy we have put into the team. We are really happy with this victory. “LAM gave us the perfect start by winning the opening match with a very strong performance. Then PILARD also played at a great level. He wasn’t used to playing in that position, but he adapted really well and won 3-0 in what was also a difficult match. “It is never easy to go to the table when your team is leading 2-0 and you know you can secure the title. The first game wasn’t easy, but I kept working, found my rhythm and played a really good match. I’m very happy that I could finish it for the team,” said Antoine NOIRAULT. Nathan PILARD looked back on the key moment of France’s title-winning campaign: “I think we all agree that the semi-final against Poland was the toughest match of the tournament. The score was 1-1, and Antoine was trailing 0-2 before coming back to win. That victory gave the whole team so much confidence and energy. After that, we all believed even more that we could go on and win the tournament.” Romania – France 0-3 Semi final Romania – Spain 3-0 France – Poland 3-1

France secured their fourth Under 19 Girls Teams title at the European Youth Championships in Gondomar with a 3-0 victory over second seeds Romania in the final. Germany and hosts Portugal shared the bronze medals. The French coaching staff made a tactical decision before the final, moving defender Alexia NODIN into the second position in the line-up. The move proved decisive as NODIN opened the tie with a straight-games victory over Bianca MEI ROSU, setting France firmly on course for the title. Nina GUO ZHENG then doubled the advantage with another convincing 3-0 success against Alesia Sofia SFERLEA, leaving Leana HOCHART with the opportunity to secure the crown. Despite dropping the second and third games, HOCHART recovered strongly to win the deciding fifth game and complete France’s triumph. “The coaches changed the line-up so I could play against Romania’s number one player because I had beaten her twice before. We felt it was the right tactical choice. It worked perfectly. I won 3-0, even though I was trailing 2-8 in the third game. I came back to win it 11-9, and I’m really happy because I managed to keep the pressure on throughout the match and didn’t let her find her rhythm. “After that, Nina played a great match. She was the favourite and she completely controlled her singles to win 3-0. Then Leana finished the job. Even though the scoreline was close, she was in control of the match, stayed confident and knew she would get the win. “The toughest match of the tournament was definitely the quarter-final against Spain. We were trailing 2-0, but we managed to come back and win 3-2. Even when we were behind, we kept our intensity, stayed aggressive and never stopped believing. I think we handled that situation really well,” said Alexia NODIN. Nina GUO ZHENG highlighted both the tactical value of having a defender in the team and the confidence France gained from their dramatic quarter-final comeback. “Romania are a very strong team. Bianca is the second seed in this competition, and Alexia had beaten her every time they played before. That’s why we decided to put Alexia in the second position. We thought that even if she didn’t win, playing against a defender would make Bianca tired and put her into a different rhythm before facing an attacking player. In the end, Alexia won, and that made the whole match much easier for us. “Having a defender in the team is a real advantage because it changes the rhythm of the match. There aren’t many choppers in Europe, so most players don’t have much experience playing against them. Alexia gives us a different tactical option, and that can make a big difference in team matches. “The toughest match of the tournament was definitely the quarter-final against Spain. We were trailing 2-0 after Leana lost the opening match, and I was quite nervous going to the table after that. I lost my match as well, but we kept fighting and managed to come back and win 3-2. That comeback gave us a lot of confidence.” Romania – France 0-3 Semifinals Germany – France 0-3 Romania – Portugal 3-1