In the semi-finals of the Mixed Doubles Event at the European Under 21 Championships in Bratislava, the action unfolded in a comparably calmer fashion. Both matches concluded in straight games.
Last year’s runners-up, Darius MOVILEANU and Elena ZAHARIA of Romania, overcame Daniel BERZOSA of Spain and Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine in convincing style (11-2, 11-5, 11-4), controlling the match from beginning to end.
“Despite what the result might suggest, it was a tough match because they are very strong pairings. BERZOSA and MATIUNINA are the defending European Under 19 champions in Mixed Doubles. We were aware of how good they are and we kept our focus clear from the beginning. We complement each other’s games very well and we are a strong pairing, so we managed to dominate,” explained ZAHARIA who won the crown at Under 21 Championships in 2022.
MOVILEANU, who was also crowned singles champion at the Under 19 event in Malmö last year, commented on their semi-final performance:
“We did not expect to win 3-0, but we proved that if we just play our game and stay focused, the win comes much easier.”
In the other semi-final, Wim VERDONSCHOT and Josephina NEUMANN of Germany stunned No. 2 seeds Tiago ABIODUN of Portugal and Hana ARAPOVIC of Croatia (11-7, 11-6, 11-4).
Hana, who clinched gold in Mixed Doubles at last year’s Under 21 Championships in Skopje with Ivor BAN, could not overcome the dominance of the German duo in today’s match.
“From the first stroke in the opening game, we attacked. It didn’t matter that we had never played against this pairing—or even together before. That makes this result even more special for us,” said VERDONSCHOT.
NEUMANN, still competing in the Under 15 category, added:
“We play very well together. Our playing styles are compatible,” said NEUMANN. “I played very safely today. I didn’t make easy mistakes and blocked well.”
Pictures here
