Louis FEGERL of Austria and Ladimir MAYOROV of Spain captured the Under 15 Boys Doubles title at the European Youth Championships in Gondomar after overcoming Germany’s Tien Nghia PHONG and Lukas WANG in a thrilling five-game final. The bronze medals went to Onur GULUZADE of Azerbaijan and Gorkem OCAL of Türkiye, together with Sweden’s Emil ELLERMANN and Ireland’s Peadar SHERIDAN.
The fourth seeds prevailed 3-2 (11-7, 12-14, 12-10, 6-11, 11-8) in a final that featured several momentum swings before the Austrian-Spanish pairing held their nerve in the deciding game to complete an impressive championship.
For FEGERL, the victory was especially satisfying after last year’s disappointment.
“Last year we also reached the final, but we lost 3-0 and did not play particularly well. This time we knew we were the younger and smaller pair, so the match was always going to be difficult for us. We simply kept fighting, trusted our game and did what we had prepared. We are extremely happy to have won.”
MAYOROV admitted that the title match proved to be their toughest challenge of the tournament.
“I think the final was the most difficult match for us in the whole competition.”
Earlier in the day, FEGERL and MAYOROV had booked their place in the final by ending the run of top seeds Onur GULUZADE of Azerbaijan and Gorkem OCAL of Türkiye, prevailing in a hard-fought five-game contest, 3-2 (11-7, 9-11, 11-2, 3-11, 11-7). After twice seeing their opponents draw level, they regrouped to take the deciding game and secure a place in the gold medal match.
MAYOROV believed the semi-final was worthy of being the tournament’s showpiece encounter.
“I think this semi-final could easily have been the final because of the level of the players and the quality of the match. It was a spectacular contest. I think we played very well as a pair. My partner was outstanding, and I also felt good. Of course, we missed a few balls, but that’s part of the game. The important thing is that we kept fighting, and I hope we can continue to give everything we have. The key to winning the semi-final was staying positive and playing with discipline from the first point to the last.”
The second semi-final saw third seeds PHONG and WANG produce another composed display as they defeated eighth seeds Emil ELLERMANN of Sweden and Peadar SHERIDAN of Ireland in straight games, 11-9, 12-10, 11-6, to reach the final.
PHONG admitted the result exceeded the German pair’s expectations.
“I’m really happy that we won. Reaching the final is a great feeling and, to be honest, a bit of a surprise for us. I think we played a really strong doubles match. From the first day of the tournament we’ve been trying to improve with every match, and today we produced our best performance so far.”
He also credited their mental approach for carrying them through.
“I don’t think the key was just the tactics, it was our mentality. We stayed positive throughout the match and always made sure my partner felt confident and supported. We trusted each other, knew we could both contribute and win points, and I think that made the difference.”
Final
- Louis FEGERL (Austria), Ladimir MAYOROV (Spain) – Tien Nghia PHONG, Lukas WANG (Germany) 3-2 (11-7, 12-14, 12-10, 6-11, 11-8)
Semi Finals
- Louis FEGERL (Austria), Ladimir MAYOROV (Spain) – Onur GULUZADE (Azerbaijan), Gorkem OCAL (Türkiye) 3-2 (11-7, 9-11, 11-2, 3-11, 11-7)
- Tien Nghia PHONG, Lukas WANG (Germany)- Emil ELLERMANN (Sweden), Peadar SHERIDAN (Ireland) 3-0 (11-9, 12-10, 11-6)
