Top seeds at the Under 19 Boys Doubles Event at the European Youth Championships in Malmö Iulian CHIRITA and Andrei ISTRATE of Romania justified their status and clinched the title. After a superb performance they overcame Flavien COTON and Nathan LAM of France in the final. The host nation secured bronze with Isak ALFREDSSON and William BERGENBLOCK playing in the semis. They shared the podium with William ARPAS of Slovakia and Balazs LEI of Hungary. In the final Romania’s pair CHIRITA and ISTRATE were in the fast lane against COTON and LAM. CHIRITA remarked “We are very happy to take revenge from last year when we lost the final. This year we came in top form and won easily 3-0.” ISTRATE added “I think we fought really hard and it was important that we won the second game. I was a little bit stressed at the end but I didn’t let that affect our play.” Big drama unfolded in the penultimate stage: CHIRITA and Istrate faced a spirited Swedish combination of Isak ALFREDSSON and William BERGENBLOCK who forced Romania’s pair to go the full distance. Host nation representatives seeded No. 14 had a better start but the top seeds never let them go too far pushing the match to the decisive game. Sweden had a match ball but the favorites prevailed. ISTRATE said “We were expecting a hard match but not like this. We saved one crazy match point. We played against BERGENBLOCK and ALFREDSSON last year in the quarterfinals but today they had their own crowd and I want to congratulate them for this tournament. Now we have to focus on the final. Last year we lost so today we want to win.” CHIRITA added “Like my teammate said it was a really hard match and they played really well today so I also want to congratulate the Swedish pair.” In the other semi-final Flavien COTON and Nathan LAM of France prevailed against No. 6 seeds William ARPAS of Slovakia and Balazs LEI of Hungary. In the decisive game the French duo had a 9-1 lead. ARPAS and LEI leveled at 9-9 but COTON and LAM won the next two points. COTON said “It feels amazing right now. We saved two match balls at 0-2 and then we played better and better. In the last set we were up 9-1 and they came back to 9-9 but we won 11-9 so it was a perfect end unbelievable.” Under 19 Boys Doubles Final Iulian CHIRITA Andrei ISTRATE Romania – Flavien COTON Flavien LAM France 3-0 (11-4 11-8 11-5) Semi final Iulian CHIRITA Andrei ISTRATE Romania – Isak ALFREDSSON William BERGENBLOCK Sweden 3-2 (9-11 11- 4 8-11 11- 5 12- 10) William ARPAS Slovakia Balazs LEI Hungary – Flavien COTON Flavien LAM France 2-3 (11-9 11-9 14-16 4-11 9-11)  

Newly crowned champions in the Under 19 Girls Doubles event at the European Youth Championships in Malmö are Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine and Nicole ARLIA of Italy. Silver medalists are Zuzanna WIELGOS and Anna BRZYSKA of Poland. Bronze medalists are Clea DE STOPPELEIRE and Agathe AVEZOU of France and Mia GRIESEL of Germany and Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania. No. 2 seeds Zuzanna WIELGOS and Anna BRZYSKA had a better start in the final match but MATIUNINA and ARLIA had already proven they are capable of defeating favorites. ARLIA said “It feels amazing to win the title in the European Championships. It’s my first time being a champion. After the first set it was a little complicated but we kept fighting and we won.” MATIUNINA added “I agree. We didn’t start the second set well and they were better but after that we finally found a good tactic. Now I am going to prepare for my third final and I hope I will get a third gold!” In the semi-final played earlier this morning Zuzanna WIELGOS and Anna BRZYSKA needed only three games to overcome the French pairings Clea DE STOPPELEIRE and Agathe AVEZOU who were ranked No. 3 in the event. “We played safe and put the ball on the table. Because we met a defensive player we had to change our tactic a little. We won this tournament last year and we are looking forward to defending it now ” Anna said. In the second semi-final top seeds Mia GRIESEL of Germany and Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania lost to No. 5 seeds MATIUNINA and ARLIA. MATIUNINA said “It feels amazing. We had a 2-0 lead and they started to come back. We also had a match point at 2-1 11-10 and we lost that game. After that we decided to take it point by point.” ARLIA added “I think it was really important that we won the first two games. In the first one I also think that we were down 10-7. It’s the second competition we play together so we are very happy.” Under 19 Girls Doubles semi final Final Veronika MATIUNINA Ukraine Nicole ARLIA Italy – Zuzanna WIELGOS Anna BRZYSKA Poland 3-1 (6-11 11-8 11-6 11-4) Semi final Mia GRIESEL Germany Bianca MEI ROSU Romania – Veronika MATIUNINA Ukraine Nicole ARLIA Italy 2-3 (10-12 10-12 11-2 13-11 5-11) Clea DE STOPPELEIRE Agathe AVEZOU France – Zuzanna WIELGOS Anna BRZYSKA Poland 0-3 (5-11 8-11 7-11)

Last year’s finalists at the European Youth Championships in Malmö went one step higher clinching gold in the Under 15 Boys Singles event. Patryk ZYWORONEK of Poland beat Robert ISTRATE of Romania to secure the title. Bronze medalists are Aleks PAKULA of Poland and Sandro CAVAILLE of France. In an explosion of emotions ZYWORONEK celebrated the gold after a strong performance in the final. Patryk ZYWORONEK: “I can’t believe that I just won the European Youth Championships singles title! I’m so happy right now. This has been my goal for a long time and last year I lost the final against a better opponent. I played my best match this season today so you can really say that I was the best when I needed it the most.” Last year’s finalist ZYWORONEK overcame his teammate Aleks PAKULA in the semi-final. He needed only five games. “Last time I played against Aleks I lost 3:0 so this is a very good result for me. I’m very happy. In the beginning I was a little bit stressed because it’s my teammate and we know how to play against each other. But I found a good tactic against him. During the match I was thinking a little bit that it doesn’t matter if I win or lose; one of us is going to be in the final and it’s going to be great anyway ” said ZYWORONEK. At that point when the name of the other finalist was unknown the top seed was aware of the danger if Robert ISTRATE won. “In the final I think I will play against ISTRATE. In the Team Event I lost 2:3 and we always have close matches when we play against each other.” The other semi-final went six games with Robert ISTRATE overcoming Sandro CAVAILLE of France. Robert Alexandru ISTRATE: “It was a tough match I fought hard and I’m very proud of myself. I have practiced with my opponent before so I knew what he likes and what he doesn’t. I’m looking forward to the final with good confidence. I have been winning against the Polish player the last three times that we have met.” Under 15 Boys Singles Final Patryk ZYWORONEK Poland – Robert ISTRATE Romania 4-2 (11-5 12-10 4-11 7-11 11-4 11-4) semi final Patryk ZYWORONEK Poland – Aleks PAKULA Poland 4-1 (11-6 8-11 12-10 13-11 11-6) Sandro CAVAILLE France – Robert ISTRATE Romania 2-4 (6-11 8-11 12-10 10-12 11-9 3-11)  

At the Under 15 Girls Singles at the European Youth Championships in Malmö Hanka KODETOVA of Czechia defended her title leaving Siri BENJEGARD of Sweden with the consolation in silver. Bronze medalists are Mariia LYTVYN of Austria and Koharu ITAGAKI of Germany. Ranked only at position 42 Siri reigning Under 13 champion put the defending champion under severe pressure producing fantastic resistance. KODETOVA: “I am very happy about this win. The match was so tough because she played a really good backhand and I play more to the backhand so yes it was tough. I am glad that I made it.” In the semi-final Siri BENJEGARD overcame Mariia LYTVYN in straight games. Mariia is seeded only at position 19 but still much higher than Siri. BENJEGARD: “I was a little bit nervous before the match but I have good self-confidence right now. I thought that I played well and it felt stable. I’m looking forward to the final and it will be both fun and tough whoever I’ll meet.” Unlike the first semis the other match went the full distance. The reigning champion was once again put to a severe test. No. 3 seed Koharu ITAGAKI forced KODETOVA to play all seven games but Hanka’s resilience was admirable. KODETOVA: “I am very happy that I won this match; it was very hard. I think in the start it was better for me but then she changed her tactic and played better so I had to change my tactic again and it worked.” Under 15 Girls Singles event Final Hanka KODETOVA Czechia – Siri BENJEGARD Sweden 4-2 (11-9 11-8 9-11 16-18 11-7 11-4) Semi final Hanka KODETOVA Czechia – Koharu ITAGAKI Germany 4-3 (11-5 14-12 9-11 6-11 4-11 11-5 12-10) Siri BENJEGARD Sweden – Mariia LYTVYN Austria 4-0 (11-9 11-9 11-3 11-5)  

Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania added the singles title to her 2022 Doubles title. In the final of the Under 19 Girls Singles Event at the European Youth Championships in Malmö Romania’s player beat Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine. On the third step of the medal rostrum stand Zuzanna WIELGOS of Poland and Mariana SANTA COMBA of Portugal. Veronika MATIUNINA was one gold away from securing her third title in Malmö having already won titles in Mixed Doubles and Doubles. It would have been the first time since 2007 that a player clinched all three golds a feat achieved by Elizabeta SAMARA of Romania and Paul DRINKHALL of England in 2008. However Bianca MEI ROSU disrupted the plans of the Ukrainian player. “I have no words to describe it. This is like my dream come true in this European Championship because last year I came in third place on the podium. I think I did my best match today so far I played my best and I enjoyed it very much ” said MEI ROSU. In the semis No. 2 seed Zuzanna WIELGOS of Poland lost to No. 3 seed Bianca MEI ROSU in straight games. “It feels nice to play another final in the European Youth Championships. I played against WIELGOS before; it was a difficult match but this time it was a bit easier. My goal when I left home was to reach every final and I’m looking forward to playing at my highest level this afternoon ” said MEI ROSU. Ranked only No. 26 in the standings Mariana SANTA COMBA of Portugal failed to stop the progress of MATIUNINA to the final. The No. 9 seed concluded the duel in four games. “It’s my third final in this tournament; I am very happy and very very tired. I don’t have much power now but I am trying to find it somewhere. Looking forward to the final ” said MATIUNINA. Under 19 Girls Singles Final Veronika MATIUNINA Ukraine – Bianca MEI ROSU Romania 0-4 (12-14 6-11 14-12 9-11) Semi final Veronika MATIUNINA Ukraine – Mariana SANTA COMBA Portugal 4-0 911-8 12-10 11-8 11-5) Zuzanna WIELGOS Poland – Bianca MEI ROSU Romania 0-4 (4-11 4-11 6-11 10-12).

Darius MOVILEANU of Romania won the Under 19 Boys’ Singles event at the European Youth Championships in Malmö. Silver medalist is Flavien COTON of France while the bronze medalists are Andrei ISTRATE of Romania and Leon BENKO of Croatia. In a fantastic and powerful final MOVILEANU enriched his treasury with his fifth gold medal. He had previously won the singles title in 2019 in Under 15 and the Doubles in 2022 and 2023 in the individual events. Last year he also won gold in Mixed Doubles. Today he beat the French player in a very powerful display of play. MOVILEANU: “Feels amazing. After winning in cadets in singles I wished that I would play at least one final in this tournament. COTON is an amazing player and I knew that it would be very difficult for me but somehow with my coach and my team we managed to win this final. At the beginning of this tournament I was very sick. I couldn’t even believe that I reached the quarterfinals. And now winning it feels unbelievable.” In the penultimate stage No. 9 seed Flavien COTON exceeded his ranking to overcome No. 3 seed Andrei ISTRATE. Romania’s player had a better start but from that point COTON took control. COTON: “I started badly but I changed some details in my play. After that I played better and better. I’m very happy with my performance so far and I have won against very good players to reach the final. If I can keep this high level I think it will work in the last match also.” Romania still secured a place in the final after a solid win by ISTRATE over Leon BENKO. No. 26 seed BENKO failed to put severe pressure on No. 2 seed ISTRATE. MOVILEANU: “It feels great to be in the final. I won in Under 15 in 2019 and I hope that I will get the title but the match will be very hard because Flavien COTON is a really good player. I am really looking forward to the final. The semifinal was a good match even though I started not so well. After the first game I found a good tactic and after that I think things worked out.” Under 19 Boys Singles Final Flavien COTON France – Darius MOVILEANU Romania 2-4 (11-4 8-11 11-5 9-11 6-11 11-13) Semi-final Darius MOVILEANU Romania – Leon BENKO Croatia 4-1 (7-11 11-9 11-7 11-4 11-5) Flavien COTON France – Andrei ISTRATE Romania 4-1 (10-12 11-7 12-10 11-2 11-7)  

In tomorrow’s Under 19 Boys Singles event semi-final No. 1 seed Darius MOVILEANU of Romania will face Leon BENKO of Croatia. In the other semi-final another Romanian Andrei ISTRATE will clash with Flavien COTON of France. MOVILEANU overcame Hungary’s David SZANTOSI in five games (7 9 -5 13 6). Last year’s Doubles Champion Andrei ISTRATE beat Daniel BERZOSA of Spain (8 -11 -7 5 5 4). Antoine Jean Christian NOIRAULT of France recovered from 0-3 to level the match against Leon BENKO. At 9-9 in the seventh game BENKO sealed the duel (9 8 3 -9 -6 -6 9). “I was under severe pressure; I was leading 3:0 and he came back. In the deciding set I was down 5:8 and managed to win 11-9. Now I am so happy because it is my first medal in European Championships. I am very happy because my coach and I prepared very much for this ” said BENKO. Flavien COTON overcame Andre BERTELSMEIER of Germany (6 10 -5 -9 11 -7 4). Coton remarked “It was a really tough match. It was late in the evening and my opponent played strong. He changed tactics after 0-2 but I came back and found my best play. I look forward to the semifinal and I beat him last time.” The Round of 32 in the Under 19 Boys Singles event was shattered with surprises. Notable names exited early including No. 4 seed Mateusz ZALEWSKI of Poland who lost to Austria’s Zhenlong LIU in five games (7 -11 6 6 6). No. 8 seed Tom CLOSSET of Belgium also finished his journey earlier than expected losing to Rafael KONG of Portugal in six games (-11 10 6 -9 7 6). No. 10 seed Samuel ARPAS of Slovakia lost to Croatia’s Borna PETEK in straight games (10 8 7 4). No. 12 seed Gabrielius CAMARA of the Netherlands lost to No. 21 seed Connor GREEN of England in a full seven-game thriller (5 7 -8 7 -5 -12 9).

All four spots in the semi-finals of the Under 19 Girls Singles event at the European Youth Championships in Malmö are occupied by players from different nations. In the penultimate stage Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine will face Mariana SANTA COMBA of Portugal while Zuzanna WIELGOS of Poland will compete against Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania. No. 9 seed Veronika MATIUNINA the reigning Under 21 European champion justified her status by beating Germany’s No. 50 seed Lorena MORSCH in straight games (10 10 11 7). No. 2 seed Zuzanna WIELGOS halted Slovenia’s No. 16 seed Sara TOKIC’S great run with a victory (8 -5 6 10 3). In a quarterfinal clash Mariana SANTA COMBA booked her place among the top 4 needing all seven games to defeat Italy’s No. 38 seed Miriam CARNOVALE (9 -2 -8 5 4 -10 5). “I was not expecting this result. During the match I tried to stay focused and always keep on working so I could win this match. In the next round I will try to do my best and play without pressure ” said Mariana. No. 3 seed Bianca MEI ROSU also needed seven games to overcome France’s Leana HOCHART (3 -6 7 10 -10 -17 8). “I was so nervous after losing 3-1 to 3-3. My adversary played really well and had a super hard forehand. My tactic was to serve short to her forehand because she has a very good receive in her backhand. Last year I finished as number 3 and I hope I can do even better this time ” said MEI ROSU. In previous rounds with the departure of No. 1 seed Mia GRIESEL of Germany in the early stages of the event Lilou MASSART of Belgium and Agathe AVEZOU of France the upper half of the draw “opened” for Veronika MATIUNINA. Ukraine’s player seeded No. 9 also did not leave anything to chance and cleared her way effectively in the Round of 16 overcoming No. 4 seed Anna BRZYSKA of Poland in straight games (9 4 6 6). The same round saw Germany’s Lorena MORSCH seeded No. 50 beating Austria’s Anastasia STERNER 4-3 (11 7 -4 -6 -6 8 13). In the Round of 32 Karolina HOLDA of Poland halted the progress of No. 7 seed Lilou MASSART of Belgium (6 4 -11 8 4). In the same round Maria BERZOSA of Spain also lost her encounter against Romania’s Evelyn UNGVARI who won in six games (8 -7 9 5 -7 4).

The penultimate stage of the Under 15 Boys Singles event at the European Youth Championships in Malmö will feature an all-Polish duel between top seed Patryk ZYWORONEK and Aleks PAKULA. In the other semi-final match Sandro CAVAILLE of France will play against Romania’s Robert ISTRATE. PAKULA seeded ninth beat third seed Danilo FASO from Italy (9 -10 -5 7 6 7). “I hoped before the tournament that I would get a medal but FASO is a very difficult opponent to beat. I am a little bit shocked but very happy about this win ” admitted PAKULA. ZYWORONEK halted the progress of England’s Abraham SELLADO who is ranked 24th winning in four games (9 2 6 -11 11). In the lower half of the draw there were no upsets. Fourth seed CAVAILLE overcame sixth seed Francesco TREVISAN of Italy (-8 7 7 4 -3 -11 8). Sandro was on the verge of defeat after a safe 3-1 lead. TREVISAN leveled but failed to finish the job. “I was very nervous when I started losing in the fifth game. In the last game I found the right way to play and I’m very happy to play in the semifinal tomorrow. In the semifinal I have to try to be calmer and not get angry when it goes against me. Today I got both a yellow and red card and I can’t afford that in my next match ” said CAVAILLE. Second seed ISTRATE prevailed against fifth seed Samuel MICHNA of Poland (4 6 -10 4 6). Abraham SELLADO had a nice run today. After overcoming Matt CLOSSET of Belgium in the round of 32 (-9 7 -9 11 4 4) he reached the quarters with a win over Dario SALCEDO of Spain (7 -9 8 10 11). In the Round of 32 Türkiye’s Kenan KAHRAMAN seeded 19th overcame seventh seed Jan SKALDA of Czechia in six games (-9 5 5 8 -7 9).

In the semifinal of the Under 15 Girls Singles event tomorrow at the European Youth Championships in Malmö top-seeded Hanka KODETOVA of Czechia will face Koharu ITAGAKI of Germany while host nation Sweden will be represented by Siri BENJEGARD who will play against Mariia LYTVYN of Austria. Siri BENJEGARD ranked only 42nd in the seedings performed superbly to reach the penultimate stage. In her match against 4th seed Lisa-Sophie WANG of Germany Siri maintained her patience to overcome the defending skills of the favorite (-11 -7 9 -6 12 10 3). In the fifth and sixth games she faced eight match balls and saved them all. After securing the sixth game Siri made ten points in a row and stormed through the seventh game. “I never gave up and I saw that my adversary was getting nervous when I took some match points from her. It had been a while since I played a real defensive player and I think I did very well. I have a lot of self-confidence now and I’m really looking forward to the semifinal ” said Siri BENJEGARD. Seeded 47th Alexia NODIN of France reached the quarters and was even 3-1 ahead but LYTVYN found her way through and beat the rock-solid defense of the French player (-4 10 -11 -10 6 8 11). “I am really really happy right now. Before I never thought that I would win this game. I have never won against NODIN before so now I am happier than ever ” said Mariia LYTVYN. In the quarterfinal 3rd seed ITAGAKI easily prevailed against Eva LAM of France (8 4 4 3). “I knew I had to play well to win and so I did. I didn’t make any easy mistakes and my tactic was to have a big variation in my serves. I’m very happy to reach the semifinal which was my goal before the Championship ” said ITAGAKI. KODETOVA performed another remarkable recovery against Julia LEAL of Portugal. After being 0-2 down she won the next four games with ease (-4 -8 7 5 4 4). “I was down 0-2 so I am really happy that I won. Leal played really well and we always have close matches against each other. In the next match I will face Itagaki and it is the same thing there ” said KODETOVA. Previously Under 13 European champions had a blast in the Round of 16. Reigning Under 13 champion from Bucharest Siri BENJEGARD overcame 7th seed Nina SKERBINZ of Austria (-4 7 9 5 4). Last year’s Under 13 European Champion from Zagreb Alexia NODIN of France prevailed against 10th seed Sophie BARCSAI of Hungary after seven long games. The French player with her defensive style succeeded after being down three games to none (-10 -4 -7 6 10 9 6). Also in the Round of 16 2nd seed Katarzyna RAJKOWSKA of Poland faced an early exit. Mariia LYTVYN prevailed in a long-distance match 4-3 (-7 6 -6 9 -8 6 4).