In the fantastic finish Kay STUMPER of Germany clinched the title at the Under 19 Boys Singles Event at the GAZPROM European Youth Championships in Varazdin. In the final he overcame Samuel KULCZYCKI of Poland (11:8 5:11 11:7 12:10 9:11 11:9). The silver medalists are Ivor BAN of Croatia and Alexis LEBRUN of France. “I knew I could beat him because I already did it at the Europe Top 10 in the match for gold medal. I proved I am mentally strong because I was down in the last game but managed to recover. He was playing good and destroyed my rhythm before I came back to win ” said STUMPER. Kay STUMPER secured the place in the final after victory over Ivor BAN of Croatia (7 -12 -7 6 6). “In last two months we met two times in Portugal and Tunisia and in both occasions it was very close duel. I was stretched to full distance but it was because I had a bad start. I was down and I had to fight hard to return into the match. This time I played very well from the beginning. I was better prepared for the service and I attacked from the first ball ” said STUMPER. Samuel KULCZYCKI beat Alexis LEBRUN (-9 13 9 -5 3 4) in the penultimate stage. “I lost to him here in the Team’s Event 2:3. This one was also tough until 2:2 it was open match and could go in any direction but then I won easily closing games. I watched so many times the match from two days ago and I learned my lesson well ” said KULCZYCKI. In the quarterfinal Kay STUMPER beat Damir AKHMETSAFIN of Russia (-5 7 8 8 6). “It was another very difficult match. I was down 0:1 and 6:2 when my adversary made one service error. From that moment I have started to play much better it was the turning point. I had very good tactics and I was back in the the match in full speed ” explained Kay. Ivor BAN overcame Maciej KUBIK of Poland (11 7 -10 6 9). “It was a very difficult match. I dominated in the first three games I had a full control but after 2:0 and 10: 6 everything got complicated. KUBIK came in at 10:10 and won that game at 12:10. I decided that I would play calmly until the end of the match; I promised myself I would not get frustrated ” said BAN. Samuel KULCZYCKI faced opposite faith comparing to his teammate. He beat Csaba ANDRAS of Hungary (-7 5 7 3 5). “I lost the opening game but after that I started to play really well. It is amasing how I played some balls. I am very happy with the victory ” said KULCZYCKI. Alexis LEBRUN completed the list of semifinalists after his victory over Darius MOVILEANU of Romania (-8 3 -10 10 11 9). “I am very happy to win this match because it was very very difficult for me. I do not like Darius’ serves. At crucial moments of the match I was a little nervous. I had advantage 10: 7 in one game and then lost. After that it was hard for me to finish the match but I tried to keep my head up and I made it ” said LEBRUN.  

Elizabet ABRAAMIAN of Russia is the the champion of the Under 19 Girls Singles Event at the GAZPROM European Youth Championships in Varazdin. In the final she overcame Natalia MALININA (11:6 11:5 11:5 11:1). Russia enriched their treasury for two more medals. In addition a first time in history of the European Youth Championships two sisters clinched the medal at the same event in the same Championships. Camille LUTZ and two years younger Charlotte concluded the competition at the third position. “In 2017 I won the European cadets title in singles and after that I was second in cadets and fifth in juniors. Always so close but never at the top. I wanted so much to win this medal. This is my dream come true ” admitted Elizabet.”I played so many times against MALININA at Russian and International tournaments and we know each other well. I knew that I must stayed calm little lack of focus could cost me losing the match.” Previously ABRAAMIAN overcame Camille LUTZ of France to secure her place in the ultimate stage (-11 3 5 6 11). “ I was focused on every ball and every point. I knew how to play and I was trying to play what I needed to win this match. I had good tactics I was a little nervous but I knew if I stayed focused I would win ” said ABRAAMIAN. Her teammate Natalia MALININA overcame Charlotte LUTZ in hard seven games match (-10 5 6 -10 4 -10 7). The outcome of the quarterfinal duels brought two Russia’s and two French players to the medal rostrum. French sisters LUTZ had different paths but both wins. Older Camille beat Darya KISEL of Belarus in close seven games encounters (10 12 -5 -6 -10 9 5). “It was incredible match. We met many times before but it never was like this. I play very good against the players with the defensive style but this time KISEL adapted quickly and she recovered to take the lead. She did not miss anything any more after she lost two opening games. I had to fight fort each ball and. I had to play each of it at top level. At 2:3 I was so scared; I thought I could lose the match ” said Camille. Charlotte LUTZ denied Hana ARAPOVIC of Croatia the medal and thus she inflicted the pain in the heart of the host nation supporters (6 -7 1 15 11). “Hana is a very good player and I never beat her before. I am very happy that I finally managed it. In the last game I had 10:6 but I did not manage to use 4 match balls. Eventually I succeed ” explained LUTZ. Elizabet ABRAAMIAN proved too strong for Radmila TOMINJAK of Serbia (-7 2 4 2 2). “I was very nervous before the match. I knew that I am stronger and that I have bat her but it was difficult for me be calm. The match was so important for me ” said ABRAAMIAN. ABRAAMIAN’s teammate Natalia MALININA overcame Anna BRZYSKA of Poland (-11 9 7 5 -5 -10 3).  

Poland’s Samuel KULCZYCKI and Maciej KUBIK are the newly crowned champions of the Under 19 Boys Doubles Event at the GAZPROM European Youth Championships in Varazdin. At the final hurdle they overcame Romania’s Darius MOVILEANU and Eduard IONESCU (12:14 11:5 11:5 11:6). The third position at the medal rostrum was reserved by Kay STUMPER and Daniel RINDERER of Germany and Ivor BAN of Croatia and Csaba ANDRAS of Hungary. “We are very happy. This is my second gold after the Mixed Doubles. The match was not easy we had worthy adversaries ” said KULCZYCKI. “It was amazing big match with many great rallies ” said KUBIK. Darius MOVILEANU and Eduard IONESCU needed four games in the semis to overcame Ivor BAN and Csaba ANDRAS (-5 13 7 5). “We knew before the match that it would be very difficult. We managed to recover after we lost the opening game and to win the second after 10:10. After losing my match in singles competition I concentrated more on doubles ” said Darius. IONESCU added: “I am very proud of us. We did not get well into the match but we kept our focus and match ended well for us.” Samuel KULCZYCKI and Maciej KUBIK overcame Kay STUMPER and Daniel RINDERER of Germany in other semi final match after full five games (7 -4 -5 6 5) “Our adversaries performed at the top levelt but at the end of the match we played very well played very good points ” noted KULCZYCKI. KUBIK was happy that he managed to recover after he has been defeated in the singles. “I kept my mental strength. We won and I am very happy about that.” Three quarterfinal duels concluded in straight games. Among the fast winners were top seeds Kay STUMPER and Daniel RINDERER of Germany who overcame Italy’s Andrea PUPPO and Marco CAPPUCCIO (9 9 8). “Two opening games were very close. We were more clever at 9:9 and after we beat them twice by same way in close finish it opened the door for the easier third game ” said STUMPER. Samuel KULCZYCKI and Maciej KUBIK overcame French duo Alexis LEBRUN and Thibault PORET (6 8 8) “We had a good preparations. We woke up early and we were ready. We did not want to give them any chance here ” said KUBIK. Darius MOVILEANU and Eduard IONESCU halted another French pairings to their way to the medal rostrum. Alexis KOURAICHI and Benjamin FRUCHART lost in straight games (5 9 7). “Even it was 3:0 it was hard to win. We were constantly under pressure. We were very focused. It is first time that we play together and this is big achievement for us ” said IONESCU. Ivor BAN of Croatia and Csaba ANDRAS of Hungary secured the medal in the full distance match against Simon BELIK and Tomas MARTINKO of Czech Republic (3 -8 5 -7 7). “They are so good in double. They forced us to change the tactics ” said BELIK. BAN explained : “This match was difficult because they have very good blocks but we managed to level it down with strong rotations.”

The winners of the Under 19 Girls Doubles Event at the GAZPROM European Youth Championships in Varazdin are Elizabet ABRAAMIAN and Natalia MALININA of Russia. In the final they overcame Sophia KLEE and Anastasia BONDAREVA of Germany (10:12 11:9 7:11 11:9). The bronze medal winners are Anna BRZYSKA and Zuzanna WIELGOS of Poland and Czech-Croatian combination of Linda ZADEROVA and Hana ARAPOVIC. “We had very good communication with each other like throughout the whole tournament. We wanted so much to win this medal ” said ABRAAMIAN. Previously Elizabet ABRAAMIAN and Natalia MALININA beat Anna BRZYSKA and Zuzanna WIELGOS of Poland in the semi final (7 -6 8 10). “We were very focused in the match. I am happy to play with ABRAAMIAN. We are a very good pairings and we are very good combination that gives me great confidence ” said Natalia. Elizabet justified that:” We have a very good communication in the match we understand each other we talk a lot. We think what would be better for our game to win a point.” Sophia KLEE and Anastasia BONDAREVA overcame Linda ZADEROVA and Hana ARAPOVIC (6 6 -4 8) “ It was a difficult match because ARPOVIC and ZADEROVA have been playing together for many years just like us. This match was completely different from the previous one in the quarterfinals. We were focused from the first point and we played very well. I am happy that we have resolved difficult situations in our favor. I am very proud of us ” said KLEE. BONDAREVA said: “We played very well especially in the two openings games. In the first one ARPOVIC and ZADEROVA played very well and changed tactics and we were not prepared for that. After the break we talked about it found a solution which was very important. I am very happy because the last game was not easy. We proved we are mentally stronger Sophia and I have been playing together for years we know each other well we trust each other and I think that was the key in this match. We trusted each other and we were not afraid that someone would make a mistake because we know that everything would be fine and that we just needed to keep fighting to the end of mach.“ In the quarterfinal Sophia KLEE and Anastasia BONDAREVA beat Ivet ILIEVA of Bulgaria and Ilona SZTWIERTNIA of Poland pairings that proved their worth by beating top seeds Elena ZAHARIA of Romania and Kornelija RILISKYTE of Lithuania. They needed full five games (11 -10 -12 6 7). “I am proud to win this one because it was really very difficult for us. We were stretched to full distance and every game was very close. We lost both our matches where we were 10:8 and 10:6 up. Those were very hard moments we had a feeling we are doing everything right but we were losing. Playing against ILIEVA’s pimples scared us even before the match. We knew how difficult it will be to play against her “materials”. However despite all this we were brave. We never stopped. We believe in ourselves we won European title in Doubles four years ago and we hope we will do it again ” said BONDAREVA. KLEE added:”I was so nervous but I kept on going despite hard moments we faced in second and third game. We already won one title together we play very long with each other and I have confidence in this pairings.” Linda ZADEROVA and Hana ARAPOVIC overcame Hungary’s Anna VOLENTICS and Irisz LASKAI (8 6 -9 7). “They made a big problem for us with short blocks. We needed some time to adjust to it. We play with each other for a long time it helped” explained ARAPOVIC. ZADEROVA:”I am full of emotions after we secured the medal. I am so proud of us.” Elizabet ABRAAMIAN and Natalia MALININA overcame Naomi PRANJKOVIC of Germany and Camelia MERENCO of Moldova (6 9 -9 5). “We did not make easy mistakes. We analyzed them well before the game. We were ready for our adversaries ”said ABRAAMIAN. In the quarters Anna BRZYSKA and Zuzanna WIELGOS of Poland halted the progress of Ioana SINGEORZAN of Romania and Malamatenia PAPADIMITRIOU of Greece (-1 9 5 -7 11). “We lost the opening game with one point so we had a very hard start. Luckily we recovered from that to win very close duel ” said WIELGOS.  

French pairings Alexis LEBRUN and Camille LUTZ clinched the title in the Under 19 Mixed Doubles Event at the GAZPROM European Youth Championships in Varazdin. Seeded at the position no 13 in the final they overcame no. 2 seeds Darius MOVILEANU and Elena ZAHARIA of Romania (11:9 11:9 11:9). “It was very close match as you can see all the games concluded by narrow margin 11:9. I am not happy how I played at the beginning but later Alexis created good chances for me and we played very good ” said LUTZ. LEBRUN also noticed that LUTZ was a little bit nervous at the beginning. “ Camille did not want to take risks but I forced her to play more bold. I told her she need to play because the results depends on her. Then Camille was much more confident ” explained LEBRUN. In the quarterfinal Alexis LEBRUN and Camille LUTZ eliminated top seedings Germany’s Kay STUMPER and Anastasia BONDAREVA before they prevailed against Ivor BAN and Hana ARAPOVIC of Croatia in the semi final (6:11 11:6 11:5 6:11 11:8). “This was the hardest match for us at the whole tournament. In two games Croatia’s pairing were really better and we had to fight for each point ” said LUTZ. LEBRUN added: “By the result you can predict how hard it was. Decisive game concluded by 11:8. We had advantage when LUTZ served against BAN but when it was my turn we had difficulties he flips very good. At 7:5 I had to change my service and we started to score. We forced them to lose the confidence with better service and eventually changed the course of the match.” Unlike the top seeds the Romania’s combination listed at position no. two at the seedings Darius MOVILEANU and Elena ZAHARIA of Romania justified their status. They overcame Samuel KULCZYCKI and Anna BRZYSKA of Poland in another full five games duel (3:11 13:11 6:11 11:8 9:11). “We are so proud to win this one. It was very hard to play against Samuel KULCZYCKI. He had very difficult style and uses a lot of pimples. It was crucial to stop him ” said ZAHARIA.  

Top seed in the Under 19 Boys Singles Event at the GAZPROM European Youth Championships in Varzdin the Germany’s Kay STUMPER overcame Andrei Teodor ISTRATE of Romania without due alarm; whilst in similar vein the no.3 seed Ivor BAN of Croatia enjoyed success against Alexis KOURAICHI of France to book the place in the quarterfinals. In the lower half of the draw Adrien RASSENFOSSE no. 2 seed was the biggest casualty of the Round of 16. Darius MOVILEANU of Romania upset the seedings and won the duel against the Belgium’s player. Kay STUMPER overcame Andrei Teodor ISTRATE in six games (9:11 11:5 7:11 11:5 11:1 11:9). “ISTRATE played very well and he made it extremely difficult for me. He played very safe not making a lot of mistakes. We played against each other in Slovenia month ago and it was 3:1 so I knew what to expect. I am very confident I can win here ” said Kay STUMPER. Alexis KOURAICHI suffered by the hands of Ivor BAN (7:11 10:12 11:6 11:6 10:12 5:11). “ KOURAICHI is a very dangerous player who puts a lot of balls at the table. The crucial moment when I made a break was at 2:2 and 8:4 for him. I managed to recover and to win that game and that set the course of the remaining part of the match. I reached the quarterfinal now and I do not have hight expectations. I just goes from match to match and only thing I wish for is to play my best table tennis. The result will come as it did so far ” said BAN. Damir AKHMETSAFIN of Russia overcame Thibault PORET of France in seven games thriller (12:10 8:11 11:3 7:11 11:7 9:11 8:11) “I played against PORET seven times before this time and I lost all the matches. It is my first win and I am so happy I did it at European Championships. This is my first and last one and I hope I will crown it with some medal ” said AKHMETSAFIN. Maciej KUBIK of Poland overcame Eduard IONESCU of Romania (11:9 6:11 6:11 13:11 11:3 7:11 11:6). “At the beginning I did not feel well at all. On the other side Eduard IONESCU was playing top quality game. I faced 1:2 and 6:10 in reverse and change the mind – set. I just started to play ball after ball become calmer and pushed to equalizer at 2:2. It opened new space for me. I played more rallies and I become more successful whilst my confidence grew ” said KUBIK. Darius MOVILEANU of Romania beat Adrien RASSENFOSSE of Belgium (11:7 11:9 13:11 11:4). “I know how good player Adrien is and I expected hard duel. I managed to be more focused comparing to previous matches and raised the level of the game. I am aiming for the medal in singles and I hope to win gold in the Mixed doubles ” said MOVILEANU. Adam KLAJBER of Slovakia lost to Csaba ANDRAS of Hungary (11:5 5:11 5:11 8:11 11:13). “I was very tired but I am happy that I could win. After the opening game I changed the tactics and I am so thankful to my coach who believed me and helped me in the hardest moments ” said ANDRAS. Alexis LEBRUN of France overcame Tomas MARTINKO of Czech Republic (11:7 9:11 11:2 11:9 12:14 11:9). “I struggling with the receive of MARTINKO’s service and that made this game very difficult. I did not win many points on his service but luckily I was very good with my service. That was my strongest points and it gave me the edge in crucial points like when it was 9:9 in the closing stages. I played all team’s matches before we lost in the final also I am still in game in mixed doubles and doubles and I hope to win in all three events ” said LEBRUN. Samuel KULCZYCKI of Poland was stretched to full distance against John OYEBODE (11:9 15:13 10:12 9:11 11:7 12:10). “It will be very hard to play against CSABA in the quarters for the medal because I am very tired ” said KULCZYCKI.    

In the Round of 16 in Under 19 Girls Event at the GAZPROM European Youth Championships in Varazdin Darya KISEL of Belarus created the top rated upset and overcame the top seeded Elena ZAHARIA of Romania. No. 4 seed Elizabeta ABRAAMIAN of Russia was very close to share ZAHARIA’s faith but after seven thrilling games she prevailed against another Romania’s player Ioana SINGEORZAN. In the lower half of the draw no. two seed Isa COK also faced early depart. Anna BRZYSKA of Poland proved too strong for French player. Italy’s Jamila LAURENTI no. 4 seed is also out. Hana ARAPOVIC restored the host nation pride by winning very close duel for the place in the quarterfinal. Elena ZAHARIA struggled from the beginning to find the answer to Daria KISEL’S defending style of play (3:11 4:11 9:11 12:10 11:7 9:11). ZAHARIA managed to narrow the 3:0 margin to 3:2 but never fully recovered. “In the fourth game I was 10:4 up and then I lost that game. I could not believe I lost it. I asked myself ‘What am I doing?’ However my tactics paid off eventually. My style is full of variations. I changed the pace of the game and my defense is quite unusual and very difficult for the girls on the other side of the net ” said Daria. Ioana SINGEORZAN of Romania beat Elizabet ABRAAMIAN in the final of the Under 19 Girls Event but in the singles Russia’s player avenged her defeat. She managed to recover after being 1:3 in reverse (11:9 15:13 11:13 13:11 5:11 7:11 7:11). “This was unbeilable and amazing match. I was under pressure after I suffered against her just recently in the Team’s Event and I was very nervous. I played good gave my best running and moving all the time I even screamed to push myself further. I lost the game when i had 10:6 advantage but I did not gave up at 1:3. I was confused because I played really good I dominated but somehow I was losing. Then I forced myself to calm down. I was aware how her style in not easy for me and that is why I had to play point by point. I stopped thinking much further then the next ball ” said ABRAAMIAN. No 7 seed Sophia KLEE of Germany suffered by the hands of the lower ranked Camille LUTZ of France (11:9 8:11 11:8 11:8 11:7). No 10 seed controlled the match and lost only one game. “We made a lot of rallies and she forced me to play hard for each ball. The crucial moment was at 2:1 when I had advantage 8:5 but KLEE recovered at 8:8. I called for time out and managed to win it. If I had lose I think the match could go in any direction. Now when I reached the quarters I feel I am close. I came here for medal and I hope to win it ” said LUTZ. No. 15 seed Radmila TOMINJAK of Serbia needed six games to overcame Slovenia’s Lea PAULIN (14:12 5:11 11:8 10:12 11:1 8:11). “The most important to stay calm and focused. I had few ups and downs in the match. It was extremely difficult in the last game when I faced 8:8 ” said TOMINJAK. Russia’s Natalia MALININA prevailed against Romania’s Luciana MITROFAN (11:5 11:9 8:11 11:7 11:7) whilst Charlotte LUTZ of France showed no mercy against Swede Rebecca MUSKANTOR (9:11 7:11 3;11 3:11) Anna BRZYSKA of Poland beat the odds to overcame Isa COK of France (11:9 11:8 10:12 6:11 11:6 5:11 11:9). “This was very difficult match and 11:9 at the end in the decisive game speaks a lot about how the match was close ” said Anna. Italy’s Jamila LAURENTI lost to Croatia’s Hana ARAPOVIC (11:7 4:11 11:8 7:11 8:11 6:11). “Her “material” made a great difficulties for me but I managed to spread the game all over the table. I managed to confuse her to hide my strokes but it made the match mentally hard with all this tactics ” said ARPOVIC.”I do not think far forward at this tournament we already saw so many favorites departed earlier then their rankings predicted.”