Top seeds in the Under 19 Mixed Doubles event, Daniel BERZOSA of Spain and Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine, successfully progressed to the quarterfinals at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava. On the seventh day of play at the RT Torax Arena, the Spanish-Ukrainian duo overcame Portugal’s Rafael KONG and Mariana SANTA COMBA. “We were prepared for this match, and we had a tactic on how to play against them,” said BERZOSA. “The first game was the most important and the most difficult. We were leading quite comfortably at 8-4, but then we were down 8-9. Still, we continued to fight, every game matters, so we just kept pushing. The beginning of this tournament was tough for us; it always is.” MATIUNINA added: “In the first round we played against the Czech pair ŠČIBRÁNIOVÁ and MAKARA, they were really good, and we were under pressure. Maybe that’s why we almost lost that match. But we’ve played mixed doubles together before, so we know how to work as a team, and I think that experience really helped us. We were champions last year, so of course there’s pressure—but we’re trying to do it again.” In the lower half of the draw, second seeds Tiago ABIODUN of Portugal and Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania defeated Leon BENKO of Croatia and Nina SKERBINZ of Austria. Samuel ARPAS of Slovakia and Maria BERZOSA of Spain also advanced, following a tight victory over David SZANTOSI of Hungary and Mia GRIESEL of Germany. ARPAS reflected: “I felt really bad before the match because I had just lost in the doubles with my partner LEI, we were seeded third and went out in the first round. That loss really hurt. But I tried to move on and focus on the mixed doubles. The Spanish coach helped us a lot with the strategy—he told us to play more long balls, and it worked throughout the match. The first game was crucial, we were leading all the way, but it got tight at 10-10. We managed to win it 14-12, and that made the difference. In the next round, we play BRHEL and DAVIDOV. I think it’s not the hardest possible opponent, but we won’t underestimate them. We’ll do everything we can to win a medal!” Maria BERZOSA added: “We knew it would be a tough match because they were the favorites. In the second game, we were up 10-8 but lost it 10-12. Still, we felt confident, and we came back to win the match.” In the quarterfinals, BERZOSA and MATIUNINA will face Ivan HENCL of Croatia and Lilou MASSART of Belgium, while ARPAS and Maria BERZOSA will meet Stepan BRHEL of Czechia and Elinor DAVIDOV of Israel. Should both Maria and Daniel BERZOSA win their respective matches, the siblings could face each other in the semifinals, a potential showdown that adds an exciting twist to the tournament narrative.

Hanka KODET, last year’s runner-up alongside Jan SKALDA, reached the quarterfinal of the Under 15 Mixed Doubles event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava, this time partnering with Italy’s Francesco TREVISAN. In the Round of 16, top seeds TREVISAN and KODET overcame Hungary’s Lenard SZABO and Szonja SZÖGI in straight games. “Before the match we were a little bit scared, but once we started playing, we calmed down,” said KODET. “We had a strong start, although the first game was tight at 8-8. I think winning that first game was key. After that, the second and third games were smoother, we played our own game. Honestly, we didn’t follow any specific tactic; we just knew the players from singles, combined our strengths, and focused on doing our best. Being seeded no. 1 doesn’t affect us, we’re just trying to stay focused and win.” Second seeds Lukas WANG and Koharu ITAGAKI of Germany found themselves 1–2 down against Türkiye’s Kenan KAHRAMAN and Ayten Ceren KAHRAMAN before turning the match around to secure a victory. However, the third seeds Danilo FASO (Italy) and Josephina NEUMANN (Germany) were knocked out. The Swedish duo Emil ELLERMANN and Siri BENJEGÅRD created a major upset, ending the favorites’ run. Last year, BENJEGÅRD (then partnered with Adam WALLIN) lost to FASO and Koharu ITAGAKI in the Round of 16, but this time the tables turned. “I think we had really good teamwork and a clear tactic,” said ELLERMANN. “We knew they were strong, they won team gold here, so we were nervous. But we focused on enjoying the game and gave it our best. They made some unforced errors, and we tried to play short and open the game early. Our coach told us to just have fun and play—and we followed that advice. And we won!” he said with a laugh. BENJEGÅRD added, “We also had incredible support from the crowd, which I think put extra pressure on our opponents. That helped us a lot. In the next round, we just want to stay focused and enjoy every ball.” Spain will be represented in the quarterfinals by Ladimir MAYOROV and Renata SHYPSHA. Meanwhile, Czech duo Ondrej MORAVEK and Laura MARSICKOVA, the U13 silver medalists at the 2024 European Championships in Bucharest, eliminated Alexander MALOV and Jiaqi GUO. France’s Noah TESSIER and Lou-Anne BOCQUET also progressed with a win over Czech pair Oliver OLEJNIK and Adela BRHELOVA.

The Team Events at the 2025 European Youth Championships in Ostrava concluded with a medal distribution across 12 nations. France emerged as the most successful country with two medals, including one gold and one silver, followed by Italy and Germany, each also securing a gold and a bronze. Romania defended their legacy with a gold, while Portugal added both silver and bronze to their collection. Here’s the full medal tally: Country Gold Silver Bronze Total France 1 1 0 2 Italy 1 0 1 2 Germany 1 0 1 2 Romania 1 0 0 1 Portugal 0 1 1 2 Ukraine 0 1 0 1 Türkiye 0 1 0 1 Slovakia 0 0 1 1 Hungary 0 0 1 1 Spain 0 0 1 1 Poland 0 0 1 1 Czechia 0 0 1 1 Under 19 Boys Under 19 Girls Under 15 Boys Under 15 Girls 1 Romania (ROU)2 Portugal (POR)3 Slovakia (SVK)3 Hungary (HUN)5 France (FRA)5 Poland (POL)7 Spain (ESP)7 Czechia (CZE)9 Norway (NOR)9 Sweden (SWE)11 Italy (ITA)11 Belgium (BEL)13 Switzerland (SUI)13 Israel (ISR)15 Austria (AUT)16 Slovenia (SLO)⬇️17 England (ENG) ⬆️18 Bulgaria (BUL)19 Serbia (SRB)19 Lithuania (LTU)21 Türkiye (TUR)21 Croatia (CRO)23 Estonia (EST)23 Denmark (DEN)25 Netherlands (NED)25 Germany (GER)27 Luxembourg (LUX)27 Greece (GRE)29 Montenegro (MNE)30 Finland (FIN)31 Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH)32 Ukraine (UKR)33 Moldova (MDA)34 Ireland (IRL)35 Azerbaijan (AZE)36 Scotland (SCO)37 Malta (MLT)39 Cyprus (CYP)39 Iceland (ISL) 1 France (FRA)2 Ukraine (UKR)3 Portugal (POR)3 Spain (ESP)5 Hungary (HUN)5 Germany (GER)7 Austria (AUT)7 Romania (ROU)9 Bulgaria (BUL)9 Türkiye (TUR)11 Slovakia (SVK)11 Belgium (BEL)13 Italy (ITA)13 Poland (POL)15 Croatia (CRO)16 Greece (GRE) ⬇️17 Serbia (SRB) ⬆️18 Czechia (CZE)19 Lithuania (LTU)20 Luxembourg (LUX)21 Moldova (MDA)22 Denmark (DEN)23 Sweden (SWE)24 Norway (NOR)25 Israel (ISR)25 England (ENG)27 Netherlands (NED)27 Wales (WAL)29 Estonia (EST)29 Azerbaijan (AZE)31 Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH)31 Switzerland (SUI)33 Latvia (LAT)33 Ireland (IRL)35 Scotland (SCO) 1 Italy (ITA)2 Türkiye (TUR)3 Germany (GER)3 Poland (POL)5 Romania (ROU)5 France (FRA)7 Spain (ESP)7 Denmark (DEN)9 Hungary (HUN)9 Switzerland (SUI)11 Ukraine (UKR)11 Portugal (POR)13 England (ENG)13 Czechia (CZE)15 Sweden (SWE)16 Slovenia (SLO) ⬇️17 Austria (AUT)⬆️18 Israel (ISR)19 Slovakia (SVK)19 Luxembourg (LUX)21 Bulgaria (BUL)21 Serbia (SRB)23 Belgium (BEL)23 Greece (GRE)25 Cyprus (CYP)25 Moldova (MDA)27 Lithuania (LTU)27 Latvia (LAT)29 Norway (NOR)29 Scotland (SCO)31 Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH)31 Netherlands (NED)33 San Marino (SMR)33 Croatia (CRO)35 Andorra (AND)35 Finland (FIN)37 Estonia (EST)37 Ireland (IRL)39 Malta (MLT)39 Iceland (ISL) 1 Germany (GER)2 France (FRA)3 Czechia (CZE)3 Italy (ITA)5 Poland (POL)5 Romania (ROU)7 Spain (ESP)7 Portugal (POR)9 Türkiye (TUR)9 Croatia (CRO)11 Ukraine (UKR)11 Sweden (SWE)13 Greece (GRE)13 Hungary (HUN)15 Austria (AUT)16 Belgium (BEL) ⬇️17 Israel (ISR) ⬆️18 Lithuania (LTU)19 Switzerland (SUI)19 Slovakia (SVK)21 Moldova (MDA)21 Estonia (EST)23 Luxembourg (LUX)23 Slovenia (SLO)25 England (ENG)25 Serbia (SRB)27 Latvia (LAT)27 Bulgaria (BUL)29 Iceland (ISL)29 Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH)31 Scotland (SCO)31 Montenegro (MNE)33Norway (NOR)

In a breathtaking final of the Under 19 Boys Event, Romania clinched their fourth consecutive gold medal at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava. By doing so, they equaled the winning streaks of Germany (1995–1998) and the USSR (1975–1978), falling just one title short of France’s record five consecutive wins (2008–2012). Despite fielding a rejuvenated squad and being seeded only at position no. 5, Team Romania, composed of Iulian CHIRITA, Dragoș BUJOR, Robert Alexandru ISTRATE, and Luka OPREA, overcame all opponents on their way to the top. Silver medalists Portugal were represented by Tiago ABIODUN, Clément LAINE, Rafael KONG, and Tiago OLHERO. Bronze medals were awarded to Slovakia (Damian FLORO, Samuel PALUSEK, Samuel ARPAS, Jakub HOLUBCIK) and Hungary (Balázs LEI, Dávid SZÁNTÓSI, Balázs POÓR, Georgiosz KIZÁKISZ). This was Portugal’s first-ever final in this category; their only previous medal came in 2002 with João MONTEIRO and Tiago APOLÓNIA, when they took bronze. Romania has remained unbeaten in the team event since Belgrade 2022, and their legacy stretches back to their first title in 1958. In the final, team leader Iulian CHIRITA secured two key wins, over Clément LAINE and Tiago ABIODUN. The second match had the crowd in Torax Arena on the edge of their seats, but it was the deciding match between BUJOR and LAINE that delivered an unforgettable finish. Both players put on a show of quality and power in one of the most dramatic matches of the tournament. CHIRITA explained: “I played against LAINE five months ago, he was very aggressive in the first balls, but I discussed tactics with my coach and managed to win. For me, this is my fourth title, so I had the experience to play without pressure, while for him it was his first final, so of course, there were differences. My second match was against ABIODUN. It was really tough, and we were down 1-2 in matches, so I knew I had to play safely. Tiago played really well, but I just focused and took it point by point, I’m really happy I managed to win both of my matches.” For ISTRATE, debuting in the U19 category, it was a steep challenge — but one he embraced with pride: “This was my first European Youth Championships in U19. Romania now has four titles, and I’ve won my first, I’m so happy. Last year, I lost in the U15 final. I didn’t expect such a big difference between U15 and U19, but it really is much harder. I did my best and managed to win some important matches, even though I couldn’t beat KONG in the final. My biggest win here was definitely against LAM from France, I won 3-2, and that victory helped us beat France. Against KONG, there was a lot of pressure and the atmosphere was incredible. I played my best, but he played better.” After his spectacular performance, BUJOR admitted: “To be honest, I can barely talk, it was the hardest match of my life against LAINE, and I still can’t believe I won. I went into the deciding match very nervous. There was a lot of pressure. But I did an amazing job. I’m so proud I could win the deciding match in the deciding game. I also thank Clément for playing an incredible match. We had so many insane rallies. This was a huge experience for me. That last game, at 2-2, was just insane. I won 18-16, he had four or five match points. It was crazy. But I did it, and I’m really happy and proud of my teammates.” Romania’s road to the title included victories over Slovakia, France, and Italy in the knockout stage. Portugal reached the final by defeating Hungary, Czechia, and Belgium. Romania – Portugal 3-2 SEMI FINAL Romania – Slovakia 3-1 Portugal – Hungary 3-0

The French Under 19 Girls Team successfully defended their title at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava. France extended their reign after overcoming Ukraine in a tense final. Gold medalists for France were Nina GUO ZHENG, Leana HOCHART, Alexia NODIN, and Jade Quynh-Tien HUYNH. The Ukrainian team featured Veronika MATIUNINA, Olha PONKO, Daria KOVALOVA, Alina OVRIAKH, and Veronika VASYLENKO. Bronze medals went to Portugal, represented by Júlia LEAL, Matilde PINTO, and Mariana SANTA COMBA, and to Spain, with María BERZOSA, Camila Renata MOSCOSO, Mariona MUNNÉ, Sofía COUCE, and Irina GIMENO FONT. France, the reigning champions, also won the title in 2014, while Ukraine had last claimed gold in 2008 with Margaryta PESOTSKA in their ranks. In the final, Leana HOCHART led her team with two crucial victories — against Olha PONKO and Veronika MATIUNINA. “NODIN unfortunately lost 0-3. It was a really tough match for her because MATIUNINA is a very strong player. My match against MATIUNINA was insane. I was down 0-2, then came back to win 3-2. It’s the first time I’ve ever beaten her, so I’m really happy. When I was 0-2 down, I changed my serve and receive tactics. She started playing slower, which suited me more. We really believed in ourselves before the final, and we’re so happy we made it. I think this match was the toughest for us in this draw,” explained HOCHART. Only 15 years old, Nina GUO ZHENG — the youngest French player ever to reach the senior national team — posted an important win over Daria KOVALOVA. “I played the third match against KOVALOVA when the score was 1-1. I was a little stressed because I knew how important that match was — the third match is always crucial. After I won the first game, I started to calm down and I think I played really well. From the beginning, I had a good tactical plan for this opponent, and I followed it the whole match without changing anything. Our coach decided to put me in the third match. Honestly, it was a bit of a risk because we knew that MATIUNINA has trouble against defensive players, so we put NODIN against her. The last time I played against MATIUNINA, I lost really easily and didn’t know how to approach the match, so we thought NODIN had a better chance than me,” GUO ZHENG explained. On their way to the top of the podium, France defeated Portugal, Austria, and Bulgaria, while Ukraine reached the final by overcoming Spain, Germany, and Poland. FINAL France – Ukraine 3-1 SEMI FINAL Portugal – France 0-3

Italy successfully defended their crown in the Under 15 Boys Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava. They faced a fierce challenge from first-time finalists Türkiye on their way to another prestigious title. Before Malmö, Italy’s only previous victory in this category came in 1993. Danilo FASO, Francesco TREVISAN, Giulio CAMPAGNA, and Pietro CAMPAGNA were listed for the Italian champion team. Silver medalists Türkiye were represented by Kenan KAHRAMAN, Görkem ÖÇAL, Kuzey GÜNDOĞDU, and Ahmet ŞAHAN. The semifinalists were Germany, with Jonas RINDERER, Lukas WANG, Samuel KUHL, and Tian Nghia PHONG; and Poland, with Jan MRUGALA, Mateusz WISNIEWSKI, Piotr LACKI, and Hubert KWIECIŃSKI. In the final, TREVISAN and FASO overcame KAHRAMAN and ÖÇAL in singles, while Türkiye secured their only point in the doubles. “First, I played against KAHRAMAN. I had never won against him before, so I was a little bit scared. I didn’t start well, I lost the first game, but then I started to believe I had a chance, and I did it,” said TREVISAN and continued:”The last game was really crazy, I won 19-17, but it was up and down the whole time. I changed my receive at the end because his serve was always the same, and I also slowed things down, I stopped rushing and took more time.” Danilo FASO added: “I won the first match 3-0 against ÖÇAL. He’s a really good player. I had played against him at the Europe Top 10 and won there too, so I went into this match more relaxed. The last game was the most difficult, I won 14-12. I didn’t change much in the match, just stuck to my game.” FASO explained what happened in the doubles. “We lost the doubles 0-3. It was a really tough match, and they played really well. I think if we had won the second game, which we lost 13-15, we could’ve taken the match. But in the end, we lost 0-3. In the last encounter, I played against KAHRAMAN. I beat him 3-1. I was up 2-0 and 8-6, but lost that set 8-11. In the fourth set, I returned to my rhythm and won.” Both players agreed that the final was their toughest match of the tournament: “They are really good players, and we really wanted to win — and we made it!” On their way to the final, Italy defeated Germany, Spain, and Hungary in the knockout phase. Türkiye reached the ultimate match after victories over Poland, France, and Czechia. FINAL Türkiye – Italy 1-3 SEMI FINAL Germany – Italy 0-3 Poland – Türkiye 2-3

In the Under 15 Girls Team Event, Germany clinched their third consecutive title at the European Youth Championships. They added to a rich legacy that already includes gold medals from 1994, 1998, 1999, 2009, 2012, and 2021. In the final, Josephina NEUMANN and Koharu ITAGAKI (with Amelie Guzi JIA and Anna WALTER also listed in the team) halted the progress of the French team consisting of Lou-Anne BOCQUET, Lisa ZHAO, Eva LAM, and Albane ROCHUT. France is still waiting for gold in the girls’ category since 2019, when Prithika PAVADE led the team. This time, they had to settle for silver. The bronze medals went to Czechia, represented by Adéla BRHELOVÁ, Hanka KODET, Simona HOLUBOVÁ, and Laura MARSICKOVÁ; and to Italy with Manon LOTH, Sofia EPISCOPO, Gioia Maria PICU, and Matilde BUZZONI. The final was a one-sided affair, with Germany fully in control from start to finish. Josephina NEUMANN and Koharu ITAGAKI kept the momentum and composure throughout. Both players had already featured in last year’s gold-winning team in Malmö. On their way to the final, Germany dropped only one point, against Spain in the quarterfinals. France had an impressive run to the final, with their toughest test in the semifinal clash against Italy. NEUMANN lost only one match during the event, against Spain’s Renata SHYPSHA. “In my match against BOCQUET, I had the most trouble with her serves. She’s a left-hander, and I don’t practice often against left-handed players, so the beginning was a bit difficult for me. But I managed to handle it and won 3-0.” ITAGAKI remained unbeaten throughout the tournament. “I played against ZHAO and won 3-0, but every game was so close. I was a little nervous because the last two times I played her, it went to 3-2. So I knew it wouldn’t be an easy match.” Both players reflected on their doubles performance: “The doubles were really good. We didn’t discuss tactics or anything — we just played and enjoyed it. We trusted in our pairing and are really happy that we made it.” Speaking about previous matches, both players found common ground: “I think every match was difficult, but mentally, the toughest was definitely against Czechia. We knew KODET is a really strong player, and it would be hard to play against her. On the other hand, the most tactically challenging match was against France — we had no idea how they would play. Fortunately, we made it through and we’re very happy,” said ITAGAKI. NEUMANN added: “We were nervous before the final — but honestly, we were more nervous in the earlier matches.” FINAL Under 15 Girls Final: France – Germany 0-3 Semi final Germany – Czechia 3-0 Italy – France 2-3

Top seeds in the Under 15 Girls Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava, Germany will face France in tomorrow’s final. Czechia and Italy were eliminated in the penultimate stage. In the semifinals, Germany dealt a heavy blow to the home crowd by defeating the reigning champions Czechia in straight matches. Josephina NEUMANN and Koharu ITAGAKI prevailed against Simona HOLUBOVA and Hanka KODET. “I was a little bit nervous because in the morning I didn’t play very well against Spain, so now I’m even happier that I played well in this match. ITAGAKI played the first match against HOLUBOVA and won quite easily. I played against KODET and she’s an incredible player. It’s been a long time, about two years, since I last played her. Our styles have changed a bit, she played more aggressively than she used to, and I had to be careful with that,” said NEUMANN. Josephina was honest: “We expected we might win, but not 3-0, so I’m really happy with the result. In doubles, we were stronger. We knew we play well together, so we believed in ourselves. As for the tactics for the final, we’ll probably talk about it tomorrow. We’re confident that our coach will prepare us well. Of course, there will be some pressure, it will be a really tough match against Frances but we have to stay focused and try to win,” explained NEUMANN. The duel between France and Italy went the full distance. Lou-Anne BOCQUET won both of her matches, but Eva LAM could not match her teammate’s performance. LAM defeated Sofia EPISCOPO but lost to Manon LOTH.

The final of the Under 19 Boys Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava will feature a clash between Portugal and Romania tomorrow. Bronze medals go to Hungary and Slovakia. In superb style, Portugal secured their place in the ultimate stage by overcoming Hungary in straight matches. Clément LAINE set the tone with a victory over Balázs LEI, followed by Tiago ABIODUN’s win against Dávid SZÁNTÓSI. The only match that went the full distance was the final one between Rafael KONG and Balázs POÓR. “In the first match, LAINE played against LEI. It was a tough match, but our coach told him to play without pressure, and he played really well. The second match, I played against SZÁNTÓSI. I felt really comfortable, and we had a clear tactic with my coach, he’s a very aggressive and fast player, so I had to adapt and play more aggressively as well. In the third encounter, KONG played against POÓR, he had the match under control in the first two games, but then he struggled a bit and it became 2-2. I think KONG got a little nervous, but in the fifth game, he played very calmly and didn’t make many mistakes,” explained Tiago. Further ABIODUN explained: “We went into the match with the mindset that we could win, because we have a really strong team. Beating Czechia gave us a lot of confidence, that was a really tough match. We were leading 2-0, and suddenly it became 2-2 ,we knew they could come back, but we handled the decider and won. We’re going into the final with a good mindset. I believe in us. We’ll focus on playing set by set, point by point.” Slovakia had their chances against Romania. Iulian CHIRITA edged Samuel PALUSEK in five long games, but Samuel ARPAS responded with a win over Dragoș BUJOR to level the match. Damian FLORO had a match point at 2-1 against Robert Alexandru ISTRATE but failed to close it. ISTRATE held his nerve and won the next two games, and then CHIRITA delivered in style by beating ARPAS to send Romania to the final.

In the match for the title in the Under 15 Boys Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava tomorrow, Italy will face Türkiye. In the semifinals, Germany and Poland lost their encounters. Top-seeded Italy defeated no. 5 seed Germany today in the semifinals. After a tense quarterfinal against Spain, the penultimate stage was a much smoother affair. Danilo FASO and Francesco TREVISAN overcame Jonas RINDERER, Tian Nghia PHONG, and Samuel KUHL in straight matches. “In the first match, TREVISAN played against RINDERER, he won 3-1, so we started really well, 1-0 for us, which is always a good sign. In the next match, I beat PHONG 3-0 it wasn’t a difficult match for me,” explained FASO. Danilo continued: “In the doubles, we struggled a bit. We were leading 2-0, but then it became 2-2. They started playing better, and we changed our style, which wasn’t a good idea. In the fifth game, we reminded ourselves of what worked best against them, went back to our game plan, and won the decider quite easily. We’re excited to be going to the final! We knew we were seeded no. 1 and we want to prove it in the final.” Unlike Italy, Türkiye was stretched to the full distance in their match against Poland. Jan MRUGALA won both of his singles matches against Kenan KAHRAMAN and Görkem ÖÇAL, but the Turkish duo kept their composure to reach the final. “It was a hard match, going 3-2 against Poland. In the last deciding match, I went in with a lot of stress because I knew I had to win, but I made it, and I’m really happy. We have a really good team, we support each other, and that helped me a lot in my last match.” ÖÇAL went into the details: “In the decider, I played against WISNIEWSKI — he was receiving my serves really well because I was playing empty serves. So I had to change that. I started using more long serves, and he had problems with that.We’re going into the final focused. We know that Italy is a really strong team, but we will fight and play our best.”