Iulian CHIRITA of Romania, now teaming up with Tiago ABIODUN of Portugal, successfully defended his title in the Under 19 Boys Doubles Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava. CHIRITA claimed gold last year alongside Andrei ISTRATE. This time, he reached the top of the podium with a new partner. The silver medals went to Dragos BUJOR and Robert Alexandru ISTRATE of Romania. Bronze medals were awarded to Rafal FORMELA and Alan KULCZYCKI of Poland, as well as to Yoan VELICHKOV of Bulgaria and Julian RZIHAUSCHEK of Austria. “It feels really nice to be champion again. Last year, I won the doubles title with ISTRATE. Now, with Tiago, it’s our first title together, and I’m really happy about it. We played very well throughout the tournament—we only dropped two games in the quarterfinals. This final was great for us; we stayed confident and made fewer mistakes,” said CHIRITA. ABIODUN added: “We had a lot of fun during the match. We’re all close friends, so we just wanted to enjoy it. We played our game and got the win!” Top seeds CHIRITA and ABIODUN reached the final after a straight-games win over FORMELA and KULCZYCKI of Poland. CHIRITA commented: “That was probably our best match of the tournament. We had a great tactical plan from our coaches, and everything worked perfectly. I’m proud and excited to reach the final with Tiago, it’s our first together.” ABIODUN noted: “The first game was the most difficult. We started a bit cold, but winning it made a big difference. If we had lost it, the pressure would’ve been on us. That win gave us control.” In the other semifinal, BUJOR and ISTRATE got the better of VELICHKOV and RZIHAUSCHEK in a competitive match. “We focused from the beginning and aimed to play our best. Our initial goal was just to win a medal, but once we got to the semifinal, we set our sights on gold. During the match, we adjusted our tactics and played as aggressively as we could,” said ISTRATE. BUJOR added: “The first game was both the hardest and the most important. After that, we focused on finding the right tactical approach. Of course, reaching the final brings some pressure, but we truly believed in ourselves and our chances.” BUJOR and ISTRATE previously teamed up at the national championships, where they won the Under 21 doubles title. Final Semi final

Last year’s bronze medallists in the Under 15 Boys Doubles Event, Danilo FASO and Francesco TREVISAN of Italy, climbed two steps higher on the podium at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava. In the final, they overcame Austria’s Louis FEGERL and Spain’s Ladimir MAYOROV. The bronze medals went to Hungary’s Mark GERGELY and Lenard SZABO, as well as Türkiye’s duo Görkem ÖÇAL and Kenan KAHRAMAN. FASO and TREVISAN controlled the final, though their young opponents, MAYOROV, who turned 12 on the day of the match, and FEGERL, aged 12 years and one month, deserve great credit. (They are not the youngest finalists in history, however; Prithika PAVADE was one month younger when she reached the Cadet Mixed Doubles final in 2016.) “We knew they were very good. They played really well throughout the tournament, especially in the semifinals. We won 3-0 – I think the fact that we’ve played together for a long time gave us a big advantage,” explained FASO. TREVISAN added: “It wasn’t an easy match. Each game was really close, and they played at a high level. Last year, we lost in the semifinals, but this year we were better prepared and practiced a lot together. I’m really proud that we won!” In the semifinals, FASO and TREVISAN faced Hungary’s GERGELY and SZABO and finished the match in commanding fashion. “We were up 2-0, but then they started playing better and won the third game. After that, we changed tactics a bit, played closer to the table and more aggressively. The last game was tough; we were 10-9, they leveled to 10-10, and it got stressful. But we stayed focused and closed the match. We had already played against them in the team event, so we knew what to expect,” said FASO. TREVISAN explained why he held up six fingers after the victory: “We really believed we could win and went into the final with that mindset. We knew it wouldn’t be easy, but we were optimistic and ready to play our best. After the win, I showed six fingers – it represents the six members of my family: me, my mom, dad, and my three brothers.” FEGERL and MAYOROV reached the final after a dramatic semifinal win over the second seeds, ÖÇAL and KAHRAMAN of Türkiye. “We’re really happy. We knew it would be a tough match, they were the no. 2 seeds, but we just kept fighting. We were 2-0 up, but they came back to 2-2. I think we got a bit nervous, and they also changed tactics. In the last game, we returned to our game plan, using more short balls to prevent them from spinning, and we controlled every ball,” said FEGERL. MAYOROV added: “Today is my birthday, so this is the best gift I could ask for! This has been my best tournament so far—I played really well and I’m proud of my performance. I really wanted gold, so FEGERL and I gave it everything. We were a little nervous, but I believed in us. We had a real chance, and we fought hard because we knew our opponents were very strong.” Final Semi final

Newly crowned champions in the Under 15 Girls Doubles Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava are Alexia NODIN and Lou-Anne BOCQUET of France. In the final, they overcame Koharu ITAGAKI and Josephina NEUMANN of Germany. The bronze medals went to Renata SHYPSHA of Spain and Siri BENJEGÅRD of Sweden, as well as Laurynne CABARDO and Angelina BEBAWY of Sweden. The final was a one-sided affair, with NODIN and BOCQUET dominating the German pair from start to finish. “We are really happy that we won. To be honest, we expected a tougher match. We tried not to make many mistakes and played with confidence. We focused closely on the tactics our coach gave us, and that helped a lot. Actually, there wasn’t a single game that was particularly hard, but the first one was the most important—it gave us momentum,” explained NODIN. In the semi-finals, NODIN and BOCQUET also delivered a commanding performance, defeating CABARDO and BEBAWY in straight games. “We are very happy to reach the final. We didn’t expect this win at all, it was a bit of a surprise for us. Even though we won 3-0, it wasn’t as easy as it looked. We have a really unique playing style, BOCQUET is a left-handed attacker and I am a right-handed defender, which is quite rare in doubles. That gave BOCQUET more time to step in and attack. We also felt really good before the match, so we’re thrilled with the result,” they shared. Unlike the French pairings, the reigning champions from 2023, ITAGAKI and NEUMANN, were taken to the full distance in their semi-final against 2024 runners-up SHYPSHA and BENJEGÅRD. NEUMANN said: “To be honest, we expected to win before the match, but it turned out to be much tougher than we thought. It was a difficult situation for us, we had a problem with the transfer and didn’t have time to practice beforehand. But we managed to stay mentally strong and get through.” ITAGAKI added: “I think the third game was the most difficult. We were ahead but made some easy mistakes and lost it, which put us 1-2 down. Fortunately, we stayed focused and managed to come back and win.” Final Semi final

The top seed in the Under 19 Boys Singles Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava, Daniel BERZOSA of Spain, suffered an early exit after a six-game defeat to Romania’s Dragos BUJOR, seeded only at No. 14. “It was a crazy match. He led 1-0, then I went up 3-1, but I felt some emotions and pressure and lost the fifth game. Still, I stayed focused and played my game. In the last game, I even had to change my racket because I broke the rubber, but honestly, I didn’t think about it. I just stayed calm, played, and finished the match,” BUJOR said. “Before the match, I truly believed in myself and knew I could beat him. This is my first U19 singles medal, so I’m really happy and proud, especially because I beat the top seed! I’m heading into the semifinal with a clear head and the goal to win.” In the semifinal, BUJOR will meet Hungary’s David SZANTOSI (No. 4 seed), who ended the impressive run of England’s Joseph HUNTER. The Englishman, seeded only at No. 96, had shocked everyone in the Round of 16 by defeating Croatia’s No. 6 seed Leon BENKO in a seven-game thriller. “It was a really tough match. He’s a strong player and got bronze last year, so I knew his level was high. I was up 3-1, then it became 3-3, I think I got a bit nervous. I didn’t really change my tactic; he just started playing better. The final game was the most difficult. We had some really great rallies. I took a timeout just to calm myself down. I have no expectations for the next round. I just want to enjoy it and show my best! I’m really happy with this win,” said HUNTER. Meanwhile, another upset came when Poland’s Marcel BLASZCZYK (No. 9 seed) eliminated Romania’s Iulian CHIRITA, the No. 5 seed. “I knew it would be a tough match. CHIRITA is a very good player and has many EYC medals. But I had a really good tactic. I discussed it with Milosz REDZIMSKI, who knows CHIRITA well, and with my coach. I think this was the best match of my career. The last game was the most difficult due to the pressure. I kept thinking how great it would be to beat him, and that made me a bit stressed. But I did it, and I’m very happy,” BLASZCZYK said. He followed that victory with another dramatic seven-game win in the quarterfinals, overcoming No. 3 seed Balazs LEI of Hungary. “Before the match, both my coach and I were really nervous. This is my first U19 singles medal and I still can’t believe it. We’ve played many times and it’s always close, so I expected a hard match. Honestly, I don’t even know what happened toda, this feels like the luckiest day of my life. First CHIRITA, then LEI, and now I’m in the semifinal. The last game was especially intense—I was leading 8-5, then it was 10-10. I just took a risk, and it worked. I changed my tactics a lot during the match—different serves, different strategies—and that made the difference. Now I go into the semifinal with a clear head, hoping to reach the final.” In the lower half of the draw, Portugal’s Tiago ABOUDIN continues his strong run. In the quarterfinals, he overcame No. 7 seed Nathan LAM of France to book his spot in the semifinals.

In the Under 19 Girls Singles Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava, top seed Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine showed no mercy in her quarterfinal clash against Portugal’s Julia LEAL. Last year’s runner-up from Malmö needed just four games to secure her place in the semifinals. Despite the defeat, LEAL’s performance was remarkable, she reached the quarterfinals as the No. 35 seed, significantly exceeding expectations. Tomorrow’s semifinal will feature a thrilling showdown between two Malmö finalists: MATIUNINA and reigning champion Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania, the No. 4 seed. Unlike MATIUNINA’s straight-game win, MEI ROSU needed six games to overcome No. 5 seed Nina GUO ZHENG of France. “I knew from the beginning it would be a tough match because I played against her last year in the Round of 32. She is a really strong opponent. I lost the first game, but I managed to come back and win. I also had to change my tactics because she knew what to expect from me. I tried to play more into the middle and to her forehand. The last game was the most difficult and important—it was so close, but I managed to win it. I’m really happy! In the semifinal, I’ll face MATIUNINA. I played her last year in the final and won 4-0, so I’ll try to repeat that,” said MEI ROSU. In one of the most dramatic matches of the day, No. 2 seed Mia GRIESEL of Germany nearly pulled off another miraculous comeback. After recovering from a 0-3 deficit to win 4-3 against Czechia’s Veronika POLÁKOVÁ in the Round of 16, GRIESEL found herself in the same situation against No. 8 seed Anna HURSEY of Wales in the quarterfinals. Despite fighting back from 0-3 to level the score, GRIESEL couldn’t complete the comeback this time. HURSEY held her nerve in the decisive game and advanced to the semifinals. “In the first three games, I played really well, then she started to come back and I got nervous. Maybe I was thinking a bit about her last match when she also came back from 0-3. I think she also changed her tactics, and that made me even more nervous. Honestly, I don’t really know what happened. In the last game, I calmed down and just tried to play my game. We’ve played a lot against each other—I’ve known her since she was young—so I knew what to expect. I’m really happy to win. It was a very tough match,” said HURSEY. France’s Leana HOCHART, the No. 3 seed, also secured her spot in the semifinals with a solid performance against No. 11 seed Matilde PINTO of Portugal.

Top seed in the Under 15 Boys Singles Event, Danilo FASO of Italy, secured a medal at the European Youth Championships following a superb performance in the quarterfinal. Tomorrow, he will face No. 14 seed Jonas RINDERER of Germany in the semifinal. In the quarters, FASO ended the impressive run of Poland’s Piotr LACKI, who was seeded only at No. 41. No. 2 seed Görkem ÖÇAL of Türkiye also lived up to expectations, overcoming No. 32 seed Samuel KUHL of Germany. “I played amazing and I am really happy to reach the semifinal. Last year, I lost in the Round of 16. To be honest, I didn’t have any tactic because I had never played against him before, it was our first encounter. I think the most difficult game was the first one, because I was losing and started to get nervous, but fortunately I managed to win 4-0. In the semifinal, I will fight and I hope to win,” said ÖÇAL. For a place in the final, ÖÇAL will meet Italian Francesco TREVISAN, seeded No. 4. TREVISAN prevailed over Spain’s Ladimir MAYOROV (No. 19 seed) just a day before MAYOROV’s 12th birthday. Despite the quarterfinal exit, the young Spaniard left his mark in Ostrava. “I was very focused because I had lost to him 2-3 in the team event, and I wanted a bit of revenge,” said TREVISAN with a laugh. “I started really well. The second game was the most important, it was close, and I won 20-18. I knew what to play against him because I had watched our previous match and learned from my mistakes. That was the key. I’m really happy to win this match and reach the semifinals. I’ll now play against ÖÇAL, who is a good player and a really good friend of mine. I think it will be a good match. We’ve played each other many times.” The lowest-ranked player to reach the semifinals is RINDERER, who advanced after a thrilling battle against Kenan KAHRAMAN of Türkiye.

In the quarterfinal of the Under 15 Girls Singles Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava, two-time European U15 Singles champion Hanka KODET of Czechia lived up to expectations in front of the home crowd by defeating seed no. 8 Josephina NEUMANN of Germany in straight games. “It’s a really good feeling, especially because I lost to her in the team event, so there was a lot of pressure on me,” said KODET. “I’m really happy I made it. It was a difficult match, even though the score may not look like it. Despite winning in straight games, I found it tough. In the fourth game, I really wanted to finish the match, so it was very close. Before the match, my coach advised me not to play too much to her backhand, but funnily enough, in the last game I did exactly that—but it worked. To be honest, I’m heading into the final with a clear head and fully focused.” Two French players exceeded expectations and rankings with impressive performances. Just 12 years old, Albane ROCHUT of France (seeded no. 45) stunned Romania’s Patricia STOICA (no. 4 seed) to reach the semifinals. “I’m really happy I won—I still can’t believe it,” said ROCHUT. “The second and third games were the most difficult for me. I didn’t change my tactics during the match, I just played my own game. I’m only 12, so reaching the semifinals is a huge success. This is my first time competing in the U15 category, and it’s incredible that I’ll take home a medal. In the semifinal, I’ll try to play my best table tennis and win for sure!” Lou-Anne BOCQUET of France (no. 41 seed) continued her strong form by defeating Siri BENJEGÅRD of Sweden (no. 5 seed). BOCQUET will face KODET in the semi-final. In the other semi-final, top seed Koharu ITAGAKI of Germany will play against ROCHUT. ITAGAKI secured her place by beating Spain’s Renata SHYPSHA (no. 6 seed).

The penultimate day of play at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava brought intense competition and high-stakes drama, as players battled for places on the medal rostrum in the Singles and Doubles events. With the semi finals and finals ahead, tomorrow’s matches will determine who reaches the top of the podium. In the Under 19 Boys Doubles Event, last year’s champion Iulian CHIRITA of Romania, who previously partnered with Andrei ISTRATE, is now playing alongside Tiago ABIODUN of Portugal. The top seeds were pushed to the limit by Croatia’s Leon BENKO and Ivan HENCL, seeded no. 5. Down 1-2, CHIRITA and ABIODUN stepped up to turn the match around and advance to the semifinals. Dragos BUJOR and Robert Alexandru ISTRATE of Romania (no. 11 seeds) became the first pair to secure a medal. In the quarterfinals, they overcame Connor GREEN of England and Lleyton ULLMANN of Germany (no. 8 seeds) in straight games without alarm. Yoan VELICHKOV of Bulgaria and Julian RZIHAUSCHEK of Austria, seeded no. 15, endured a rollercoaster match against the second seeds Daniel BERZOSA of Spain and Marcel BLASZCZYK of Poland. After taking the first two games, VELICHKOV and RZIHAUSCHEK saw their lead slip away as their opponents leveled the match. However, they withstood the spirited comeback to secure their place on the medal podium. VELICHKOV reflected:“We had a really good start and were 2-0 up, but then they came back to 2-2. I think we could have closed the match a little earlier, but our nerves definitely played a role at that point. We were also a bit lucky, especially in the last game. We knew they were the favourites, but that’s exactly why I told myself and my partner that we had to believe we could beat them.” RZIHAUSCHEK added:“For me, the most difficult and most important game was the first one. When you’re not the favourite, it’s really important to take that opening game.” VELICHKOV continued: “To be honest, the third game was the hardest for me. When you feel you can win, it actually becomes more difficult, especially when you know they’re the no. 2 seeds. They won that game, but it didn’t change our mindset. We stayed focused throughout the match.” RZIHAUSCHEK concluded:“I think now we can beat anyone, we work really well together. Our goal is to win. We actually won a medal together in U15 a few years ago, but this will be our first in the U19 category. I’m really happy and proud of us.” Meanwhile, Rafal FORMELA and Alan KULCZYCKI of Poland (no. 17 seeds) overcame Brin VOVK PETROVSKI and Miha PODOBNIK of Slovenia (no. 16 seeds) to claim their spot in the semifinals. In the Under 19 Girls Doubles Event, Ulyana MIASHCHANSKAYA and Lizaveta TSIMASHKOVA (AIN) nearly produced a huge upset. Seeded no. 51, they held three match balls at 2-0 (10-7) against the top seeds Leana HOCHART and Nina GUO ZHENG of France. However, the French pair managed to recover and narrowly escape defeat, advancing to the medal round. Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine and Matilde PINTO of Portugal (no. 4 seeds) ended the remarkable run of Poland’s Zofia SLIWKA and Oliwia WATOR. The Polish duo, seeded just no. 56, made a stunning push to the quarterfinals before being stopped by the strong Ukrainian-Portuguese combination. No. 2 seeds Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania and Sara TOKIC of Slovenia needed only three games to dispatch another Polish pair, Natalia BOGDANOWICZ and Katarzyna RAJKOWSKA (no. 6 seeds), and reach the semifinals. Anna HURSEY of Wales and Mia GRIESEL of Germany, seeded no. 3, came through a thrilling five-game battle against Maria BERZOSA of Spain and Lilou MASSART of Belgium (no. 5 seeds). Earlier in the day, HURSEY had staged a dramatic singles comeback from 0-3 down, and she once again endured a full-distance match alongside GRIESEL—this time coming back from a two-game deficit to secure a spot in the medal round. In the Under 15 Girls Doubles Event, the 2023 champions and top seeds Koharu ITAGAKI and Josephina NEUMANN of Germany will face last year’s runners-up, Renata SHYPSHA of Spain and Siri BENJEGÅRD of Sweden, for a place in the final. In the other semifinal, Alexia NODIN and Lou-Anne BOCQUET of France will meet Laurynne CABARDO and Angelina BEBAWY of Sweden. While the progress of the German and Spanish pairs was expected, the lower half of the draw produced some surprises. CABARDO and BEBAWY (no. 8 seeds) first defeated Switzerland’s HU and WU (no. 13 seeds), before taking down Gioia Maria PICU and Manon LOTH of Italy—the pair that had earlier eliminated second seeds Hanka KODET of Czechia and Lana BENKO of Croatia. In the Under 15 Boys Doubles Event, the top three seeded pairs all secured their spots on the medal podium. Last year’s bronze medalists and current top seeds, Danilo FASO and Francesco TREVISAN of Italy, overcame Germany’s Lukas WANG and Tien Nghia PHONG. In the semifinals, they will face Hungary’s Mark GERGELY and Lenard SZABO (no. 3 seeds). In the bottom half of the draw, second seeds Görkem ÖÇAL and Kenan KAHRAMAN of Turkey defeated Italy’s Giulio and Pietro CAMPAGNA. Their semifinal opponents will be Louis FEGERL of Austria and Ladimir MAYOROV of Spain (no. 12 seeds), who pulled off a notable upset by defeating England’s no. 4 seeds Abraham SELLADO and Kacper PIWOWAR. For Ladimir MAYOROV, this marks a milestone, his first medal at the European Championships in the Under 15 category. The Spanish talent, who turns 12 tomorrow, already holds two bronze medals from the Under 13 European Championships.