Connor GREEN of England produced the biggest shock of the ROMSTAL European Under 21 Championships so far, defeating top seed and home favourite Iulian CHIRITA of Romania 4-2 (11-9, 6-11, 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-8) to secure a place in the Men’s Singles quarterfinals. The result was all the more remarkable considering GREEN had only narrowly survived Stage 2, advancing from his group on countback after a difficult start to the tournament. Less than a day later, he eliminated last year’s finalist and one of the leading contenders for the title. GREEN made an aggressive start to the encounter, taking the opening game 11-9 after successfully implementing his tactical plan. “I think I started the match really well. The plan was to use my backhand serve a lot and try to create opportunities on the third ball. It worked well at the beginning and gave me confidence,” said GREEN. CHIRITA responded strongly, claiming the next two games 11-6 and 11-9 to move ahead, but the English player refused to let the match slip away. GREEN levelled the contest at 2-2 before edging a dramatic fifth game 12-10 to regain the advantage. The sixth game proved decisive. GREEN built an early lead before CHIRITA fought his way back into contention. At the crucial moments, however, the Englishman held his nerve to close out the game 11-8 and complete one of the biggest victories of his career. “The match was very difficult. Some of the games were really close and went back and forth. In the sixth game I got a big lead, then he started coming back, but I managed to stay focused and play well on the important points,” GREEN explained. For the Englishman, the victory completed a remarkable turnaround in Cluj-Napoca. After nearly seeing his campaign end in the group stage, he now finds himself among the final eight day after he won a historic first medal for England with Mael VAN DESSEL of Luxembourg at the Doubles event at the European Under 21 Championships. “In the groups I only got through on countback. At one point I thought I was out of the tournament. Then I stayed in and now I’ve achieved one of the biggest wins…” GREEN also ranked the victory among the finest moments of his career. “I’ve had some good wins before, but I think Iulian is definitely one of the best players I’ve ever beaten. He plays at a really high level, so I’m super happy and proud that I could beat him today.” The victory over CHIRITA adds another significant chapter to GREEN’s rapidly growing career. The 19-year-old from Nottingham became the first English junior to reach a WTT Youth Contender final when he claimed silver in Tunis in 2025, won bronze at the Europe Youth Top 10 later that year, and made history alongside Tin-Tin HO by becoming part of England’s first-ever WTT Mixed Doubles title-winning pair at WTT Feeder Düsseldorf in 2026. However, defeating the top seed and home favourite at the ROMSTAL European Under 21 Championships ranks among the finest victories of his career to date. PHOTO by: Mihaela-Ionela BOBAR and Simion Sebastian TĂTARU

The penultimate day of the ROMSTAL European Under 21 Championships in Cluj-Napoca began with the Mixed Doubles semifinals, where the top-seeded pair of Iulian CHIRITA (Romania) and Anna HURSEY (Wales) secured their place in the final alongside Germany’s Wim VERDONSCHOT and Josephina NEUMANN no. 9 seeds. See the pictures here. CHIRITA and HURSEY produced a confident performance against Slovenia’s Brin VOVK and Sara TOKIC, the No. 17 seeds, winning 3-0 (11-3, 11-8, 11-5). Despite the convincing scoreline, the top seeds knew they were facing a pair that had exceeded expectations throughout the tournament and reached the semifinals with a series of strong performances. “It was the first time we played against them. They had a very good tournament and defeated some strong opponents, so we knew it was going to be a difficult match,” said CHIRITA. HURSEY was pleased with the way the pair handled the challenge. “We are satisfied. We played really well. It was a tough match.” As the match progressed, the pair made several tactical adjustments to maintain control. “We changed a little bit in the second and third games and became more aggressive. We will try to make some adjustments again for the final,” CHIRITA explained. The second semifinal saw Germany’s Wim VERDONSCHOT and Josephina NEUMANN defeat Romania’s Andrei ISTRATE and Italy’s Nicole ARLIA 3-1 (11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 12-10). The German pair returned to the final after finishing runners-up at last year’s championships, where they lost the title match to Romania’s Darius MOVILEANU and Elena ZAHARIA. NEUMANN was delighted to secure another opportunity to compete for gold. “I am happy that we reached the final again. We will give our best in the final.” Although the German pair had never faced ISTRATE and ARLIA together in mixed doubles, they were familiar with them from other events. “We never played mixed doubles against them before, but we have met them in singles and doubles.” According to NEUMANN, one of the biggest challenges was dealing with the quality of the receive game. “It was difficult to play good receive.” In the crucial moments, teamwork helped them stay composed. “We are a good team and we support each other. If one of us makes a mistake, the other can help and calm things down.” Semifinal Wim VERDONSCHOT, Josephina NEUMANN (Germany) – Andrei ISTRATE (Romania), Nicole ARLIA (Italy) 3-1 (11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 12-10) Iulian CHIRITA (Romania), Anna HURSEY (Wales) – Brin VOVK, Sara TOKIC (Slovenia) (11-3, 11-8, 11-5) PHOTO by: Mihaela-Ionela BOBAR and Simion Sebastian TĂTARU

The Mixed Doubles competition at the ROMSTAL European Under 21 Championships reached the medal stage on Friday, with four pairs securing their places in the semi-finals and guaranteeing themselves a place on the podium. Top seeds Iulian CHIRITA of Romania and Anna HURSEY of Wales continued their impressive run, overcoming Mateusz ZALEWSKI and Anna BRZYSKA of Poland 3-1 (11-5, 11-5, 13-15, 11-8). Despite dropping the third game, the favourites remained in control throughout the contest and booked their place among the last four. The closest encounter of the round saw Andrei ISTRATE of Romania and Nicole ARLIA of Italy edge past Yoan VELICHKOV of Bulgaria and Lilou MASSART of Belgium 3-2 (11-6, 9-11, 10-12, 11-4, 11-5). After surrendering a 1-0 lead, the pair regrouped strongly to dominate the final two games. The partnership is not a new one. ARLIA revealed that the duo had already enjoyed success together in previous years. “We already played together, not recently, but we kept in touch. We won a lot of medals together over the years,” said ARLIA. For ISTRATE, the key moment came when he managed to settle his nerves. “It was a good journey so far, but this quarter-final was very close. The turning point was when I started to relax,” said ISTRATE. The Romanian-Italian combination also believes there is still room for improvement. “Maybe our mental side,” admitted ISTRATE. “When we are both playing well, we play really well together,” added ARLIA. Brin VOVK and Sara TOKIC secured Slovenia’s medal in the event after defeating Clément LAINE of Portugal and Matilde PINTO of Portugal 3-2 (12-10, 11-5, 6-11, 8-11, 11-8). The Slovenian pair had played together only once before, at a senior WTT Feeder event, but they showed excellent understanding under pressure. “This is our best result together and our first medal,” said TOKIC. VOVK highlighted communication as one of their strengths. “We talk a lot during the match and our coach helps us as well,” he explained. After seeing their opponents recover from 0-2 down to level the match, the Slovenians held their nerve in the deciding game. “We were very focused. After leading 2-0 they came back to equalise, but mentally we stayed strong in the last game and that brought us the win,” said VOVK. Germany’s Wim VERDONSCHOT and Josephina NEUMANN defeated Connor GREEN of England and Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine to complete the semi-final line-up.

History was made in the Men’s Doubles event at the ROMSTAL European Under 21 Championships as Connor GREEN of England and Mael VAN DESSEL of Luxembourg secured a medal and guaranteed both nations their first-ever podium finish in the discipline at the competition. The Anglo-Luxembourgish pairing defeated Dutch duo Gabrielius CAMARA and Ivan KAHN in straight games (11-7, 11-8, 12-10) in a quarter-final that carried extra significance. Both pairs were aiming to secure a historic first Men’s Doubles medal for their respective countries, but it was GREEN and VAN DESSEL who rose to the occasion. “We played together before, at the previous Under 21 Championships,” explained VAN DESSEL. “Last year we reached the quarter-finals, so this is already our best result.” The partnership has continued to grow throughout the tournament. “We combine very well and complement each other as a team,” said GREEN. “The more we play together, the more we understand each other.” Asked about the historic achievement, both players struggled to hide their satisfaction. “Very happy. I’m happy to play with him,” smiled VAN DESSEL, with GREEN quickly adding: “Me too.” Germany’s Andre BERTELSMEIER and Wim VERDONSCHOT also booked their place in the semi-finals with an impressive 3-0 victory (11-5, 11-7, 11-5) over Romanian pair Robert ISTRATE and Darius MOVILEANU. The Germans arrived in Cluj-Napoca as one of the most established partnerships in the field and the top seeds. “We have played together many times before. We are German champions in doubles and have played together for several years,” said BERTELSMEIER. “We have won the national title twice in a row.” VERDONSCHOT was pleased with how the tournament has unfolded so far. “The Greeks were our first opponents. We felt confident, played well, found a good rhythm and continued to play well today,” he said. Communication remains simple for the experienced duo. Danilo FASO of Italy and Görkem ÖÇAL of Türkiye continued their remarkable run by defeating Slovak pair Damian FLORO and Samuel PALUSEK 3-2 (11-5, 7-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-4), while Tom CLOSSET of Belgium and Stepan BRHEL of Czechia recovered from two games down to overcome Daniel BERZOSA of Spain and Samuel ARPAS of Slovakia 3-2 (5-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-8). PHOTO by: Mihaela-Ionela BOBAR and Simion Sebastian TĂTARU

The Women’s Doubles medals were decided in emphatic fashion at the ROMSTAL European Under 21 Championships in Cluj-Napoca, with all four quarter-finals ending in straight-games victories as the remaining pairs secured their places on the podium. Top seeds Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine and Romania’s Bianca MEI ROSU continued their impressive run with a commanding 3-0 victory over Dora COSIC of Croatia and Natalia BOGDANOWICZ of Poland. The favourites controlled the match throughout, winning 11-7, 11-6, 11-8 to guarantee themselves at least a bronze medal. The Ukrainian-Romanian partnership may not have extensive experience together, but their understanding both on and off the table has already become one of their strengths. “We communicate very well away from the table. That helps us on court as well,” explained MEI ROSU. Having entered the tournament with limited experience as a pair, the semi-final appearance already represents their best result together. “We have only played one tournament before this, so reaching the semi-finals here is our best result. Now we are aiming for the final,” said MEI ROSU. MATIUNINA believes there is still plenty of room for growth, particularly as they gain more experience alongside each other. “We play well together. If we continue to play more tournaments as a pair, we will improve naturally because we will understand each other better instinctively,” she said. Their communication during matches remains concise and focused on the tactical details that can make the difference at the highest level. “We keep it very short and simple because there is not much time between points. We focus on tactics,” noted MEI ROSU. MATIUNINA added: “We mainly discuss the service, the receive and the first two touches.” French pair Leana HOCHART and Elise PUJOL were equally convincing. Facing Nicole ARLIA of Italy and Maria BERZOSA of Spain, the French duo delivered strong performance, allowing their opponents little room to settle as they progressed with a 3-0 win (11-5, 11-4, 11-6). Although they have only played together on a few occasions before, the partnership continues to develop well. “This is only our second or third tournament together, but we understand each other very well,” explained HOCHART. Communication remains a key element of their success. During matches, the pair focus on discussing tactical adjustments and preparing the first attack whenever possible. “We mainly talk about tactics and the first ball. That is what we focus on during the match,” said HOCHART. Poland celebrated a medal-winning performance through Anna BRZYSKA and Zuzanna WIELGOS. The pair overcame Czech combination Hanka KODET and Veronika POLAKOVA in straight games. After taking control early, the Polish duo completed an 11-6, 11-4, 11-9 victory to move into the semi-finals. The final medal position went to Alexandra CHIRIACOVA of Moldova and Sara TOKIC of Slovenia. They produced another dominant display against Lilou MASSART of Belgium and Enisa SADIKOVIC of Luxembourg, winning 11-8, 11-5, 11-6 to complete a clean sweep of 3-0 quarter-final victories. PHOTO by: Mihaela-Ionela BOBAR and Simion Sebastian TĂTARU

A partnership created for the first time in Cluj-Napoca produced one of the biggest surprises of the doubles competition, as Danilo FASO of Italy and Görkem ÖÇAL of Türkiye eliminated the second-seeded Romanian pair of Iulian CHIRITA and Andrei ISTRATE on their way to the quarterfinal. FASO and ÖÇAL recovered after dropping the opening two games to secure a dramatic 3-2 victory (8-11, 4-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-7) and book their place in the next round. “We decided to play together about a month and a half ago. Görkem asked me and I said yes, I would like to. Now we are very happy because we are doing very well,” said FASO. The result added another chapter to a rivalry that has developed over recent years. At the European Youth Championships last year, FASO and ÖÇAL faced each other in the Under 15 Singles final, Doubles final and the Team event final between Italy and Türkiye, with FASO winning on each occasion. This time, however, the two former rivals joined forces and immediately proved a dangerous combination. “We were 2-0 down and we were not playing at our level. They were playing well, but we were not playing very well. Then we started to tell each other, ‘Come on, we can do it, we have to fight for this match.’ We started very well in each of the next games, leading 3-0, and that helped a lot,” said ÖÇAL. Knowing the draw had placed them against the second seeds, the new pair understood the size of the challenge. “When we saw the draw, we were not very happy, but before the match we were very focused. We wanted to beat them because after that we would have a chance to fight for medals,” said FASO. PHOTO By henk HOMMES

Portugal’s Tiago ABIODUN secured first place in Group 8 of the ROMSTAL European Under 21 Championships, continuing his strong run and booking his place in the knockout stage. ABIODUN opened Stage 2 with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Switzerland’s Noe KEUSCH before producing one of the standout performances of the group against Spain’s Daniel BERZOSA. The Portuguese player won 4-1, reversing the outcome of their most recent meeting and taking control of the group standings. He completed the job in the final round with another 4-1 victory, this time against Nikon SHUTOV, finishing the group with a perfect 3-0 record. BERZOSA recovered from his defeat to ABIODUN by overcoming both SHUTOV and KEUSCH to finish second and secure qualification for the knockout phase. SHUTOV claimed his only victory against KEUSCH, while the Swiss player ended the group without a win. For ABIODUN, reaching the knockout stage was the first objective, but his ambitions now extend much further. “It feels great. My goal was to reach the main draw, and now I want to fight for a medal.” The Portuguese player admitted that the busy schedule was beginning to take its toll, but was pleased with the level he produced throughout the group. “I played well. I am a bit tired because yesterday was a tough day. Last time I lost against BERZOSA, so I am happy with the way I played.” Having topped both his Stage 1 group and now Stage 2, ABIODUN arrives in the knockout rounds full of confidence and with a clear target in mind. “What comes next? A medal, I think.” PHOTO by: Mihaela-Ionela BOBAR and Simion Sebastian TĂTARU

Bulgaria’sYoan VELICHKOV continued his impressive run at the ROMSTAL European Under 21 Championships by winning Group 7 in Stage 2 and securing his place in the knockout rounds. After topping his qualification group in Stage 1, VELICHKOV once again showed consistency when it mattered most. He opened with a 4-1 victory over Poland’s Marcel BLASZCZYK, followed it with a commanding 4-0 win against England’s Connor GREEN, and then completed a perfect group campaign with a dramatic 4-3 victory over Slovakia’s Damian FLORO. The Bulgarian admitted that simply progressing from the group had been his main objective. “I am feeling amazing. My goal was to get through the group, so finishing first is an even bigger achievement. I am looking forward to the next matches and I hope I can keep this level.” VELICHKOV entered Stage 2 expecting a close battle, having faced many of the players before. “I didn’t have many expectations. With the players in this group, it always felt like 50-50. I just wanted to give my best and let the result follow.” His strong performances have only boosted his confidence ahead of the knockout stage. “It gives me confidence. It shows me that I can play well and that I can compete. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.” The Bulgarian has already enjoyed an excellent season, highlighted by victory at the WTT Youth Contender in Bulgaria, national singles and doubles titles, and first place in Germany’s Third League. Behind VELICHKOV, the battle for the second qualifying place remained open until the final round. Slovakia’s Damian FLORO made a flying start by defeating seventh seed Connor GREEN 4-1, one of the notable upsets of Stage 2. However, a 4-1 defeat toMarcel BLASZCZYK left the Slovak needing another result in the final round. Although FLORO pushed VELICHKOV all the way before losing in seven games, it was GREEN who secured second place in the standings thanks to his final-round victory over BLASZCZYK and a superior points ratio. As a result, VELICHKOV and GREEN advanced to the knockout stage, while FLORO narrowly missed out despite his impressive opening-round victory. VELICHKOV will now look to carry his unbeaten run into the knockout rounds, where the level is only set to rise. PHOTO by: Mihaela-Ionela BOBAR and Simion Sebastian TĂTARU

Poland’s Anna BRZYSKA continued her impressive form at the ROMSTAL European Under 21 Championships, winning Group 8 in Stage 2 and securing her place in the knockout stage. The Polish player has been one of the most consistent performers in the tournament so far. She began her campaign by topping Stage 1 Group 8 with victories over Denmark’s Sofie Khanh-Linh ECKEROTH, Lithuania’s Lukrecija JUCHNAITE and Italy’s Miriam CARNOVALE, advancing with a perfect 3-0 record. BRZYSKA carried that momentum into Stage 2. She opened with a convincing 4-0 victory over Germany’s Josephina NEUMANN before producing another dominant display to defeat Spain’s Maria BERZOSA 4-0. Those results left her in a strong position heading into the final group match against France’s Elise PUJOL. The French player provided BRZYSKA’s toughest challenge of the tournament so far, but the Pole stayed composed in the key moments to secure a 4-2 victory and complete another unbeaten group campaign. Reflecting on her performance, BRZYSKA admitted that the match against PUJOL was her most difficult test. “I am very happy that I won because I had a very strong opponent. Yesterday I won both matches 4-0. It wasn’t easy, but I was happy with the way I played. Today was the hardest match. She played really well and I had to stick to my tactics throughout the match. I’m happy that I managed to win.” Behind BRZYSKA, Germany’s Josephina NEUMANN secured second place in the group. After her opening defeat to the Polish player, NEUMANN bounced back with a 4-2 victory over PUJOL before defeating BERZOSA 4-1 to book her place in the knockout stage. BERZOSA had started strongly by beating PUJOL 4-2 in her opening match, but defeats to BRZYSKA and NEUMANN saw the Spaniard finish third. PUJOL, despite pushing the group winner harder than anyone else, ended the group without a victory. Having now won six matches from six across the opening two stages of the competition, BRZYSKA heads into the knockout rounds full of confidence. “I want to play my best.” PHOTO by: Mihaela-Ionela BOBAR and Simion Sebastian TĂTARU