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.”

In the final of the Under 19 Girls Team Event tomorrow at the European Youth Championships, France will meet Ukraine. After today’s semifinal clashes, Portugal and Spain clinched bronze medals. The penultimate stage went according to the seedings. The reigning champions knew exactly what they had to do. Nina GUO ZHENG, Leana HOCHART, and Jade Quynh-Tien HUYNH completed the semifinals in straight matches against Portugal, represented by Julia LEAL, Matilde PINTO, and Mariana SANTA COMBA. After the opening duel between GUO ZHENG and PINTO concluded in favor of Nina after five games, the path to victory was paved. “We started with GUO ZHENG against PINTO. It was a really difficult match, but in my opinion the most important one. When it was 2-2, we weren’t sure if she would win or not. On the bench, I was really nervous because it’s always more comfortable when you know you’re leading. But when she won 3-2, it gave me even more power going into my match against LEAL. I won that match 3-1. In the first game, I struggled a bit and lost 9-11, but in the next games I changed my serves and tactics, which helped me a lot. My forehand was also a big advantage, I won many points with it. In the last match, HUYNH played against SANTA COMBA and played amazingly. She won 3-1. It was a really good match, and she knew exactly what to play against her. We’re going into the final with a clear head, and we will try our best. We want to enjoy it!” said HOCHART. Ukraine had to play one match more in their semifinal against Spain. Veronika MATIUNINA set the path with a 3-0 win over Maria BERZOSA, but Camila Renata MOSCOSO once again proved her worth in Ostrava by defeating Olha PONKO. The turning point of the match was the third duel between Mariona MUNNE and Daria KOVALOVA. It could have gone either way. KOVALOVA led 2-0 with two close 11-9 wins, but MUNNE recovered to level at 2-2 before the Ukrainian sealed the match 11-8 in the fifth game. The experienced European Under 21 champion MATIUNINA then secured the win. “We were a bit surprised because they changed the position of BERZOSA. She normally plays in the number one spot. The opening match was mine against BERZOSA, and I’m really happy with my performance. I beat her 3-0. I played against her recently, and it was 4-2, a really hard match, so I’m even more pleased with this win. The second match was PONKO against MOSCOSO, unfortunately, she couldn’t find her game and rhythm, but she still fought hard. The third match, KOVALOVA against MUNNE, I think was the most important for us, and I’m really happy with her performance,” said Veronika. MATIUNINA added: “KOVALOVA played really well. She was leading 2-0, and after it became 2-2, we got a bit stressed, but she stayed strong mentally and managed to win.My second match was against MOSCOSO. I was a little nervous, but I found a way to calm myself. I knew she played really well against Romania, but I prepared as best as I could and won. I stayed strong mentally.’ Speaking of the duel for the title MATUININA said: “In the final, we will play against France, which is a really strong team with very good players. I know them because I’ve played against them before. We will discuss tactics and try our best to beat them. We know it will be really difficult because they are the no. 1 seeds here. So, we’ll see.”

In the Under 15 Girls Event, for the first time since 1999, Romania will not appear on the medal rostrum. Italy made their mark in history and secured at least a bronze medal. Manon LOTH, Sofia EPISCOPO, and Gioia Maria PICU overcame Patricia STOICA, Maya Roberta MADAR, and Kariss Yasmin SERBAN. “We played match by match, and we were really focused the whole time. We were really happy to reach the top 16, then the quarterfinals, and now even happier to be in the semifinals. In this match, I tried to put our number one player against their number one in the first match, and it worked. LOTH won 3-1 against STOICA, and that put a lot of pressure on them, I think. After that match, we continued with a calm mindset. We didn’t expect this at all — when we saw the draw for the first time, we knew it would be difficult. But to beat Romania is something incredible. We prepared better, found a good tactic from the beginning, and followed it the whole time. Before the match, I prepared a video and discussed tactics with the team — who should play against whom, and so on. I think that helped a lot, we knew what to do. I even had a paper with tactical notes in my pocket, and I used it,” said Italian coach Hugo BERGER, laughing.“The first two matches were really important for us. If we had gone 0-2 down, it would’ve been really difficult to come back. The next round will be really tough because we play against France, but we believe in ourselves and we’ll try our best to beat them.” In the semifinals, Italy will face France, while Germany will play against Czechia.

The reigning champions in the Under 19 Team’s Event, Team Romania, reached the semifinals after overcoming the top-seeded French team at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava. Once again, Ostrava proved to be an unlucky city for the favorites — France will miss the medal rostrum for the first time since the 2019 edition, which was also held at the Torax Arena. Due to a rejuvenated lineup, Romania was seeded only at position no. 5 despite having won the title last year. With only two out of five players remaining from last year’s squad, the new team has shown that they can continue the legacy. Without Andrei ISTRATE and Darius MOVILEANU, Iulian CHIRITA led the team to the podium once again. He repeated last year’s performance against France, where Romania also stopped them in the semifinals. Romania needed only three matches to secure their spot in the semis. Iulian CHIRITA defeated Flavio MOURIER, Dragos BUJOR prevailed against Nathan PILARD, and in a dramatic five-game battle, Robert Alexandru ISTRATE beat Nathan LAM. “We knew that France has great players, all of them, and that it would be really difficult — they are the first seeds. But we went into the match with a clear head. We beat them in the last two years, so we just focused and played our best. My match against MOURIER was important, especially for me, because at the beginning of the tournament I didn’t feel great and wasn’t playing my best. Against him, I knew I had to be careful with his long serves – but I prepared for that in practice. The tactic during the match remained the same the whole time. I didn’t change anything,” explained CHIRITA. Romania’s first player continued: “BUJOR beat PILARD – it was a really close match, and both played very well. The last match was ISTRATE against Nathan LAM. We’re really proud of him because he’s the youngest player on our team and he did a great job. He was up 2-0, but I think he got nervous and was afraid to win — this is his first European Youth Championships as a junior, but he managed to keep his head and win. In the semifinal we’ll play against Slovakia. We’ve never played against them before, but we know each other well, so we’ll see. We’ll discuss tactics with our coach and try our best.”

For the first time since 2016, Spain will stand on the medal rostrum in the Under 19 Girls category at the European Youth Championships. And for the first time since 2019, Romania will have no representatives among the medal winners in the same category. That is the outcome of their dramatic quarterfinal clash today in Czechia. Spain previously won bronze in 2016, ending a long drought following back-to-back gold medals in 2004 and 2005 with the team led by Galia DVORAK. Last year, they finished seventh and entered this year’s EYC as the no. 8 seeds. On the other side, Ostrava once again proved to be an unlucky venue for Romania. It was also in 2019, at this very location, that the Romanian team missed the podium. This will now be only the third time in this century that Romania’s junior girls fail to reach the medal podium. The no. 5 seeds and last year’s runners-up were defeated in an unusual and dramatic style. Bianca MEI ROSU gave Romania a good start with a win over Maria BERZOSA, but then Camila Renata MOSCOSO turned the momentum of the match. She defeated Alesia Sofia SFERLEA, and Mariona MUNNE followed up with a win against Andreea JIFCU. Finally, MOSCOSO delivered the decisive blow, beating the reigning Under 19 Singles champion MEI ROSU. “This win is like a dream for us, we still can’t believe it. I played really well in this match, but I was quite nervous for sure. I’m still young, and these wins carry a lot of weight for me, especially against Bianca MEI ROSU. She is an incredible player,” said MOSCOSO. She continued: “It’s not usual for Spain to win a medal, so this is an incredible moment for us. In both matches I felt a lot of pressure, but I believed in myself the whole time. With Bianca, it’s really complicated to win, but I did it and I’m so happy. I’ll never forget this moment. In that match, I just played and stayed focused. I didn’t change anything during the match. I stuck to the tactic we discussed beforehand: playing more short balls and focusing on controlling her serves, which are very high-quality.” MOSCOSO underlined the team’s performance. “I’m so proud of my team — you can’t even imagine how much. It’s a huge relief for us, and now it’s most important to stay focused for the next round and play our best, just like we did against Romania,” said MOSCOSO. In the semifinals, Spain will face Ukraine, who also produced an upset by defeating no. 2 seeds Germany. In the other semifinal, top seeds France will play against Portugal. France overcame Austria, while Portugal halted Hungary’s progress.

In the last round of the third day of play in the Under 19 Boys Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava, Slovakia became the first team to book their place in the quarterfinals. Seeded no. 6, Samuel PALUSEK, Samuel ARPAS, and Damian FLORO halted the spirited progress of the 28th seeds Switzerland, represented by Noe KEUSCH, Abishek VEPA, and Levi ULRICH, in straight matches. “We started really well at this tournament. We won the group stage – the hardest match was against Portugal, where we were 0-2 down, but we made a comeback and won 3-2. I am really proud of that win. In the Round of 16, we faced Switzerland and won every match 3-0; we didn’t lose a single game. We knew it would be a tough match, because one of their players had beaten me last time. So we couldn’t underestimate them, even though they weren’t among the top seeds. All of us played really well, and we didn’t have any problems during the matches. We hope to play the same way tomorrow. In my match, I knew I had to stay focused, and I tried to win every ball,” said ARPAS. An extraordinary wave of emotions swept through the stands as the Czech junior boys fought for a place in the quarterfinals of the European Championships in Ostrava. They were trailing 0-2 against Slovenia, but an incredible comeback saw them turn the match around and deservedly advance among the top eight. The cadet girls will also be fighting for medals after defeating Austria 3-1. Things looked bleak for the Czech junior team for a long time. Štěpán BRHEL and Martin ŠÍP both lost their opening singles, and Slovenia seemed close to advancing. But then came a remarkable turnaround. Jindřich MORÁVEK, with ice-cold composure, defeated Bor BRODNJAK and sparked a shift in momentum. “I knew that if I could win, we’d still have a chance to qualify. That’s why I tried not to be nervous and just play my game. It was a tough match, but I’m higher on the rankings and it worked out,” he said after the match, still receiving congratulations from teammates on the Czech national team. BRHEL, who had been the team’s key player throughout the group stage, managed to bounce back from his opening loss and beat Miha PODOBNIK in the fourth match. It may not have been the most beautiful table tennis, but the emotions from both players, amplified by the roaring crowd, created a gripping scene. “The first match was mentally tough. I got unnecessarily frustrated and didn’t play my game. But after Jindra MORÁVEK’S win, I felt recharged. After the second set, I calmed down and knew I wouldn’t let the match slip. At 0-2, Matyáš KOLEČKÁŘ told me it’s still 0-0 and that I should win 3-0. So I did. Without MATYÁŠ, who knows how it would have ended,” he said with a smile, confirming the great atmosphere within the Czech team. The comeback was completed by Martin ŠÍP, who defeated Brin Vovko PETROVSKY without dropping a set. Cheered on by dozens of fans, he ran around the court with his arm raised, firing up the crowd. Italy pushed top-seeded France to the limit in a high-quality encounter. Giacomo ALLEGRANZA claimed impressive victories over both Nathan PILARD and Nathan LAM, keeping Italian hopes alive. However, the French team showed composure and resilience – Flavio MOURIER defeated Matteo FANTONI, and in the decisive fifth match, PILARD overcame Giacomo IZZO to seal a narrow 3-2 win. The Spanish boys followed in the footsteps of their female counterparts and also secured a spot in tomorrow’s quarterfinals. No. 4 seeds Daniel BERZOSA, Luca KHIDASHELI, and Francesc CARRERA prevailed against 21st-seeded Norway, whose team included Khai Noah LAM, Martin FROSETH, and Michael FARNES. Poland needed only three matches to overcome Sweden, despite the close proximity in seeding suggesting a tighter contest. The Polish trio, Rafal FORMELA, Marcel BLASZCZYK, and Alan KULCZYCKI, seeded 8th, defeated Sweden’s Noa DAHLSTROM, Adam WALLIN, and Elias SJOGREN, who were seeded 10th. BLASZCZYK said: “In this match we were really focused. I think this was our best performance so far. Everyone in my team was ready, and we felt really good. When we saw the draw for the first time, we knew it would be a really hard match, because we had lost to them last year in the group stage in Malmö. I played against Adam WALLIN and won 3-0. I played really well, didn’t change anything, and just followed the tactics we had discussed with my coach. KULCZYCKI also played really well, at first he was a bit nervous and didn’t know how to play against SJOGREN. He lost the first game, but then he became more confident and won 3-1. In the next round, we will fight for every ball just like we did today.”