Anna HURSEY of Wales underlined her dominance in the Under 19 Girls Singles Event at the European Youth Championships by defeating top seed Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine, repeating her triumph from earlier this year at the Under 21 European Championships. Leana HOCHART of France and last year’s champion Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania took bronze. HURSEY needed six games to seal victory in the final, limiting MATIUNINA’s chances with a composed and focused performance. “I’m really happy. Every time I play against MATIUNINA it’s always a tough and demanding match, she’s a great player who keeps a lot of points alive, so I knew I had to stay fully focused. The last game was especially difficult because I started thinking I might actually win. It’s an amazing feeling to be champion!” said HURSEY. In the semi-finals, a much-anticipated rematch unfolded between last year’s finalist MATIUNINA and defending champion Bianca MEI ROSU. As expected, it was a tightly contested encounter. MEI ROSU took the early lead, forcing MATIUNINA to come from behind in a full-distance seven-game battle. “Bianca is a really good friend of mine, so it was emotionally tough to compete against her. But table tennis is table tennis, and friendship is friendship, so I had to put that aside,” MATIUNINA explained.“I lost to her 0-4 in last year’s final, so honestly I didn’t believe in myself that much beforehand. She’s very strong, and I felt like I had no power. We always have long rallies, it’s 50/50 on who wins the point. I really want to thank my coach, she pushed me after every ball and supported me the whole match. That gave me so much energy. I can say this was one of the best matches of my career. In the final, I played against HURSEY again. I lost to her in the U21 final this year, but I went into this one with a clear head and gave it everything I had.” In the other semi-final, 8th seed Anna HURSEY overcame 3rd seed Leana HOCHART in straight games. “I won 4-0 against HOCHART, and I think I played really well—especially tactically. I’ve played her a few times before and knew she’s a strong opponent, but today I was just better,” said HURSEY.“I stayed focused, especially because in my previous match I was 3-0 up and it ended up 3-3—that was still on my mind a bit. But I stayed calm and stuck to my game plan. Compared to the U21 event, this U19 tournament is definitely more demanding. There are more matches, and I also played in the team event. I just hope to keep doing my best.” Final Semi final

Top seed Danilo FASO of Italy lived up to expectations in the Under 15 Boys Singles Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava, capturing the gold medal with a strong performance against second seed Görkem ÖÇAL of Türkiye. The Italian star added this singles title to the gold he had already claimed in the team and doubles events, completing a remarkable treble. Bronze medals were awarded to Jonas RINDERER of Germany and Francesco TREVISAN of Italy. In the final, ÖÇAL started better and took the opening game, but FASO responded immediately and soon took control of the match. Although ÖÇAL managed to narrow the gap with a tight fourth game, FASO proved too strong and sealed a 4-2 victory. “This was by far the most difficult match of the tournament for me. ÖÇAL played really well. I lost the first game 9-11 and started to feel the pressure, but then I adjusted my tactics. I played more aggressively and changed the rhythm of the game,” said FASO. “I feel great, I’m proud to have won three gold medals here: in the team, doubles, and now singles.” FASO reached the final by defeating Germany’s Jonas RINDERER in straight games, though the match was tighter than the scoreline suggested. “I won 4-0, and I feel really good about my performance. The second game was the toughest, it ended 13-11, and I think it was the key moment. I’ve played him before on the WTT circuit and won 3-2, so I knew it wouldn’t be easy. I was well prepared and knew exactly how to play him.” An all-Italian final was a possibility, but it wasn’t to be. In the other semi-final, second seed Görkem ÖÇAL overcame Francesco TREVISAN in what was a significant personal victory. “It was a tough match. I had never beaten TREVISAN before, so I’m even happier with this win,” said ÖÇAL.“I knew he plays with a lot of control and safe balls, so I had to be patient, slow down a bit, and make sure I kept every ball on the table. This was my first U15 final—I’ve been U13 champion before—and I really wanted to give my best. I’ll always try to win!” Final Semi final

Koharu ITAGAKI of Germany captured the gold medal in the Under 15 Girls Singles Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava, ending the remarkable run of two-time defending champion Hanka KODET of Czechia. The bronze medals went to Lou-Anne BOCQUET and Albane ROCHUT of France. ITAGAKI reached all four finals in Ostrava and secured gold in both the Team and Singles events. Lou-Anne BOCQUET clinched gold in the Under 15 Doubles and Mixed Doubles and silver in Team’s. In the final, the German player faced a tough battle against the home favourite KODET, with the local crowd passionately supporting their player. Despite the pressure, ITAGAKI held her nerve and sealed the win. “I lost to her the past two years. To be honest, I still can’t believe I did it. In the last game, I was leading 8-4 and then 10-7, but she won a few amazing points, and suddenly it was 10-10. I just stayed focused and managed to win. I had to fight for every ball, she never gives up. Throughout the match, I stuck to my tactics, because I knew that if I changed anything, she would take control. I’m really proud of myself. My coach told me before the match: just enjoy it and fight for every ball,” said ITAGAKI. Both semi-finals ended in straight games. ITAGAKI reached her fourth final at the event, having already won gold in the Team event and silver in Mixed Doubles and Girls Doubles, by defeating 12-year-old Albane ROCHUT of France. ROCHUT had already made headlines by reaching the doubles podium alongside 12-year-olds Louis FEGERL (Austria) and Ladimir MAYOROV (Spain). “It wasn’t an easy match. I knew from the start that she’s a very strong player. I spoke with my coach beforehand, she told me to play more to her forehand because her backhand block is really solid, so I avoided playing to that side. Now I’m going to face KODET in the final. She’s a really strong player, she’s won the U15 title twice already. For me, this is my first final. Last year, I lost to her in the semis, and the year before that, in the quarterfinals. But I’ll give it my best and fight for the gold!” said ITAGAKI. To book her place in the final, Hanka KODET overcame Lou-Anne BOCQUET in straight games. “I lost to her 0-3 in the team event, I couldn’t return her serves. So I knew this would be a really difficult match. Still, I stayed confident and focused the entire time. I knew what I had to do and came in well-prepared. It might look like an easy 4-0 win, but it definitely wasn’t. For the final, I’ll approach it like any other match—focused and ready to play my best table tennis. Whether it’s a semifinal or final, I just go out there and try to win,” said KODET. Final Semi final

Leana HOCHART and Nina GUO ZHENG of France secured the gold medal in the Under 19 Girls Doubles Event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava, defeating Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine and Matilde PINTO of Portugal in the final. Bronze medals were awarded to Anna HURSEY of Wales and Mia GRIESEL of Germany, as well as Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania and Sara TOKIC of Slovenia. MATIUNINA, who won the title last year in Malmö alongside Italy’s Nicol ARLIA, was unable to repeat her triumph with her new partner PINTO against the top-seeded French duo. “We knew we were the top seeds, but we didn’t take anything for granted. We approached each match individually and focused on playing our best every time. Veronika is very strong in doubles, so we were a bit nervous at first, but we calmed down as the match went on. Our coach gave us a really good tactical plan, which worked well,” said GUO ZHENG. “I think the first game was the most difficult. We were leading 9-3, then fell behind 9-10, but managed to win 13-11. That gave us confidence for the rest of the match.” HOCHART added: “It was a crazy feeling. This is our first title, and I’m really proud of us.” In the semifinals, HOCHART and GUO ZHENG defeated the experienced pairing of Anna HURSEY and Mia GRIESEL in four games. GUO commented: “We knew it would be a tough match, they’re very strong players and won gold at the European Under 21 Championships earlier this year. But we had a clear tactical approach and stuck to it. We were leading 2-0, they won the third game, and I got a bit nervous, but I managed to recover.” HOCHART reflected: “For me, the most difficult match was actually the quarterfinal against Ulyana MIASHCHANSKAYA and Lizaveta TSIMASHKOVA. We were down 0-2 and 7-10 in the third game, but we came back to win 3-2. It was a really intense match, and I think it gave us the momentum we needed.” In their semifinal, MATIUNINA and PINTO beat Bianca MEI ROSU and Sara TOKIC in straight games. MATIUNINA said: “This is our first tournament together, so we’re very happy to have reached the final. Every match here is tough, so we focused on taking it one point at a time. The first two games were very close, but we stayed calm and closed out the match in the third.” PINTO added: “Our tactic was simple, play our best and enjoy the match. We’re going into the final determined to win. This semifinal was probably our toughest match so far.” Final Semi final

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