Daniel BERZOSA of Spain and Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine clinched the title in the Under 19 Mixed Doubles event at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava. Silver medalists are Iulian CHIRITA of Romania and Anna HURSEY of Wales.
The bronze medals went to Tiago ABIODUN of Portugal and Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania, as well as to Samuel ARPAS of Slovakia and Maria BERZOSA of Spain.
The final began with early dominance from the Romanian-Welsh pair, but BERZOSA and MATIUNINA quickly shifted momentum in their favor. While the next two games were closely contested, the eventual champions elevated their performance in the deciding game.
“We lost the first game 3-11—they were just killing every ball. But the most important thing was that we stayed focused the whole time and continued to play our game. We stayed active and fought for every point, and it worked. In the last game, we played really well, placed every ball on the table, we knew it was our last chance to win the gold,” explained MATIUNINA.
BERZOSA added: “I think we were calmer than them—they seemed more nervous, and the pressure was on their side. Our tactic was to receive short balls because in the first game they killed everything. That was the key. We entered this final with one goal, to win, and we made it happen.”
The semifinals featured a historic moment for the European Youth Championships: the first-ever mixed doubles match between a brother and sister. Reigning champions BERZOSA and MATIUNINA narrowly defeated Samuel ARPAS and Maria BERZOSA 3-2 in an emotionally charged encounter.
“In the beginning, it was mentally hard, because BERZOSA was playing against his sister,” said MATIUNINA. “I asked him how he felt before the match and he said he was okay, but I knew it would be difficult for him—they are really close. It was a nervous match, but we managed to win 3-2, and I’m really happy. Every game was tough, but the last one was the most important. We were leading, they came back, and at that point, it was all about staying focused.”
BERZOSA added: “It was the strangest match of my life, to be honest. Of course, I wanted to win, but it was hard. I had to respect my partner Veronika and our coach, so I gave it my all, even though it was against my sister. I think we both played our best, and the winner is the winner.”
Veronika concluded: “For the final, we just wanted to do our best. We knew our opponents were strong and had great results, but I believe Daniel and I form a really good mixed doubles team, especially with him being left-handed, which is a big advantage in doubles.”
The match between the BERZOSA siblings was the first of its kind at the EYC. However, there have been two previous mixed doubles finals between twin sisters: in 2001, Gaby ROHR (GER) and Benjamin RÖSNER lost to Meike ROHR and Christian SÜSS; and in 1990, Tatjana KULAGINA (URS) and Vladimir SAMSONOV defeated twin sister Ekaterina and Evgeny FADEEV.
Second seeds ABIODUN and MEI ROSU were eliminated in the semifinals by CHIRITA and HURSEY, who played confidently and tactically sound.
“It was a really tough match against Tiago and Bianca, they are a very good doubles team,” said CHIRITA. “We knew from the start that we had to play really well and put pressure on them, and we did that. We fought for every point, and I’m very happy we managed to win. It’s our first mixed doubles appearance at the EYC, and I hope there are many more to come. We were well prepared, Anna’s coach John advised us to use more spin and stay close to the table, and we followed that plan. For the final, it was a new match, and we knew we had to stay focused and review our tactics. I truly believed in our team, because we were ready.”
Final
- Daniel BERZOSA (ESP) / Veronika MATIUNINA (UKR) def. Iulian CHIRITA (ROU) / Anna HURSEY (WAL) 3-2 (3-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5, 11-2)
Semi-finals
- Daniel BERZOSA (ESP) / Veronika MATIUNINA (UKR) def. Samuel ARPAS (SVK) / Maria BERZOSA (ESP) 3-2 (7-11, 11-4, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8)
- Iulian CHIRITA (ROU) / Anna HURSEY (WAL) def. Tiago ABIODUN (POR) / Bianca MEI ROSU (ROU) 3-1 (9-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-8)
