On the last day of play at the Under 13 European Championships in Zagreb Titouan MOREL-GONZALES and Eva LAM of France clinched the gold medal in the Mixed Doubles Event. In the final they emerged victorious against Jan MRUGALA and Julia CZAJA of Poland.
The French pair played superbly delivering an outstanding performance throughout the entire event. They maintained a flawless record by not dropping a single game on their way to claiming the title. In the final against the Polish pair of Jan MRUGALA and Julia CZAJA who were the sixth seeds MOREL-GONZALES and LAM triumphed convincingly with a resounding 3-0 victory (6 8 8).
“I am absolutely thrilled. We have proven ourselves to be the best in Europe and this success will give us great self-confidence ” expressed a jubilant MOREL-GONZALES.
LAM added “Not only have we secured the championship crown but we did it in a big style with a 3-0 win in the final. Moreover we came here as the 17th pair on the list.”
The French coach Stephane HUCLIEZ highlighted the exceptional synergy they share as a pair. “It is an excellent result especially considering that we didn’t reach the medal in the team competition even though we came very close. Titouan and Eva make a great pair. Titouan has a strong serve and won a lot of points with it while Eva has a solid game at the table and blocks well ” said HUCLIEZ.
Previously the sixth-seeded Jan MRUGALA and Julia CZAJA halted the progress of the number one seeds Lukas WANG and Josephina NEUMANN of Germany. The Polish pair managed to recover from being down 0-2 to secure their place in the final.
“It was a very close match and the main point is that we didn’t change our tactics. It was important to stick to our plan and wait for the preferable position on the table. We maintained our focus and it paid off ” said coach Alan WOS.
In the penultimate stage Titouan MOREL-GONZALES and Eva LAM prevailed without due alarm. They defeated Lenard SZABO and Lizett FAZEKAS of Hungary in straight games.
“I am very happy not only because of their performance but also because of the atmosphere within the whole team from Monday until today. They listened very carefully were focused on the tasks and tactics we agreed upon. Titouan and Eva had never played together in Mixed Doubles before nor had they even trained together for this event but they displayed a very mature game here ” said coach Stephan HUCLIEZ.
Mixed Doubles final
Jan MRUGALA and Julia CZAJA of Poland – Titouan MOREL-GONZALES and Eva LAM of France 0-3 (6-11 8-11 8-11)
Semi final
Lukas WANG and Josephina NEUMANN of Germany – Jan MRUGALA and Julia CZAJA of Poland 2-3 (11-8 11-9 9-11 6-11 9-11)
Lenard SZABO and Lizett FAZEKAS of Hungary – Titouan MOREL-GONZALES and Eva LAM of France 0-3 (8-11 1-11 9-11)
