The two group stages in the Women’s Singles Event at the European Under 21 Championships have concluded in Bratislava. Three former champions in Women’s Singles—reigning titleholder Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine, 2023 champion and top-seeded player Hana ARAPOVIC of Croatia, and 2022 winner Elena ZAHARIA—successfully advanced through their Stage Two challenges, albeit with varying levels of dominance.
However, the player who caught the most attention was French rising star Nina GUO ZHENG, who delivered an impressive performance by defeating top seed Hana ARAPOVIC, Ainhoa CRISTOBAL of Spain, and Josephina NEUMANN of Germany.
GUO ZHENG also concluded Stage One unbeaten, with victories over Sara TOKIĆ of Slovenia, Maria GIRLEA of Finland, and Sofie Khanh-Linh ECKEROTH of Denmark.
After Nina’s winning streak, it’s hard not to draw a parallel between her and another French star who made headlines in this very tournament back in 2020 in Varaždin—Prithika PAVADE, who also triumphed while still an Under 15 player.
“It is flattering… I can only hope that I could follow in her footsteps. Her style, energy, success—it’s something special,” stated GUO ZHENG.
Nina admitted that she did not feel under pressure this year.
“I played many times against CRISTOBAL at the club level, so I knew what to expect and I was well prepared,” said Nina. “Against Hana, who already won the title here and has so much experience, I had nothing to lose. I was very relaxed; the pressure was on her.”
Reflecting on her match against Germany’s Under 15 player Josephina NEUMANN, Nina noted:
“We’ve played so many times against each other, and I know that my game does not suit her well. The parts where she particularly struggled, I used against her.”
Two years ago at the European Youth Championships in Gliwice, GUO ZHENG clinched gold in the Mixed Doubles event and three silver medals in Teams, Doubles, and Singles—all while competing in the Under 15 category. Last year in Malmö, she represented France in the Under 19 category but did not reach the podium.
“In the younger categories, medals are not what’s most important. It’s the journey, where you improve yourself and your game. However, I have to say, playing in the Under 21 category is a whole different experience. Under 19 is still youth, but this is much more serious.”
Speaking of parallels with Under 15 players who later won the Under 21 title, another young star is following in her teammate’s footsteps. Koharu ITAGAKI has moved into the knockout stage, aiming to repeat what Annett KAUFMANN accomplished in 2021 in Spa, Belgium—also as a player under 15 years of age.
The German player successfully concluded Stage Two in Slovakia with only one defeat across both stages—yesterday against Anna BRZYSKA of Poland. Today, ITAGAKI overcame Elise PUJOL to reach the Round of 16. The knockout stage will be played tomorrow.
See the pictures here.
