The newly formed pairing of Anna HURSEY of Wales and Mia GRIESEL of Germany end reign of last year’s champions—experienced teammates and clubmates Elena ZAHARIA and Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania—to claim the title in the Women’s Doubles Event at the European Under 21 Championships in Bratislava.
Bronze medals went to the top-seeded duo Hana ARAPOVIC of Croatia and Ioana SINGEORZAN of Romania, as well as to the Polish team of Zuzanna WIELGOS and Anna BRZYSKA.
The defending champions were unable to find control, while HURSEY and GRIESEL—who had only played together once before, in Metz—maintained their rhythm and secured the title with a straight-games victory (11-7, 11-9, 11-4).
“Like I said yesterday, our communication is our main strength. We had a clear plan from the beginning. We talked about what we wanted, which balls suited us best, so the other one would know how to play to get the most out of our doubles game. We tried to make it as comfortable as possible. We weren’t nervous at all, and we played very safe—we didn’t make easy mistakes,” explained GRIESEL.
Mia added that she had prior experience partnering with MEI ROSU:
“I’ve played doubles with Bianca a few times, so I know what she likes and what she doesn’t. Unfortunately, it works the other way around too—but we were definitely good enough.”
Anna HURSEY highlighted the same key to their success:
“For me as well, communication is the best part of this partnership. Mia’s previous experience of playing with Bianca helped a lot. We knew what to play and how. We were really good. Since we’re a new pairing, there was no pressure on us to win—we just played freely.”
FACTS AND NUMBERS
Bianca MEI ROSU had a unique opportunity to become the first player to win three consecutive U21 titles, but it was not to be. Partnered this year with Elena ZAHARIA, she lost to her former partner Mia GRIESEL, with whom she had won the title in 2023.
GRIESEL, now playing alongside HURSEY, regained the title, while for Anna HURSEY, this marked her first-ever European title—a particularly special moment after losing the doubles final at the 2022 European Youth Championships in Belgrade alongside Sophie EARLEY.
As for ZAHARIA, there will be no fourth U21 title this time. She remains tied in the all-time record books with Poland’s Milosz REDZIMSKI, each with three U21 gold medals.
