ITAGAKI Shines Bright with Win Over 7th Seed in Bratislava

Koharu ITAGAKI of Germany was the only player in the opening round of Stage Two at the European Under 21 Championships in Bratislava to defeat a player seeded in the top 8.

Only 15 years old, ITAGAKI displayed remarkable maturity and dominance over the past two days in Bratislava. She has not lost a single game in her four singles matches and has also performed strongly in doubles — losing only one game with Josephina NEUMANN and remaining unbeaten in Mixed Doubles with Tom SCHWEIGER.

Today, she outclassed no. 7 seed Matilde PINTO with a commanding 4-0 win (11-4, 11-7, 11-9, 11-7).

“I did not expect to win in straight games, but I seized the opportunity as it came. I was very focused and maintained control throughout the match,” said ITAGAKI. “I played against PINTO once before; it was my first WTT tournament, maybe three years ago. I lost it then, but I managed to find the right tactics today.”

Despite her young age, ITAGAKI shows no signs of suffering from pressure.

“This is my first Under 21 Championships. I feel good here. Yesterday I won all my matches, which boosted my confidence. It also helped me adjust to the conditions — the hall and the ball felt a bit different, but I had plenty of time to adapt,” she added.

Koharu has already claimed two team titles at the European Youth Championships, one title in Doubles, and has twice finished second at the Europe Youth Top 10.

In other matches from the opening round of Stage Two, top-seeded Hana ARAPOVIC of Croatia beat Josephina NEUMANN of Germany 4-0 (12-10, 11-3, 11-7, 11-9), while defending champion Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine overcame Veronika POLAKOVA of Czechia in straight games (11-6, 11-9, 11-8, 11-3).

Anna HURSEY (Wales), Elena ZAHARIA (Romania), Ioana SINGEORZAN (Romania), Nicole ARLIA (Italy), and Zuzanna WIELGOS (Poland) also won their opening Stage Two matches.

Related News

HB Ostrov z.s. Reach the Final of the Europe Cup

After a first-leg defeat in Germany, HB Ostrov z.s. delivered a strong home performance to overcome Postsportverein Mühlhausen 1951 e.V. and book their place in the Europe Cup final. Vladislav...

Read more

German Giants Collide: Düsseldorf and Saarbrücken to Battle for HYLO Champions League Final 4 Crown

On the final day of the 2025 HYLO Champions League Final 4 in Saarbrücken, the title will be decided between Borussia Düsseldorf and 1. FC Saarbrücken TT — marking the...

Read more

Special ETTU Award for Timo BOLL

Before the start of the first semifinal match at the 2025 HYLO Champions League Final 4 between Borussia Düsseldorf and KS Dartom Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Timo BOLL was presented with...

Read more

Saarbrücken Eyeing Final Berth as They Face Suchedniów in HYLO Champions League Final 4 Semifinal

The city of Saarbrücken will once again be the focal point of top-level European club table tennis this weekend, as it hosts the 2025 HYLO Champions League Final 4. One...

Read more

Contact

About Us

Privacy Policy

Terms and Conditions

The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) is the governing body of the sport of table tennis in Europe, and is the only authority recognized for this purpose by the International Table Tennis Federation. The ETTU deals with all matters relating to table tennis at a European level, including the development and promotion of the sport in the territories controlled by its 58 member associations, and the organization of continental table tennis competitions, including the European Championships.

Powered By

All Competitions

Senior Competitions

Club Competitions

Youth Competitions

More Competitions