The winners of the Mixed Doubles Event at the European Under 21 Championships in Bratislava are Darius MOVILEANU and Elena ZAHARIA of Romania. In the final, they overcame Wim VERDONSCHOT and Josephina NEUMANN of Germany in a thrilling five-game match (9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-13, 11-7).
The final was filled with drama and momentum shifts—nothing unfamiliar for the Romanian pair in this tournament. MOVILEANU and ZAHARIA were 0-2 down twice earlier in the event: once against Borna PETEK of Croatia and Natalia BOGDANOWICZ of Poland, and again against Andre BERTELSMEIER and Mia GRIESEL of Germany. Even in the opening match, they trailed 0-1 against Julian RZIHAUSCHEK and Nina SKERBINZ of Austria, yet they managed to prevail each time.
“It was very hard for me. I played after my defeat in the singles event—after a 3-4 loss. It was very difficult for me to regain my strength and mental focus… I fought hard to recover, and I’m happy we managed to avenge our defeat in last year’s final,” said MOVILEANU.
The psychological pressure was high, but the Romanian pair had the advantage of already having handled tense situations earlier in the Championships.
“For sure, the previous wins were helpful. We were leading 2-1 and 10-6, and they came back to level at 2-2, but we stayed calm and positive.”
ZAHARIA added: “I think we like playing under pressure. We won three matches here 3-2. This final was very difficult. Our opponents were very strong—they brought out the best in us. They saved four match points to level the score, but we didn’t give up.”
In the semi finals last year’s runners-up, Darius MOVILEANU and Elena ZAHARIA, overcame Daniel BERZOSA of Spain and Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine in convincing style (11-2, 11-5, 11-4), controlling the match from beginning to end.
“Despite what the result might suggest, it was a tough match because they are very strong pairings. BERZOSA and MATIUNINA are the defending European Under 19 champions in Mixed Doubles. We were aware of how good they are and we kept our focus clear from the beginning. We complement each other’s games very well and we are a strong pairing, so we managed to dominate,” explained ZAHARIA who won the crown at Under 21 Championships in 2022.
MOVILEANU, who was also crowned singles champion at the Under 19 event in Malmö last year, commented on their semi-final performance:
“We did not expect to win 3-0, but we proved that if we just play our game and stay focused, the win comes much easier.”
In the other semi-final, Wim VERDONSCHOT and Josephina NEUMANN stunned No. 2 seeds Tiago ABIODUN of Portugal and Hana ARAPOVIC of Croatia (11-7, 11-6, 11-4).
Hana, who clinched gold in Mixed Doubles at last year’s Under 21 Championships in Skopje with Ivor BAN, could not overcome the dominance of the German duo in today’s match.
“From the first stroke in the opening game, we attacked. It didn’t matter that we had never played against this pairing—or even together before. That makes this result even more special for us,” said VERDONSCHOT.
NEUMANN, still competing in the Under 15 category, added:
“We play very well together. Our playing styles are compatible,” said NEUMANN. “I played very safely today. I didn’t make easy mistakes and blocked well.”
Romania Extends Legacy – Historic Win for MOVILEANU and ZAHARIA
With this victory, Romania confirmed its dominance in the Mixed Doubles category, having now appeared in all six European Under 21 Championships finals. The Romanian teams won the first three editions, lost the next two, and regained the title this year in Bratislava.
For MOVILEANU, this was his third final appearance in Mixed Doubles—and the first one he has won.
ZAHARIA extended her impressive record by reaching her fifth final, winning three titles, which now equals the all-time record set by Poland’s Milosz REDZIMSKI.
The pair had also reached the final together last year, where they had to settle for silver—making this year’s triumph a personal redemption.
For Germany, this final marked a historic milestone. The pairing of VERDONSCHOT and NEUMANN brought the nation to its first-ever Mixed Doubles final at the European Under 21 Championships, earning a well-deserved silver medal.
