A year of development culminated in European gold for Türkiye’s Gorkem OCAL, who delivered a commanding performance to secure the Under 15 Boys Singles title at the European Youth Championships in Gondomar. The top seed overcame Sweden’s Emil ELLERMANN 4-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9) in the final, with Spain’s Ladimir MAYOROV and Ukraine’s Volodymyr NEVIZHYN completing the podium.
Although the final was decided in straight games, every game was competitive, with OCAL producing a mature performance to secure the biggest singles title of his young career.
Reflecting on his triumph, the Turkish player highlighted both his progress over the past year and the challenges he had overcome during the tournament.
“This match was easier than the semi-final. I am so proud of myself. The most challenging moment was actually the Round of 32, when I had to play against my doubles partner. I won that match 4-3, and then the semi-final was also very difficult. Compared with last year’s European Championships in Czechia, I have improved a lot. I have matured in every aspect of my game, both mentally and tactically, and that helped me win the title.”
OCAL had earned his place in the final by producing an impressive comeback against fourth seed Ladimir MAYOROV of Spain. After trailing by two games, he recovered to win 4-2 (6-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-5, 11-3, 11-9), gradually taking control of a contest between two players who know each other well.
“I’m very happy to have reached the final. I have known MAYOROV for about two years, and we sometimes practise together, so we know each other’s game very well. He played an excellent match today and had a great singles tournament. After I fell 2-0 behind, though, I managed to change the momentum and started playing with much more control, which made the difference.”
OCAL revealed that crucial advice from his father helped him reverse the match.
“At 2-0 down, my father advised me to stop trying to play cross-court so much and start using the parallel more often. I followed that advice, won a lot of important points down the line, and that tactical adjustment helped me turn the match around.”
The second semi-final produced an even more dramatic encounter, with ninth seed Emil ELLERMANN recovering from a 3-1 deficit to defeat Ukraine’s Volodymyr NEVIZHYN 4-3 (11-9, 9-11, 7-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-6).
ELLERMANN admitted his coach’s intervention proved decisive.
“It was a very tough match. I was trailing 3-1 and my adversary had all the momentum. My coach told me that I had to try something different because if I kept playing the same way, he was simply playing better than me and would go on to win.”
The Swedish player explained how a tactical adjustment completely changed the flow of the match.
“That’s when I started using more chop blocks. My adversary prefers fast topspin rallies, and by changing the rhythm with those shots I managed to disrupt his game. That completely changed the momentum, gave me confidence and created the opportunities I needed. After winning two games in a row, I felt the pressure had shifted to him. He became a little more nervous, especially on his serve, and I was able to take advantage of that to complete the comeback.”
Final
- Gorkem OCAL (Türkiye) – Emil ELLERMANN (Sweden) 4-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9)
Semi-finals
- Gorkem OCAL (Türkiye) – Ladimir MAYOROV (Spain) 4-2 (6-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-5, 11-3, 11-9)
- Emil ELLERMANN (Sweden) – Volodymyr NEVIZHYN (Ukraine) 4-3 (11-9, 9-11, 7-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-6)
