The Under 15 Boys Singles event at the European Youth Championships in Gondomar has its four medallists. Gorkem OCAL of Türkiye, Ladimir MAYOROV of Spain, Emil ELLERMANN of Sweden and Volodymyr NEVIZHYN of Ukraine all secured their places in the semi-finals and with it guaranteed at least bronze medals.
Top seed OCAL produced another commanding display, defeating Poland’s Hubert KWIECINSKI in straight games. The Turkish player controlled the rallies from the outset and never allowed his opponent to find a way back into the contest.
Spain’s MAYOROV was equally convincing against Germany’s Tien Nghia PHONG, completing a 4-0 victory. Only the fourth game proved closely contested, but the Spaniard held his nerve to finish the match in four.
“I’m very happy to have won another medal, especially because it is my first one in singles,” said MAYOROV. “Tomorrow, I hope to do my best, compete as I have done so far and give everything I can in every match.
“I don’t want to think too much about the medals or the possibility of winning three golds. I have to focus on my game, take it one match at a time and do the things that are under my control well. The most important thing is to stay focused. I hope to play at the same level as today, give my best and fight for every point until the end.”
Sweden’s ELLERMANN had to recover after dropping the opening game against Nazar BAKIROV of AIN. Once level, however, he took control of the match, winning the next three games comfortably to book his place in the last four.
The final semi-final berth went to NEVIZHYN, who ended the hopes of Portugal’s Rodrigo ANDRADE with a straight-games victory. Although the scoreline suggested a comfortable success, the opening game proved crucial, with the Ukrainian edging it 14-12 before maintaining the momentum for the remainder of the match.
“The most important part of my game today was my serve and receive,” explained NEVIZHYN. “I played Rodrigo about three years ago and it was a very tough match that I won 3-2. Since then we have both improved a lot, so I knew this would be difficult again. You can never predict who will win matches like this, but today I think I was the better player.”
Under 15 Boys Singles Quarter-finals
- Gorkem OCAL (Türkiye) – Hubert KWIECINSKI (Poland) 4-0 (11-4, 11-5, 11-7, 11-7)
- Ladimir MAYOROV (Spain) – Tien Nghia PHONG (Germany) 4-0 (11-4, 11-6, 11-5, 12-10)
- Emil ELLERMANN (Sweden) – Nazar BAKIROV (AIN) 4-1 (11-13, 11-8, 11-2, 11-8)
- Volodymyr NEVIZHYN (Ukraine) – Rodrigo ANDRADE (Portugal) 4-0 (14-12, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6)
