The 2025 European Under 21 Championships opened in Bratislava, Slovakia, with early surprises setting the tone for what promises to be a competitive tournament. Even in the morning hours of Day 1, several unexpected results gave a glimpse of the excitement likely to follow in the coming days.
The first notable upset came in Group 3, where Poland’s Anna BRZYSKA, seeded 11th, was defeated by Denmark’s Emma Vendelbo CLEMENT, ranked 34th. CLEMENT secured the victory in four games (5–11, 11–6, 12–10, 11–5).
Emma Vendelbo CLEMENT expressed her delight after the match, calling it the best win of her career.
“I played against BRZYSKA once before and lost by the same margin. It was a close match, so when I saw the draw, I thought I had a chance. I looked at it as an opportunity to avenge my previous defeat,” said CLEMENT.
Tactically, CLEMENT outplayed BRZYSKA, who has won gold and silver in doubles at previous European Youth Championships, by successfully neutralizing her opponent’s speed-based attacks.
“She is so dangerous with her forehand, so I focused on attacking immediately after my serve. On the return, I stayed patient and made her wait, forcing her to think about what I might do,” added CLEMENT.
Another surprise came from Sweden’s Leah TVEIT MUSKANTOR, seeded 39th, who overcame Portugal’s Ines MATOS, ranked 13th.
In Group 1, Germany’s Mia GRIESEL defeated England’s Mari BALDWIN in straight games. In Group 2, Spain’s Maria BERZOSA needed four games to overcome Poland’s Katarzyna RAJKOWSKA. Meanwhile, Romania’s Bianca MEI ROSU justified her status with a win over Spain’s Ainhoa CRISTOBAL.
The opening stage features 48 players divided into 12 groups (Groups 1–12). The top two players from each group will advance to Stage 2, making a total of 24 qualifiers.
From tomorrow, the eight top-seeded players will join the 24 Stage 1 qualifiers in the main draw.
Top seeds in the women’s event: Hana ARAPOVIC (Croatia), Veronika MATIUNINA (Ukraine), Anna HURSEY (Wales), Elena ZAHARIA (Romania), Ioana SINGEORZAN (Romania), Nicole ARLIA (Italy), Matilde PINTO (Portugal), and Zuzanna WIELGOS (Poland).
See the pictures by T. SEREDA here.
Follow the results here.
See the matches at table 1
Matches at table 2
