The 67th European Youth Championships officially began today in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The competition opened with the team events, and fans can follow all the action on ETTU TV and the official ETTU YouTube channel.
Ostrava is hosting the EYC for the third time, and the Czech team has high hopes and plenty of reasons to look forward to the tournament with great anticipation.
Among the home favourites is Hanka KODET, a two-time European champion in the Under 15 singles category. She now aims to complete a hat-trick of titles. Last year in Malmö, KODET also took medals in the team and mixed doubles events. She claimed bronze alongside Simona HOLUBOVÁ and Adéla BRHELOVÁ in the team event and with Jan ŠKALDA in mixed doubles. The Czech Under 15 boys’ team — Jan ŠKALDA, Ondřej MORÁVEK, Jakub KABELKA, and Filip RAČÁK — also secured bronze.
“My first impressions here in Ostrava are very positive – the playing conditions are excellent, and I feel good on the court,” said KODET. “I’ll try to perform at my highest level and hopefully defend my title again. I’m very happy that such a major tournament is taking place here in the Czech Republic.”
The Czech Under 19 boys’ team faces a challenging group. Although Romania was drawn from the fourth seeding pot, they are considered one of the strongest contenders.
“Romania is very strong, their youth tournament participation is limited – which affects their ranking. In my opinion, they are the favourites in our group. Iulian CHIRITA is ranked 67th in the senior world rankings, and Dragos BUJOR and the others are also top players,” said head coach Karel KARÁSEK.
Jakub MAKARA is making his EYC debut.
“This is my first EYC, and I’m really happy to have been selected, and that the tournament is happening here in the Czech Republic. The venue is a bit slow, which suits my defensive style of play. I’m mainly looking forward to measuring myself against Europe’s best and gaining valuable experience.”
The Czech Under 19 girls will face their toughest group opponent, second-seeded Germany, on Saturday. But first, they open their campaign today against Austria. According to coach Jaroslav MIKESKA, the group is demanding, but the Czech girls are capable of qualifying.
“Both Austria and Belgium have strong number one players. Nina SKERBINZ has shown her class internationally, and Belgium’s Lilou MASSART could easily take two points. However, I believe we have a more balanced and overall stronger team. We’re aiming for second place – and we’re not without a chance against Germany either.”
The Czech Under 15 girls’ team is the highest-seeded home squad, second only to Germany. Returning with last year’s bronze-medal-winning lineup plus newcomer Laura MARŠÍČKOVÁ, they again have podium ambitions. Their first match is against France on Table 1 at 13:20.
“France is our toughest opponent in the group. Though drawn from the third pot, they’re realistically the second-strongest team. They don’t have a standout star this year, but it’s still France. We’ll also face Spain and Belgium on Saturday. With all due respect to our adversaries, I firmly believe we’ll qualify directly for the round of 16,” said coach Tomáš VRŇÁK.
While confident, VRŇÁK also noted potential pitfalls.
“Doubles could be tricky. In cadet matches, the doubles come after the first two singles — and even two strong players can lose to weaker pairs. Still, I’m confident we’ll advance from the group and fight for medals in the playoffs. That’s our main goal – anything less would be a disappointment.”
Czech Under 15 boys’ coach Jakub MERTA is also making his EYC debut — at home and with a team defending last year’s bronze medal. Despite the pressure, he is optimistic.
“This is the kind of group we were hoping for. It’s certainly manageable in terms of direct qualification. Among the top-seeded teams, we got England — probably the most favourable opponent. Romania, drawn from the third pot, is stronger, but we know their players and should be slight favourites. Portugal is a bit of an unknown since they rarely compete in international events.”
