Top seeds in the Under 19 Mixed Doubles event, Daniel BERZOSA of Spain and Veronika MATIUNINA of Ukraine, successfully progressed to the quarterfinals at the European Youth Championships in Ostrava. On the seventh day of play at the RT Torax Arena, the Spanish-Ukrainian duo overcame Portugal’s Rafael KONG and Mariana SANTA COMBA.
“We were prepared for this match, and we had a tactic on how to play against them,” said BERZOSA. “The first game was the most important and the most difficult. We were leading quite comfortably at 8-4, but then we were down 8-9. Still, we continued to fight, every game matters, so we just kept pushing. The beginning of this tournament was tough for us; it always is.”
MATIUNINA added: “In the first round we played against the Czech pair ŠČIBRÁNIOVÁ and MAKARA, they were really good, and we were under pressure. Maybe that’s why we almost lost that match. But we’ve played mixed doubles together before, so we know how to work as a team, and I think that experience really helped us. We were champions last year, so of course there’s pressure—but we’re trying to do it again.”
In the lower half of the draw, second seeds Tiago ABIODUN of Portugal and Bianca MEI ROSU of Romania defeated Leon BENKO of Croatia and Nina SKERBINZ of Austria. Samuel ARPAS of Slovakia and Maria BERZOSA of Spain also advanced, following a tight victory over David SZANTOSI of Hungary and Mia GRIESEL of Germany.
ARPAS reflected: “I felt really bad before the match because I had just lost in the doubles with my partner LEI, we were seeded third and went out in the first round. That loss really hurt. But I tried to move on and focus on the mixed doubles. The Spanish coach helped us a lot with the strategy—he told us to play more long balls, and it worked throughout the match. The first game was crucial, we were leading all the way, but it got tight at 10-10. We managed to win it 14-12, and that made the difference. In the next round, we play BRHEL and DAVIDOV. I think it’s not the hardest possible opponent, but we won’t underestimate them. We’ll do everything we can to win a medal!”
Maria BERZOSA added: “We knew it would be a tough match because they were the favorites. In the second game, we were up 10-8 but lost it 10-12. Still, we felt confident, and we came back to win the match.”
In the quarterfinals, BERZOSA and MATIUNINA will face Ivan HENCL of Croatia and Lilou MASSART of Belgium, while ARPAS and Maria BERZOSA will meet Stepan BRHEL of Czechia and Elinor DAVIDOV of Israel.
Should both Maria and Daniel BERZOSA win their respective matches, the siblings could face each other in the semifinals, a potential showdown that adds an exciting twist to the tournament narrative.
