At the ORLEN European Youth Championships the Netherlands created a top-rated upset by defeating the second-seeded Poland on their home soil. It is the best result for the Under 15 Boys’ team since 2009. In the quarterfinals they will meet France. In a five-match drama that ended with tears of joy and screams from the winners Brent RONDE was unable to speak after leaving every ounce of energy in the Gliwice Arena. He won the decisive game of the decisive match by the narrowest of margins (21-10 6-11 11-8 4-11 11-9). RONDE beat Mateusz SAKOWICZ who also struggled against Ivan KAHN. The RONDE and KAHN double combination also scored points today. “It was tough but I managed to stay calm and play my game ” said the almost speechless RONDE. Coach Boris DE VRIES was also overwhelmed: “They fought like animals. It was an amazing clash. We reached the quarterfinals after finishing second in the group and winning the playoff match against Bulgaria.” The last time the Netherlands had a representative in the quarterfinals was in 2012 when Britt EERLAND played in the youth category. In the quarterfinals the Netherlands will meet France. Sandro CAVAILLE and Nathan PILARD overcame Czechia in straight matches. “It was a good game and I am happy that we managed to win. Czechia has a strong team ” said CAVAILLE. Germany suffered at the hands of Portugal’s Tiago ABIODUN Dinis YE and Carlos GONCALVES. “I knew that I had to win both of my matches. I had more experience than my teammates ” said captain ABIODUN. “Also the key was the point from the doubles. That’s why Carlos and I played very aggressively to reach that goal.” In another thrilling match that went the full distance Ukraine’s Nazarii SOLODKYI and Yehor BORSHCHEVSKYI defeated Sweden. They will now face Romania. Aleandru ISTRATE and Robert PODAR faced a big challenge in the duel against the Europe Under 13 champions from Zagreb two months ago. Türkiye’s Kenan KAHRMAN and Gorkem OCAL put pressure on the Romanian team.    

The Group Stage in the Under 19 Boys’ event at the ORLEN European Youth Championships was filled with drama in each group. The top-seeded team Romania managed to escape the dramatic scenarios by reaching the Round of 16 undefeated in three rounds. Darius MOVILEANU Eduard IONESCU Iulian CHIRITA and Teodor ISTRATE overcame Spain Sweden and the Netherlands. Spain ranked second in Group A failed to secure a victory in their three matches while Sweden and the Netherlands competed in a direct clash to determine the second team advancing directly to the Round of 16. In a thrilling five-match clash Sweden emerged victorious. Czechia with Ondrej KVETON Simon BELIK and Stepan BRHEL exceeded expectations and claimed the top spot in Group B. They defeated the top-ranked team France in four matches and also recorded wins over Hungary and Ukraine. In the match between the two leading teams in the group Stepan BRHEL secured an impressive victory over Flavien COTON. “I still believed that Štepán BRHEL would secure a point. He is a player who can perform without nerves doesn’t allow himself to be pressured and already showed great form against France. We didn’t discuss any tactics before the match with Hungary. We wanted to win and I selected the roster accordingly. The opponent performed well but we were better especially Štěpán BRHEL who delivered an incredible performance. Šimon BĚLÍK and Ondřej KVĚTON also played their part. Winning such a tough group is fantastic ” said Karel KARÁSEK coach of the Czechia U19 boys’ team. In their match against Hungary Czechia was initially trailing 0-2 before making a remarkable comeback to secure the victory. Handling a score of 0-2 is mentally challenging for many players but Štěpán BRHEL is different and doesn’t struggle with it. “It is important to have a clear mind at that moment. Don’t think about the situation and the possible consequences of losing. Before my singles match I distanced myself from the team and focused on completely different things in the restroom or dressing room ” said BRHEL. Germany remained untouched at the top of Group C. Tom SCHWEIGER Andre BERTELSMEIER Matthias DANZER Lleyton ULLMANN and Wim VERDONSCHOT defeated Slovakia Croatia and Turkey. VERDONSCHOT made his debut on the second day of play in the match against Turkey. “It was my first match and I was very nervous. DURSUN had a very strong service game making it difficult for me. In the first two games I struggled to find my rhythm which is why I needed the full five games to overcome him ” shared VERDONSCHOT. Even this group was not spared from upsets as Croatia beat Slovakia to secure the second spot and advance to the knockout stage. In Group D Poland took advantage of playing on home soil and pushed the leading team Belgium down one spot to secure their place in the Round of 16. Milosz REDZIMSKI Mateusz ZALEWSKI Alan KULCZYCKI and Michal GAWLAS represented Poland.  

One common characteristic among all four teams from Spain is their fantastic team spirit. Regardless of whether it is a boys’ or girls’ team in the Under 15 or Under 19 category in Gliwice you can hear the enthusiastic cheering from the bench after each point. In the case of the Under 19 Girls’ team this team spirit acted as a catalyst propelling them one step higher and securing their place in the Round of 16 at the ORLEN European Youth Championships. In Group A of the Group Stage the leading team in the event Romania reigned without interruption. Ioana SINGEORZAN Elena ZAHARIA and Bianca MEI ROSU confidently secured their spot in the top 16 by winning against Spain Sweden and Belgium in straight matches. “We came here for gold. Last year we lost in the final and we hope to go one step higher this time. This was just the first hurdle and I am happy that we secured our place in the Round of 16 as planned ” said ZAHARIA. However it was Spain in the same group that took charge of the momentum. Despite being initially ranked third they secured the second place and directly advanced to the Round of 16. In the opening round Spain found themselves trailing 0-2 but managed to recover and win the match against Sweden. “In that match the key to success was Silvia COLL who defeated Agnes SVENSSON. She changed the course of the match. Despite being behind we did not lose faith. From the bench we pushed Silvia and Eugenia SASTRE to give their maximum. I played against Leah MUSKANTOR in the decisive match and at that point psychologically we had the advantage by recovering from 0-2 to 2-2. The pressure was on their side and I won my match in straight games ” explained Ainhoa CRISTOBAL. Before the start of the third round Spain had already suffered a 0-3 loss to Romania and had a close victory against Sweden winning 3-2. On the other hand Belgium lost to Romania and defeated Sweden 3-1. Therefore the Spaniards were aware of the challenging task that lay ahead of them. “We were aware that we were playing for a ticket to the Round of 16. It didn’t help knowing that we would face Lilou MASSARAT who is so difficult to beat with her style pimples and rubbers. We had already calculated that Lilou would win her two points and we couldn’t afford any mistakes in the other matches. Eugenia SASTRE gave us a dream start with her win over Sara DEVOS but Silvia COLL couldn’t find a way to stop Lilou despite having a 2-1 lead. MASSARAT won in five games. I beat DUVIVER in another intense match to secure our second point but Eugenia couldn’t stop Lilou either. Lilou remained calm and precise. However we didn’t let the opportunity slip away. We screamed from the bench cheered jumped and supported each point with all our might. We had trust in Silvia to decide the last match in our favor. She started well had a 2-0 lead but Sara read her service-return game managed to win one game before COLL sealed the match in a close finish of 13-11 ” said CRISTOBAL. Unlike in Group A Group B saw a lack of drama. Germany represented by Mia GRIESEL Naomi PRANJKOVIC and Lea LACHENMAYER showed no mercy against Slovakia Slovenia and England cruising through the group stage with three 3-0 victories. Slovakia when not facing Germany also displayed dominance against the remaining two teams in the group securing their spot in the Round of 16. Poland shone in front of their home crowd. Anna BRZYSKA Zuzanna WIELGOS Ilona SZTWIERTNIA Wiktoria WROBEL and Natalia BOGDANOWICZ defeated Portugal Czechia and Lithuania to secure the leading position in Group C. Portugal finished second with only one defeat. In Group D France faced some pressure in the match against Ukraine who surprisingly emerged successfully in the second position in the group. The top seeds defeated Croatia and Moldova with 3-1 victories but needed all five matches to overcome Ukraine. Ukraine having lost only that close encounter against the favorites secured their place in the Round of 16 by defeating Croatia in another thrilling five-match battle and defeating Moldova 3-1.  

In the Under 15 Girls’ event at the ORLEN European Youth Championships there was significant shuffling of standings among teams during the Group stage. Very few teams managed to justify their initial standings resulting in unexpected outcomes and surprises. In Group A France represented by Gaetane BLED Leana HOCHART and Nina GUO ZHENG recorded three flawless victories establishing themselves as the leaders. However Portugal failed to live up to their second-place position. Surprisingly Moldova ranked only fourth in the group secured a spot in the Round of 16 by defeating both Slovakia and Portugal. Group B followed a similar pattern. Germany featuring Koharu ITAGAKI Josephina NEUMANN Loreana MORSCH and Lisa Sophie WANG dominated the opening stage with three consecutive 3-0 victories. However Ukraine upset the expected order and defeated Poland and Israel moving from the third position to the second. In Group C Spain with Isabel CONCHILLO Maria BERZOSA and Irina GIMENO FONT emerged successful at the top of the group. They pushed the leaders Czechia down to the second spot. Spain achieved a perfect record with three wins while Czechia fell short with one less victory. The same scenario unfolded in Group D. Romania represented by Andreea JIFCU Andreea BAIASU and Vivien TAMAS moved from the second spot to claim the leading position in the group. Hungary despite losing their top position managed to secure the second spot and advance to the Round of 16.  

On the second day of play in Gliwice at the ORLEN European Youth Championships during the Group stage in the Under 15 Boys’ event Ukraine was the only team to upset the rankings and secure their place directly in the knockout stage from the position no. three in their group. Ukraine pulled off upsets against the favorites Poland and Germany won their spots as it was expected and Hungary and Slovakia advanced by the narrowest of margins. Ukraine’s team consisting of Yehor BORSHCHEVSKYI Nazarii SOLODKYI Vadim SOLTYS and Onufrii HOIAN were initially seeded at position no. 3 in Group A. However they managed to win all three matches against the top-seeded teams from Austria Czechia and Serbia. Austria despite losing their opening match recovered and advanced to the Round of 16 with two wins. Czechia finishing third in the group still has two chances in the playoff matches to reach the Round of 16 while Serbia as the fourth-placed team has one more opportunity in a clash with the winner of the group from level 2 teams. In Group B the results followed the rankings. Poland and Romania progressed to the knockout stage. Poland’s team consisting of Patryk ZYWORONEK Mateusz SAKOWICS Kacper PERKOWSKI and Aleks PAKULA faced their biggest challenge against Romania the second-placed team in the group. Romania lost in a thrilling five-match encounter but secured their spot in the Round of 16 after wins over England and Bulgaria. Similarly to Poland Romania recorded straight-match wins. England beat Bulgaria to secure the third position in the group. In Group C Germany faced pressure from France but managed to prevail in a five-match contest and secure the top position. The German team featuring Matej HASPEL Noah HERSEL Tom WIENKE and Friedrich KUEHN VON BURGSDORFF finished first. France secured the second position as both teams won their matches against Sweden and Israel in straight sets. Sweden finished third after a victory over Israel. The last round in Group D brought the most exciting match. In two days three out of six clashes concluded in five matches and the decision about the second spot in the group was determined in the last moment. In the final match the top-seeded team Slovakia faced Spain who finished fourth in the group to compete for a place in the Round of 16. Despite Spain’s spirited and enthusiastic performance resulting in a 3-2 win they did not secure the second position in the group. Based on game ratios Slovakia moved forward with a win over Hungary (3-2) Belgium (3-0) and a defeat against Spain (2-3). Hungary finished first in the group with one defeat and wins over Belgium (3-0) and Spain (3-2). Spain beat Slovakia (3-2) and Belgium (3-1). The winners of Group D Hungary are represented by Zoltan VARGA and Mark GERGELY.

Team Ukraine consisting of Yehor BORSHCHEVSKYI Nazarii SOLODKYI and Onufrii HOIAN created a major upset in the Under 15 Boys’ event at the ORLEN European Youth Championships. They overcame the top-seeded team from Austria in a closely contested five-match duel. SOLODKYI won both of his matches against Petr HODINA and Julian RZIHAUSCHEK while BORSHCHEVSKYI added another victory to the scoreline by defeating HODINA as well. In the second round Ukraine achieved a straight-match victory over Serbia.  

The Under 19 Boys team of Poland last year’s runners-up in Belgrade have the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd at the ORLEN European Youth Championships in Gliwice. The team’s leader Milosz REDZIMSKI talked about the good and challenging aspects of being under the spotlight in a big Arena at home. “It is so nice to be at home and have supporters in the stands but at some points it is not so easy when you look around and see parents and grandparents above you…” said REDZIMSKI who won the title in Under 21 European championships in Sarajevo earlier this year. Within less than a month Milosz is playing in a big tournament at home for the second time. Two weeks ago Poland played at the European Games. “It makes me doubt the advantages of playing on home soil. We did not win the match in Krakow. After that I was not very happy with my performances at the preparation camp. However it would worry me if it were the opposite. Usually when I don’t play well in the preparation it proves that I have a successful tournament ” said REDZIMSKI. Poland is in a group with Israel Belgium and Italy. In the opening round they already overcame Israel 3-1. The match lasted longer after Mateusz ZALEWSKI failed to close the duel against Eitay SHUSHAN at 2-0 and 10-6. He lost 2-3. “Later I beat SHUSHAN 3-0 so we restored the order ” said REDZIMSKI. “In the next round we will play against Belgium and I think they are the toughest adversary in our group.”

The opening day of the ORLEN European Youth Championships brought fierce battles and upsets from the very beginning. In Gliwice well-known young aces are on duty but there are also many rejuvenated teams. There is no doubt that we are looking forward to the next 10 exciting days of play. Croatia led by the Under 21 European Champion from Sarajevo Hana ARAPOVIC commenced their journey in Gliwice successfully. In the opening round of the Under 19 Girls’ event Hana Dora COSIC and Zrinka REBIC overcame Moldova in straight matches. Unlike Croatia France the leading team in Group D had to play a full five matches against Ukraine. Hana has had a very busy year so far. After clinching the crown in Sarajevo ARPOVIC reached the quarterfinals at the WTT tournament in Montenegro and went to Durban South Africa. “It was my first World Championships and it was a very nice experience for me. I lost in the first round but I think it is important that I felt the atmosphere of such a big event. I did not feel the pressure ” said Hana ARAPOVIC. When asked about her goals in Gliwice ARAPOVIC remained reserved. “We finished seventh last year in the team event and I do not want to think too far ahead. We take it match by match. We have Dora COSIC who is now eligible to play for Croatia after playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina. I think we have a very good team ” said ARPOVIC who is playing her last year in the Under 19 category. Hana returned to Poland after her recent participation at the European Games. Three weeks ago she played in nearby Krakow. In the round of 32 ARAPOVIC lost to Hana MATELOVA 3-4 after being up 3-1. “All the games were close but her experience prevailed in crucial moments ” said Hana who will continue her career this season in Weil am Rhein Germany.  

The Orlen 2023 European Youth Championships commenced this Friday in Gliwice Poland. After July 23rd we will have 14 new champions in the Under 19 and Under 15 boys’ and girls’ categories. The Championships start with the team events in Arena Gliwice while the individual events are scheduled from July 19th. In the Under 19 Boys’ event title holders Romania France Germany and Belgium top their respective groups. Runners-up from 2022 Poland is in a group with Belgium. Romania is led by last year’s singles and doubles champion Eduard IONESCU. Two weeks ago Eduard showed his strength in a more fierce competition at the European Games where he beat Dimitrij OVTCHAROV of Germany to reach the quarterfinals of the Singles Event in Krakow. Iulian CHIRITA is also on the team. He won gold in the Under 15 Mixed Doubles event last year in Belgrade. Darius MOVILEANU clinched gold last year with IONESCU. For France will play Hugo DESCHAMPS Flavien COTON Thibault PORET and Alexis KOURAICHI. The host nation seeded at the position no. 4 will be represented by Mateusz ZALEWSKI Mateusz ZELENGOWSKI Alan KULCZYCKI Michal GAWLAS and Milosz REDZIMSKI. Silver medalists from Belgrade 2022 Romania’s girls are also at the top of the Under 19 Girls’ Group A while Germany title holders Poland and France are the leaders in Groups B C and D respectively. For Romania Elena ZAHARIA Ioana SINGEORZAN Bianca MEI ROSU Evelyn UNGVARI and Oana STRUNA will be playing. Germany is represented by Mia GRIESEL Naomi PRANJKOVIC Eireen KALAITZIDOU and Lea LACHENMAYER. Last year’s singles winner Annett KAUFMANN will not play. Poland is seeded at the position no. 3 represented by Zuzanna WIELGOS Anna BRZYSKA Natalia BOGDANOWICZ Ilona SZTWIERTNIA and Wiktoria WROBEL. In the Under 15 Boys’ event Austria Poland Germany and Slovakia are at the top of their respective groups of four. France and Sweden were last year’s winners and runners-up. In the Under 15 Girls’ event France Germany Czechia and Hungary lead groups A B C and D respectively. Romania clinched the title in Belgrade last year in that category.