European Youth Champions
July 31, 2006

Courtesy ITTF Portugal’s Marcos Freitas and Romania’s Daniela Dodean won the Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ Singles titles respectively at the European Youth Championships in Sarajevo on Sunday, July 30, 2006. Seeded two, Freitas beat Hungary’s David Zombori in the final 11-8, 11-5, 11-5, 13-15. 11-6 while Dodean overcame her compatriot, Elizabeta Samara, 7-11, 8-11, 11-3, 12-10, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8.

The left handed Freitas from the Atlantic holiday island of Madeira used he skills to good effect to beat Russia’s Stanislav Golovanov in the quarters 11-5, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 before overcoming the German defender who possesses a powerful forehand topspin, Ruwen Filus, in the semi-finals. The contest was very much a repeat of their encounter earlier in the year on the ITTF World Junior Circuit. In Platja d’Aro at the Spanish Youth Open, Freitas won in straight games, in Sarajevo he did the same, he won 11-8, 11-9, 11-7, 11-8 and underlined the fact that his confidence against backspin play is on the increase.

Second Win
Meanwhile, David Zombori overcame England’s Paul Drinkhall in the quarterfinals before, once again, showing his liking for playing against the defending Junior Boys’ Singles champion, Dimitrij Ovtcharov.

On the opening day of play, Zombori beat Ovtcharov in the Junior Boys’ Team event; at the penultimate stage of the Junior Boys’ Singles competition, he repeated the dose. He won 12-10, 11-9, 7-11, 3-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-9; he is the only player to beat Ovtcharov in a singles’ duel at any stage of the tournament.

Severely Tested
In the Junior Girls’ Singles, Romania’s Daniela Dodean was severely tested in the latter stages. She beat Serbia’s Gabriela Feher 13-11, 7-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8, 14-12 in the quarters before accounting somewhat more comfortably for Li Bin of Hungary 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 15-13, 11-6.

In the lower half of the draw, Elizabeta Samara, her doubles partner and national team colleague, experienced an even tougher examination in the latter stages. She beat Hungary’s Szandra Pergel 14-16, 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 12-10, 11-13, 12-10 in the quarters before accounting for former champion, Spain’s Galia Dvorak in the semis.

She beat Dvorak 11-9, 10-12, 8-11, 2-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7.

Romanian Reverse
Gold for Romania in the Junior Girls’ Singles but not in the Junior Girls’ Doubles where they had to settle for silver; seeded number one Daniela Dodean and Elizabeta Samara lost in the final to Rosalia Stähr and Amelie Solja of Germany, the German duo winning 11-7, 8-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9.

Title for Russia
Success for Germany in the Junior Girls’ Doubles while in the Junior Boys’ Doubles it was Russia who captured the honors; the duo of Stanislav Golovanov and Mikhail Paykov beating England’s Paul Drinkhall and Darius Knight in the final.

The Russians won 11-6, 7-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6.

France Assured
In the Mixed Doubles success for France was assured; both pairs had a Frenchman in their team with Emmanuel Lebesson in partnership with Serbia’s Gabriella Feher clinching gold.

They beat Abdel-Kader Salifou of France and Elizabeta Samara of Romania 13-15, 4-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-5.

Cadet Titles
Meanwhile in the Cadet Boys’ Singles, victory went to Croatia with Borna Kovac overcoming Serbia’s Bojan Crepulja in the semis 11-7, 12-10, 11-7, 11-6 and Sweden’s Krisztian Karlsson in the final 6-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-9, 11-5; the latter having overcome Mate Moricz of Hungary at the penultimate stage 12-10, 8-11, 11-7, 14-12, 11-9.

In the quarters, Kovac had ousted Poland’s Piotr Chodorski, a member of the European Cadet Boys’ Team at the ITTF World Cadet Challenge in 2005. However, in the Cadet Girls’ Singles, for another player who was on duty for Europe on that occasion, Ukraine’s Maraharyta Pesotska, it was success.

She beat Sweden’s Malin Pettersson in the semis 11-9, 11-7, 11-5, 11-6 and France’s Marine Pavot in the final 11-9, 11-4, 7-11, 11-6, 11-3; the French girl having overcome Romania’s Cristina Hiric in the semi-finals 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9, 4-11, 10-12, 11-5.

Swedish Gold
A bonze medal for Malin Pettersson in the Cadet Girls’ Singles and a silver for Krisztian Karlsson in the Cadet Boys’ Singles. However, in the Cadet Doubles event they climbed one-step higher. The duo clinched the title-beating compatriot Mattias Översjö and Slovakia’s Andrea Daunerova 11-7, 11-2, 11-6 to take the title.

At the semi-final stage Karlsson and Pettersson had beaten the Romanians Mihai Sargu and Benadette Szocs 11-7, 11-7, 11-8 while Översjö and Daunerova had ended the hopes of Croatia’s Borna Kovac and France’s Aurore Dessant 11-8, 11-7, 11-9.