Junior and Cadet players represent Wales at European Youth Championships in Sweden
Our Juniors and Cadets have been representing Wales and competing with the best in Europe at the European Youth Championships this month. The annual event was this year held in Malmo, Sweden between 12 and 21 July.
Wales were represented in 2 out of the 4 age categories with Harri Docherty, Toby Harwood and Harry Street making up the Junior Boys Team while Lily Walters, Isabella Turner-Samuels and Amelie David made up the Cadet Girls Team.
After a tough five days of team matches, our junior boys placed 39th while our cadet girls placed 32nd.
Following the team event, the individual events (singles and doubles) got underway on day six.
Harri Docherty was the standout performer in the singles event reaching the last 64 of the junior boys singles. Harri’s event got off to a difficult start, losing out 3-1 to Tobias Hold (AUT) but bounced back with a 3-1 win over Aron Kanlic (BIH) to progress into the knockout rounds. The round of 128 saw Harri drawn against Igna Sisanovas (LTU), the player who knocked Harri out at the same stage at the 2023 European Youth Championships. One year on, however, Harri was ready to overturn that result, taking a nail-biting match 11-9 in the seventh set (4-3). The round of 64 saw Harri come up against Manuel Prohaska (GER), who two days earlier had won a silver medal in the team event. Harri got off to a fantastic start as he took the first 2 sets, although the third proved to be crucial with the German coming out on top 13-11. With this, the momentum swung in the German’s favour and he went on to take the match 4-2 and put an end to Harri’s run.
Lowri Hurd narrowly missed out on progressing to the knock out phase after a tight 3-2 loss to Marziyya Nurmatova (AZE), a 3-0 loss to Millie Stoffregen (DEN) and a 3-0 win over Sol Kristinardottir Mixa (ISL) to finish third in her group. It was the doubles events where Lowri made a mark, firstly taking a 3-0 win with mixed doubles partner Ralph Pattison (ENG) against a team made up of Alice Mariani (MLT) and Luka Stojchev (MKD), before being falling to a 3-0 loss to Olha Ponko and Rafal Formela (POL) in the last 128. Lowri then went on to reach the last 32 of the junior girls doubles where she and Linda Majercikova (SVK) fell to a 3-0 loss to the eventual winners Nicole Arlia (ITA) and Veronika Matiunina (UKR). Lowri and Linda reached the last 32 after having a bye in the round of 128 and winning 3-1 against Filippa Skjold-Hinze and Elsa Sander Borno of Norway in the last 64.
Final Placings
Cadet Girls Team – 32nd
Junior Boys Team – 39th
Junior Boys Singles
Harri Docherty – Last 64
Toby Harwood – Group Stage
Junior Girls Singles
Lowri Hurd – Group Stage
Junior Boys Doubles
Harri Docherty & Arturs Spalis (LAT) – Last 128
Toby Harwood & Balazs Poor (HUN) – Last 128
Junior Girls Doubles
Lowri Hurd & Linda Majercikova (SVK) – Last 32
Junior Mixed Doubles
Lowri Hurd & Ralph Pattison (ENG) – Last 128
Harri Docherty & Borostyan Bender (HUN) – Last 256
Toby Harwood & Anjali Singh (IRL) – Last 256
Cadet Boys Singles
Harry Street – Group Stage
Cadet Girls Singles
Isabella Turner-Samuels – Group Stage
Lily Walters – Group Stage
Amelie David – Group Stage
Cadet Boys Doubles
Harry Street & Spyros Sarigiannidis (LUX) – Last 64
Cadet Girls Doubles
Amelie David & Lily Walters – Last 64
Isabella Turner-Samuels & Valerie Lonski (EST) – Last 64
Cadet Mixed Doubles
Harry Street & Lily Walters – Last 128
Isabella Turner-Samuels & Zsombor Fegyver (HUN) – Last 128
Full results can be found on the ETTU website or by following this link – ETTU.org – Draws & Results