Germany’s 18 year old Patrick Franziska and 16 year old Brigitte Eerland of the Netherlands, emerged as the respective Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ Singles champions at the European Youth Championships in the Turkish city of Istanbul when matters came to a conclusion early in the evening of Sunday 25th July 2010.

At the final hurdle Patrick Franziska, who had been the mainstay of Germany’s silver medal in the Boys’ Team event in Cartagena de Indias at the Volkswagen World Junior Championships in 2009, beat Slovenia’s Jan Zibrat in the semi-finals before overcoming the Czech Republic’s Pavel Sirucek in a full distance seven games final.

Successful on ITTF Junior Circuit
The contest against Pavel Sirucek was a testing affair, the Czech Republic player being very much a man in form in 2010.

Currently he occupies second place on the ITTF Junior Circuit Boys’ Standings behind Japan’s Asuka Machi. Furthermore, he has won more Boys’ Singles titles on the ITTF Junior Circuit than any other player this year; he succeeded in Sweden in February and continued the run of form by winning in both Austria and Sweden.

Surprise Winner
Victory for Patrick Franziska justified the tournament seeding; however, in the counterpart Junior Girls’ Singles event the name of Brigitte Eerland was not high on everyone’s lips as a possible gold medallist.

Nevertheless, the Dutch teenager responded to the occasion. She overcame Poland’s Magdalena Szczerkowska in the semi-finals before defeating Hungary’s Dora Madarasz in the final.

Shone in Cartagena
Both were outstanding performances against players who had shone at the 2009 Volkswagen World Junior Championships.

Magdalena Szczerkowska reached the quarter-final stage of the Junior Girls’ Singles event in Cartagena de Indias; whilst in partnership with Daniel Kosiba, Dora Madarasz won the silver medal in the Mixed Doubles event.

Bernadette Szocs
Also in form at last year’s Volkswagen World Junior Championships was Romania’s Bernadette Szocs; like Magdalena Szczerkowska she reached the last eight of the Girls’ Singles event.

In Istanbul, she won the Cadet Girls’ Singles crown beating Croatia’s Mateja Jeger in the final.

World All Stars Winner
Meanwhile, in the Cadet Boys’ Singles competition it was success for a player who has been in the spotlight in recent months. Italy’s Leonardo Mutti struck gold beating Poland’s Jakub Dyjas in the final.

In late June in Shanghai, Leonardo Mutti joined forces with Korea’s Kim Min Seok in the World All Stars Team contest against China; moreover, the duo succeeded and Leonardo Mutti played a vital role.

He gave Kim Min Seok great support in their doubles win over Yin Hang and Wu Jiayi; the win proved vital with Kim Min Seok winning both his singles matches to guide the World All Stars Team to victory.

Like Leonardo Mutti, Yin Hang and Wu Jiayi have both been competing in a continental junior championships, the Asian Junior Championships has just concluded in Bangkok.

Russia Bound
The 53rd staging of the European Youth Championships over, eyes now turn to Russia for the 54th in the long running illustrious history of the competition; in 2011, the event will be held in Tatarstan capital of the Russian state of Kazan.

Roll of Honour
Junior Boys’ Singles
Gold: Patrick FRANZISKA (GER) Silver: Pavel SIRUCEK (Czech Republic) Bronze: Jan ZIBRAT (Slovenia) & Simon GAUZY (France)

Junior Girls Singles
Gold: Brigitte EERLAND (Netherlands) Silver: Dora MADARASZ (Hungary) Bronze: Barbora BALAZOVA (Slovakia) & Magdalena SZCZERKOWSKA (Poland)

Cadet Boys Singles
Gold: Leonardo MUTTI (Italy) Silver: Jakub DYJAS (Poland) Bronze: Tristan FLORE (France) & QIU Dang (Germany)

Cadet Girls Singles
Gold: Bernadette SZOCS (Romania) Silver: Mateja JEGER (Croatia) Bronze: Emina HADZIAHMETOVIC (Bosnia and Herzegovina) & Olga BLIZNET Moldavia

Junior Boys Doubles
Gold: Jonathan GROTH-Hunor SZOCS (Denmark, Romania) Silver: Lauric JEAN-Cedric / NUYTINIK (Belgium) Bronze: Patrick FRANZISKA / Jan ZIBRAT (Germany, Slovenia) & Liam PITCHFORD / Gergely PEREI (England, Hungary)

Junior Girls Doubles
Gold: Sabine WINTER / Barbora BALAZOVA (Germany, Slovakia) Silver: Alice ABBAT / Stephanie LOEUILLETTE (France) Bronze: Dora MADARASZ / Cristina HIRICI (Hungary, Romania), Krisztina AMBRUS / Camelia POSTOACA (Hungary, Romania)

Cadet Boys Doubles
Gold: Tristan FLORE / Enzo ANGLES (France) Silver: Alexandre ROBINOT / Andrea LANDRIEU (France) Bronze: Tamas LAKATOS / Marton SZITA (Hungary) & Leonardo MUTTI / Alessandro BACIOCCHI (Italy)

Cadet Girls Doubles
Gold: Bernadette SZOCS / Irina CIOBANU (Romania) Silver: Laura PFEFER / Marina BERHO (France) Bronze: Celine PANG / Alyssia PERRIN (France) & Mateja JEGER / Lea RAKOVAC (Croatia)

Junior Mixed Doubles
Gold: Lucian MUNTEANU / Cristina HIRICI (Romania) Silver: Pavel SIRUCEK / Barbora BALAZOVA (Czech Republic, Slovakia) Bronze:Robert FLORAS / Magdalena SZCZERKOWSKA (Poland) & Arne HOLTER / Kathrin MUHLBACH (Germany)

Cadet Mixed Doubles
Gold:: Tristan FLORE / Celine PANG (France) Silver: Marton SZITA / Irina CIOBANU (Hungary, Romania) Bronze: Alexandre ROBINOT / Marina BERHO (France) & Michal BANKOSZ / Sandra WABIK (Poland)

Full Results
Visit www.vitesseonline.it/2010eyc_istanbul/ for full results

Source: www.ittf.com

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