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.
