Europe Youth Top-10 | 1 Oct 2024
2024 Europe Youth Top 10 Tournament Set for Grodzisk Mazowiecki
Under the authority of the European Table Tennis Union (ETTU), the Polish Table Tennis Association will host the 2024 Europe Youth Top 10 from Friday, October 4th to Sunday, October 6th, in Grodzisk Mazowiecki. The event will take place at the CAIIS Sports and Entertainment Hall and will showcase some of the best young table tennis talents in Europe across various age categories.
In the Under 19 Boys Singles category, France’s Flavien COTON is the top seed. COTON had an impressive performance at the European Youth Championships (EYC) in Malmö this year, where he finished as the runner-up in both singles and doubles. He previously secured the Under 15 singles title in Belgrade two years ago. Representing the host nation, Poland’s Mateusz ZALEWSKI holds the second seed. ZALEWSKI finished 9th in last year’s Top 10 in Bucharest and will aim to use home advantage to improve on that position. The competition will be fierce, with strong contenders like David SZANTOSI of Hungary, who finished 5th in Romania last year, Andre BERTELSMEIER of Germany, Tom CLOSSET of Belgium, Dragos BUJOR of Romania, Tiago ABIODUN of Portugal, Samuel ARPAS of Slovakia, Daniel BERZOSA of Spain, and Leon BENKO of Croatia. Tiago ABIODUN, in particular, is a player to watch after winning the Under 15 title in Bucharest last year and claiming another singles title at the 2023 EYC.
In the Under 19 Girls Singles, Poland holds the top two seeds with Zuzanna WIELGOS and her teammate Anna BRZYSKA leading the field. Both players secured a silver medal together in the doubles event at this year’s EYC in Malmö. Other notable players in this category include Clea DE STOPPELEIRE of France, who finished 5th last year, Mia GRIESEL of Germany, who was the runner-up in Bucharest, and Leana HOCHART of France, who won the Under 15 event last year. Ukraine’s Veronika MATIUNINA, the European vice-champion in singles and a gold medalist in both doubles and mixed doubles from Malmö, is also expected to be a key player. She is joined by Natalia BOGDANOWICZ of Poland, Nina GUO ZHENG of France, Matilde PINTO of Portugal, and Sara TOKIC of Slovenia, completing a competitive field.
In the Under 15 Boys Singles, Romania’s Robert ISTRATE is the top seed, followed closely by Danilo FASO of Italy. ISTRATE finished seventh in last year’s event, while FASO claimed fourth place. Poland’s Samuel MICHNA and Aleks PAKULA, Italy’s Francesco TREVISAN, France’s Sandro CAVAILLE, Türkiye’s Gorkem OCAL, Slovakia’s Pavol KOKAVEC, Hungary’s Mark GERGELY, and Jan SKALDA of Czechia will also be vying for the title in what promises to be a highly competitive category.
Finally, the Under 15 Girls Singles event is headed by Czechia’s Hanka KODETOVA, a double European singles champion who finished third in last year’s Top 10. She will face stiff competition from players like Germany’s Koharu ITAGAKI and Lisa WANG, Austria’s Mariia LYTVYN, Hungary’s Sophie BARCSAI, Portugal’s Julia LEAL, Poland’s Maja LAKOMA and Romania's Andreea BAISU.
