Wales and GB’s Anna Hursey has added another European title to her collection, winning the Under-19 Girls’ Singles at the European Youth Championships.
Hursey, seeded eighth, delivered a remarkable performance, overcoming the tournament’s top three seeds and clinching the title with a 4-1 victory over Ukraine’s Veronika Matiunina in the final. This win follows her earlier success in May, where she also defeated Matiunina on her way to the European Under-21 title.
On her journey to gold, Anna faced England’s Tianer Yu in the last 16, winning 4-0, before meeting doubles partner and second seed Mia Griesel of Germany in a thrilling quarter-final. Despite Griesel coming back from 3-0 down to force a decider, Anna stayed composed and secured the win 4-3. In the semi-final, Anna breezed past France’s Leana Hochart, the third seed, with a decisive 4-0 victory.
On the podium, Anna was congratulated by Sandra Deaton, ETTU Vice-President for Finances. Reflecting on her achievement, Anna said:
I’m really happy. Every time I play against Matiunina it’s always a tough and demanding match, she’s a great player who keeps a lot of points alive, so I knew I had to stay fully focused. The last game was especially difficult because I started thinking I might actually win. It’s an amazing feeling to be champion.
Compared to the U21 event, this U19 tournament is definitely more demanding. There are more matches, and I also played in the team event. I just hope to keep doing my best.
Anna continued her impressive run in the doubles competition alongside Mia Griesel, where the pair, seeded third, claimed a bronze medal after reaching the semi-finals. Earlier this year, they won gold at the Under-21s. Anna also earned a silver medal in the Junior Mixed Doubles with Romania’s Iulian Chirita, adding to her remarkable medal tally at the championships.
The championships in Ostrava, Czechia, also saw strong performances from Joseph Hunter, Connor Green, Abraham Sellado, and Kacper Piwowar, who all reached the quarter-finals in their respective competitions.
Joseph Hunter (unseeded, ranked 92nd) defeated sixth seed Leon Benko of Croatia in a dramatic 4-3 match before being stopped in the quarter-finals by fourth seed David Szantosi of Hungary.
Connor Green (seeded 12th) reached the last 16 and pushed top seed Daniel Berzosa of Spain to the limit in a close contest.
Abraham Sellado (cadet, seeded fifth) put up a strong fight in the last 16, narrowly missing out on a place in the quarter-finals.
In the doubles, Green teamed with Germany’s Lleyton Ullmann to reach the quarter-finals, while Sellado & Piwowar also just missed out on a medal.
Reflecting on her success, Anna shared:
I won 4-0 against Hochart, and I think I played really well, especially tactically. I’ve played her a few times before and knew she’s a strong opponent, but today I was just better. I stayed focused, especially because in my previous match I was 3-0 up and it ended up 3-3 – that was still on my mind a bit. But I stayed calm and stuck to my game plan.
We are proud to sponsor Anna Hursey and celebrate her determination, focus, and sporting excellence. Her achievements inspire young athletes and fans everywhere.
