The first day of this year’s European Junior Team Championships has been completed, and what a day it has been. 14 team matches and 70 individual matches were played today. The atmosphere in the hall has been fantastic all day, with the noise levels in the stands rivaling those of the biggest international tournaments.
It is amazing to see and feel the passion the players have for the game, and at the same time, there has been great sportsmanship displayed between the players. Although there have been moments where the level of play differed on the court, everyone has fought for their chances and never given up until the last shuttle hit the ground. This is exactly what a team tournament can bring; no one plays for themselves, but everyone plays for their team and their country.
On other courts, the level of play has been incredibly even, and out of today’s 14 team matches, an impressive five matches ended with the closest possible score, 3-2.
The eight seeded nations have all been in action today and have all won their respective matches:
Top seed France 4-1 Sweden
Second seed Denmark 5-0 Cyprus
Third/Fourth seed Poland 5-0 Latvia
Third/Fourth seed Ukraine 4-1 Finland
Fifth/Eighth seed Spain 5-0Austria
Fifth/Eighth seed Türkiye 5-0 Norway
Fifth/Eighth seed Czechia 5-0 Israel
Fifth/Eighth seed Germany 3-2 Belgium
The remaining matches of the day ended as follows:
England 2-3 Netherlands
Croatia 0-5 Switzerland
Slovakia 2-3 Bulgaria
Romania 4-1 Italy
Ireland 3-2 Portugal
Scotland 2-3 Estonia
We look forward to another fantastic day tomorrow, with matches showcasing Europe’s absolute elite youth badminton players.