Europe Youth Top 10: German Results and Schedule in France
German table tennis players Koharu Itagaki, Amelie Jia, and Tien Nghia Phong competed at the Europe Youth Top 10 tournament in Antibes, France, tischtennis.de reported. The prestigious annual competition features Europe’s elite youth talents across the U15 and U19 categories, testing endurance and skill through a rigorous round-robin match schedule.
Opening Day Results for German Contenders in Antibes
The German Table Tennis Association (DTTB) delegation opened their campaigns on Friday morning across multiple age brackets. In the U19 girls’ division, Koharu Itagaki of TV Hilpoltstein/TSV Dachau defeated the Czech Republic’s Veronika Polakova 4:1 (-8, 7, 8, 10, 7) in her opening round. Itagaki followed up with another 4:1 victory over Romania’s Alesia Sferlea (-3, 6, 9, 9, 10), though she dropped her third match of the day in a tight 3:4 battle against Portugal’s Julia Leal (-9, -8, 10, 8, 5, -5, -8).
In the U15 girls’ category, Amelie Jia of TTC Salmünster traded early wins and losses. Jia edged out Switzerland’s Enya Hu 4:3 (4, -7, 8, -6, -9, 4, 7) before falling 3:4 to France’s Albane Rochut (-8, 9, 9, -10, 5, -9, -5). She rebounded decisively in round three against Slovakia’s Barbora Guassardo, winning in straight sets 4:0 (10, 6, 7, 10).
The U15 boys’ squad also put up strong numbers on the opening Friday. Tien Nghia Phong (TTC immoXone Bietigheim-Bissingen) swept Lukas Wang (1. FC Saarbrücken-TT) 4:0 (7, 8, 11, 7) in an all-German first round. Phong then split his afternoon and evening fixtures, losing 3:4 to France’s Noah Tessier (-5, 4, 10, -8, 4, -8, -9) before bouncing back to defeat Russia’s Nazar Bakirov 4:2 (-9, -7, 10, 5, 9, 6). Lukas Wang weathered a mixed start of his own, outlasting Poland’s Hubert Kwiecinsky 4:3 (-7, 8, 3, 6, -6, -8, 7) before dropping a 3:4 match to Spain’s Alexander Malov (-9, 4, 9, -10, -13, 5, -4).
Historical Context and Delegation Makeup in France
Germany enters this year’s tournament holding a formidable historical footprint. German players have accumulated 46 total medals—including 21 gold, 14 silver, and 11 bronze—in the history of the Europe Youth Top 10 and its predecessor, the Europe Youth Top 12, which ran from 1985 until 2007 before transitioning to the current four-category format in 2008. Notable past German champions include Timo Boll (1998), Dimitrij Ovtcharov (2005, 2006), Patrick Franziska (2009, 2010), and more recently, Annett Kaufmann and Kay Stumper in 2020, alongside Koharu Itagaki herself, who claimed the U15 title in 2025.
The current coaching and support staff guiding the players in Antibes includes female NK1/U19 head coach Lara Broich, female NK2/U15 head coach Jie Schöpp, male NK2/U15 head coach Frank Schönemeier, and transition squad coach Dustin Gesinghaus. Medical support is managed by physiotherapist Maria Först from Neuss, while Christoph Gerber officiates from the referee panel.
Upcoming Weekend Schedules Across Age Groups
Competition continues through Saturday and Sunday. Saturday features three additional rounds for each athlete. Amelie Jia faces Czech competitor Adela Brhelova, Austria’s Sophia Pichler, and Russia’s Varvara Tolmacheva. Tien Nghia Phong and Lukas Wang face a demanding slate against Spanish opponents Ladimir Mayorov and Marcos Gomez, Czech player Ondrej Moravek, and French competitor Noah Tessier. Koharu Itagaki meets Poland’s Natalia Bogdanowicz, France’s Leana Hochart, and Romania’s Bianca Mei Rosu.
The tournament concludes Sunday with rounds seven, eight, and nine, which will determine final podium placements across the U15 and U19 brackets.