Europe Youth Top 10: Results for Tien Nghia Phong and German Team
Tien Nghia Phong finished third in the under-15 boys’ competition at the Europe Youth Top 10 in France, tischtennis.de reported. The 15-year-old finished the continental tournament with a 6-3 record, placing third overall behind Spain’s Ladimir Mayorov and France’s Noah Tessier.
Bronze in France for Tien Nghia Phong
Phong wrapped up his campaign on Sunday with three hard-fought matches in the final rounds. In round seven, the young German fell to Poland’s Hubert Kwiecinsky 1:4 (-11, -7, -7, 6, -10). He rebounded sharply in round eight by sweeping Spain’s Alexander Malov 4:0 (6, 7, 7, 7). The tournament concluded for Phong with a tight 3:4 (10, -9, -6, 9, 6, -10, -10) defeat against Spain’s Ladimir Mayorov in round nine. That direct-comparison loss to Tessier ultimately separated the debutant from the silver position, locking in a final match record of six wins and three losses.
The Weekend Timeline in Antibes
On Friday, October 2, Phong opened his tournament with an all-German clash against teammate Lukas Wang, winning 4:0 (7, 8, 11, 7). He followed with a 3:4 loss to France’s Noah Tessier and a 4:2 victory over Russia’s Nazar Bakirov. Saturday’s matches brought further tests. Phong defeated Czech Republic’s Ondrej Moravek 4:1 (3, 8, -10, 4, 9), edged Sweden’s Emil Ellermann 4:2 (8, 8, 8, -9, -15, 8), and outlasted Spain’s Marcos Gomez 4:2 (-9, 9, -8, 8, 6, 5).
Meanwhile, fellow German under-15 boys’ competitor Lukas Wang finished seventh overall with a 4-5 record. Wang’s Sunday schedule featured a 1:4 loss to Russia’s Nazar Bakirov, a 4:2 win over Ondrej Moravek, and a 4:2 victory against Emil Ellermann. In the under-15 girls’ bracket, Amelie Jia claimed fifth place with a 4-5 record. Jia opened Sunday’s play by defeating Poland’s Lucja Kobosz 4:2 (-10, -8, 8, 7, 7, 7), dropped a 0:4 match to Russia’s Aminina Ilimetova, and fell 2:4 to Poland’s Aleksandra Nawrocka.
Historical Context for German Contenders
Since the competition’s inception in 1985—originally staged as the Europe Youth Top 12 before transitioning to the Top 10 format in 2008—German players have accumulated 46 total medals, comprising 21 gold, 14 silver, and 12 bronze finishes. Recent under-15 and youth champions include Koharu Itagaki in 2025, Annett Kaufmann in 2020, and Kay Stumper in 2019 and 2020.
The DTTB coaching and support staff in Antibes included female NK1 under-19 national coach Lara Broich, female NK2 under-15 national coach Jie Schöpp, male NK2 under-15 national coach Frank Schönemeier, transition squad coach Dustin Gesinghaus, physiotherapist Maria Först from Neuss, and referee Christoph Gerber. FC Saarbrücken-TT alongside Tien Nghia Phong of TTC immoXone Bietigheim-Bissingen in the under-15 boys.