by Ian Marshall, Editor

At the final hurdle they recorded a most impressive 3-0 win against the no.4 seeds, Hungary’s Csaba Andras, Oliver Both and Akos Kishegyi, having previously in the day gained equally impressive results.

Earlier a 3-1 quarter-final verdict had been the outcome against the no.3 seeds, the Portuguese combination of Tiago Li, Samuel da Silva and Goncalo Gomez, as it was at the semi-final stage when facing the no.2 seeds, the Spanish trio formed by Alberto Lillo, Francisco Miguel Ruiz and Marc Gutierrez.

Progress to the final without the need for a deciding fifth match; for Csaba Andras, Oliver Both and Akos Kishegyi, it was somewhat different. In the quarter-final round they needed the full five matches to overcome the no.18 seeds, the host nation trio comprising Arnau Pons, Iker Gonzalez and Norbert Tauler. Mainstay of the victory was Oliver Both, he accounted for Iker Gonzalez (11-8, 6-11, 12-10, 8-11, 13-11) and in the vital fifth match of the fixture, Arnau Pons (11-8, 11-8, 11-8).

Progress to the semi-finals, it was in that round the Hungarians caused a major upset; they secured a 3-0 win in opposition to the outfit formed by Moldova’s Vladislav Ursu and Felix Cozmolici who joined forces with Brazil’s Guilherme Teodoro. Most notably in the second match of the fixture, Csaba Andras accounted for Vladislav Ursu (11-8, 11-7, 11-5), the winner two days earlier of the junior boys’ singles title.

Success against the odds in the junior boys’ team event, it the cadet boys’ team competition, the names of the winners were as anticipated. Russia’s Denis Izumrudov and Vladislav Makarov, the top seeds, secured the title at the final expense of the French pairing of Hugo Deschamps and Felix Lebrun, the no.3 seeds; a 3-1 margin of victory being the outcome.

A direct entry to the semi-finals, earlier in the day, the Russian duo had also caused France heartache by securing a 3-0 win in opposition to the no.9 seeds, Milhane Jellouli and Alexis Kourachi.

Meanwhile, in the adjacent half of the draw it had been to some extent role reversal.

At the quarter-final stage Hugo Deschamps and Felix Lebrun had secured a 3-0 win against Russia’s Alexey Perfilyev and Sergey Ryzhov, the no.5 seeds, before at the semi-final stage being extended the full five match distance by the no.2 seeds, Germany’s Mike Hollo and Felix Kohler.

The junior boys’ team and cadet boys’ team events concluded; attention now turns to the cadet boys’ singles and cadet boys’ doubles competitions. Play concludes in Platja d’Aro on Sunday 5th May.