Wales and GB’s Anna Hursey is a guaranteed TWO-TIME medallist at the ITTF World Youth Championships – and is one match from gold in the Mixed Doubles!

Hursey and her partner Iulian Chirita of Romania today won their quarter-final against French duo Flavien Coton and Leana Hochart in the Under-19 Mixed Doubles – saving three match points on the way – and then saw off Ryuusei Kawakami & Sachi Aoki of Japan to reach the gold medal match.

Hursey later teamed up with Mia Griesel of Germany to win their Under-19 Women’s Doubles quarter-final against Aoki & Yuna Ojio of Japan.

It means Hursey is guaranteed at least a silver and a bronze.

The Girls’ Doubles semi, against Hana Goda of Egypt & Veronika Matiunina of Ukraine, is on Friday, followed by the Mixed Doubles final against Li Hechen & Qin Yuxuan of China.

In the Mixed, Coton & Hochart led at the business end of the first game, but still took four game points to get over the line 13-11.

The second saw Chirita & Hursey level, coming from 6-3 down to win 11-9, but it was another 13-11 reverse in the third game, both sides missing one game point in that one.

The fourth saw the French duo in the lead for most of the way, and they got to 10-7 to stand on the threshold of the semis themselves.

Chirita & Hursey showed amazing resilience to save those match points and, after missing a game point themselves, they took their second chance – the scoreline again 13-11.

The teams turned around at 5-4 to Chirita & Hursey. It was soon 5-5 but four successive points moved Chirita & Hursey closer to the last four. They conceded two points but brought up three match points, the second of which saw them victorious.

In the semi-final, the Europeans took the first 11-6 with few alarms, but they trailed the second 7-0 and lost it 11-1 as the Japanese pair roared back.

But Chirita & Hursey set down a marker in the third, winning the first four points and later having another run of four as they took it 11-5.

They were 5-1 down in the fourth, but level by 6-6 and both sides then led – Chirita & Hursey saving a match point before taking their own chance, winning the game 12-10 to seal a place in the gold medal match.

In the Girls’ Doubles, European Under-21 champions Hursey & Griesel were only behind after the first handful of points of their last-16 match against Sally Moyland of the USA & Kheith Cruz of Philippines.

From 2-1 down in the first game, the fourth seeds were never again headed as they completed a routine 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-4) victory.

The quarter-final against Aoki & Yna Ojio, the sixth seeds, had some nervy moments in a close three-game triumph.

The Europeans were never behind in the first, but their opponents kept pace and saved two game points before Hursey & Griesel won it 13-11.

The second saw the lead switch hands a few times, but Hursey & Griesel won two points when it mattered most, from 9-9, to move 2-0 ahead.

In the third, Hursey & Griesel made most of the running, but saw their opponents saw three match points at 10-7 and another at 11-10. The Europeans then had to save a game point before taking their next chance and sealing the semi-final spot and a place on the podium.

England’s Kacper Piwowar & Mark Gergely of Hungary were up against second seeds Zhou Ghuanhong & Yu Haiyang of China in the Under-15 Boys’ Doubles and started slowly, losing the first 11-4.

However, they competed well after that, remaining in contention though never leading the second game and saving a game point before losing it 11-9.

The third saw them ahead in a game for the first time and they had a game point at 10-9, only for the seeded pair to win the next three points and complete their victory.

Results

Under-19 Mixed Doubles
Quarter-finals
Iulian Chirita (ROU) & Anna Hursey (WAL) bt Flavien Coton & Leana Hochart (FRA) 3-2 (11-13, 11-9, 11-13, 13-11, 11-8)

Semi-finals
Chirita & Hursey bt Ryuusei Kawakami & Sachi Aoki (JPN) 3-1 (11-6, 1-11, 11-5, 12-10)

Under-19 Girls’ Doubles
Round of 16
Anna Hursey (WAL) & Mia Griesel (GER) bt Sally Moyland (USA) & Kheith Cruz (PHI) 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-4)

Quarter-final
Hursey & Griesel bt Sachi Aoki & Yuna Ojio 3-2 (13-11, 11-9, 14-12)

Under-15 Boys’ Doubles
Round of 16
Zhou Ghuanhong & Yu Haiyang (CHN) bt Kacper Piwowar & Mark Gergely (HUN) 3-0 (11-4, 11-9, 12-10)