Wales’ Anna Hursey is a European Under-21 champion once again – and England’s Connor Green is also on the podium in both singles and doubles.

Hursey & Iulian Chirita of Romania added the Mixed Doubles title to their World Junior silver as they again showed their skills at a major international competition.

Meanwhile, Green has added a bronze medal in the Men’s Singles to his earlier bronze in the Men’s Doubles, having reached the semi-finals in both competitions.

The performance builds on the Europe Youth Top 10 bronze he took last October, as well as recent impressive displays at WTT events.

Click here for more reaction from Connor Green.

Singles

Green, the seventh seed, was on the brink of elimination after losing his first two singles group matches but squeezed into the knockout stage via a three-way countback for second place in the group.

He was drawn against top seed Chirita in the Round of 16, and an inspired performance saw him win 4-2 (11-9, 6-11, 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9) to move into the quarter-finals.

He faced Poland’s Mateusz Zalewski, the ninth-ranked player, for a place in the semi-finals and at least a bronze medal.

This time it went the distance as Green won the first two games, found himself 3-2 down, then battled back to take the next two – 11-5 in the decider.

When Green led his semi-final opponent Wim Verdonschot of Germany 2-1, hopes of a place in the final were raised, but Verdonschot was able to up his game and take the next three to complete a 4-2 (6-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-7) victory.

Green said after the Chirita match: “The plan was to use my backhand serve a lot and try to create opportunities on the third ball. It worked well at the beginning and gave me confidence.

“The match was very difficult. Some of the games were really close and went back and forth. In the sixth game I got a big lead, then he started coming back, but I managed to stay focused and play well on the important points.

“In the groups I only got through on countback. At one point I thought I was out of the tournament. Then I stayed in and now I’ve achieved one of the biggest wins.

“I think Iulian is definitely one of the best players I’ve ever beaten. He plays at a really high level, so I’m super happy and proud that I could beat him today.”

It has been somewhat of a rollercoaster for Green, who lost his first two singles matches, but managed to get through to the knockout stage on countback after winning his final group match.

Green was first beaten by Slovakia’s Damian Floro, ranked No 21 in the tournament, and then by Bulgaria’s Yoan Velichkov, the No 13, as the second phase of singles group matches – his first action of the event – got under way.

Green needed to win his final match against Marcel Blaszczyk of Poland and hope Velichkov beat Floro to force a three-way countback between Green, Floro and Blaszczyk.

And that is what happened, as Velichkov won in a deciding seventh and Green won in five. With all three matches in the countback having finished 4-1, it came down to points difference, and Green was the only one of the three with a positive ratio.

In the Women’s Singles, Wales’ Hursey was the top seed and defending champion and she she won her three group matches, in six games against Natalia Bogdanowicz (POL) and in five against Julie Van Hauwaert (BEL) – coming from behind in each match – and in four against Alesia Sofia Sferlea of the host nation.

Hursey then defeated Alexandra Chiriacova of Moldova 4-1 (11-5, 11-8, 11-13, 11-7, 11-5) in the round of 16 – but was surprisingly beaten 4-1 (11-6, 11-5, 11-6, 7-11, 11-5) in the quarter-finals by Alexia Nodin of France.

Jersey’s Hannah Silcock finished third in her group in the first stage and did not advance to stage two. She lost 3-1 to Lilou Massart of Belgium and 3-0 in three close games to Denmark’s Mille Stoffregen, but beat Patricia Stoica of Romania 3-1.

Doubles

Green reached the Men’s Doubles semi-finals with Mael Van Dessel of Luxembourg, going one better than they had at least year’s championships and taking bronze.

Fourth seeds Green & Van Dessel had a bye through the first round and then defeated Elias Sjogren & Isak Alfredsson of Sweden in three in the round of 16 to set up a quarter-final against Ivan Kahn & Gabrielius Camara of Netherlands.

They advanced through that, again in three straight, and faced an eye-catching duo of Danilo Faso of Italy & Turkiye’s Gorkem Ocal, who had to start in the first round, and who defeated second seeds Chirita & Andrei Istrate of Romania in the round of 16.

Both Faso and Ocal are in and around the top 20 in the world in the Under-17 bracket and they underlined their massive potential as they won 3-0 (7, 10, 9) to move into the gold medal match.

In the Mixed Doubles, top seeds Hursey & Chirita, the World Youth Championships silver medallists, were on the top step of the podium with gold medals round their neck on Saturday.

They did have to fend off a comeback by William Bergenblock (SWE) & Alexandra Chiriacova (MDA) in the round of 32 before winning 3-2 (11-5, 11-6, 7-11, 10-12, 11-4) – they won their next three rounds for the combined loss of only one game.

It was 3-1 in the final as they overcame Germany’s Wim Verdonschot & Josephina Neumann 11-8, 11-5, 7-11, 11-9.

Green and partner Veronika Matuinina of Ukraine, the second seeds, made it through two rounds and into the quarter-finals.

However, there was to be no repeat of the Men’s Doubles medal for Green as they went out to Verdonschot & Neumann 3-2 – it was 11-8 in the fifth.

Silcock, playing alongside Pert Lehtlaan of Estonia, lost out in the Round of 64 to Vit Kadlec of Czechia and Elinor Davidov of Israel, by a 3-1 (11-5, 11-6, 7-11, 11-4) scoreline.

Silcock teamed up with Davidov in the Women’s Doubles, but they went out in the first round, 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 13-11) to Emma Vendelbo Clement & Mille Stoffregen of Denmark.

England results

Men’s Singles
Stage 2, Group 7
Damian Floro (SVK) bt Connor Green 4-1 (11-9, 11-8, 11-9, 4-11, 14-12)
Yoan Velichkov (BUL) bt Green 4-0 (11-6, 11-9, 11-8, 11-7)
Green bt Marcel Blaszczyk (POL) 4-1 (12-10, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 11-3)

Round of 16
Green bt Iulian Chirita (ROU) 4-2 (11-9, 6-11, 9-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9)

Quarter-finals
Green bt Mateusz Zalewski (POL) 4-3 (11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 6-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5)

Semi-finals
Wim Verdonschot (GER) bt Green 4-2 (6-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-7)

Mixed Doubles
Round of 32
Connor Green & Veronika Matiunina (UKR) bt Nikon Shutov (AIN) & Maja Vanjo (SRB) 3-1 (11-13, 11-6, 11-1, 11-4)

Round of 16
Green & Matiunina bt Darius Movileanu (ROU) & Jade Quynh-Tien Huynh (FRA) 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-8)

Quarter-finals
Wim Verdonschot & Josephina Neumann (GER) bt Green & Matiunina 3-2 (11-6, 6-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-8)

Men’s Doubles
Round of 16
Connor Green & Mael Van Dessel (LUX) bt Elias Sjogren & Isak Alfredsson (SWE) 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-4)

Quarter-finals
Green & Van Dessel bt Ivan Kahn & Gabrielius Camara (NED) 3-0 (11-7, 11-8, 12-10)

Semi-finals
Danilo Faso (ITA) & Gorkem Ocal (TUR) bt Green & Van Dessel 3-0 (11-7, 12-10, 11-9)