England’s under-15 squad won team silver at the Europe Youth Series event in Bosnia-Herzegovina, while Dimitar Dimitrov and Kai Lun chow picked up individual bronzes – and there was a doubles bronze for Dimitrov & Zihan Lin.

The under-15 squad comprised Dimitrov, Kacper Piwowar, Pablo Ramirez Rioja, Alyssa Nguyen, Soraya Rahmani-Walentynska and Hannah Saunders.

They started the group stage with a 9-0 victory over Cyprus, though Rahmani-Walentynska and Dimitrov were pushed to deciding games.

They followed with a 6-3 defeat to Romania, with Piwowar picking up two of the three wins, including a 3-2 (11-6, 8-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-7) win over David Toro. Ramirez Rioja got England’s other victory.

The third match saw a 6-3 triumph over Moldova, recovering from losing the first two marches. Piwowar and Nguyen won twice each and Ramirez Rioja and Dimitrov once.

The first knockout match saw England defeat Serbia 5-3, with two wins for Piwowar and one each for Nguyen, Saunders and Ramirez Rioja – the latter 13-11 in the fifth against David Capanda. Piwowar and Saunders also both won a five-setter.

In the semi-finals, England edged past Croatia 5-4, Piwowar winning twice and Nguyen, Saunders and Ramirez Rioja once each, the latter taking the deciding ninth match 3-1 against Matija Volf.

However, England were not able to make it a golden finale as opponents Poland won 5-0 in the final to take the gold, Saunders coming closest to getting a point as she lost 3-2 (6-11, 11-2, 11-4, 10-12, 11-7) to Wanessa Kulczycka in match two.

England also had an under-13 team in action, comprising Zihan Lin, Kai Lun Chow, Lewis Wu, Amber Lemmon and Cindy Xiao.

They began the group stage with a 7-2 success against Bosnia and Herzegovina II, with Lin, Lemmon and Chow all winning twice in the singles and Chow & Lemmon taking the opening doubles.

England then recovered from 4-2 down to notch a superb 5-4 win over Romania II. Chow & Lemmon won the doubles and Lin won his first singles, and then started the comeback by winning the seventh match.

Lemmon dug very deep to beat Teodora Sardeni 3-2 (9-11, 10-12, 14-12, 12-10, 11-5) to level the match, and Chow won the decider 3-1 against Matei Nita.

There was then a 5-4 win over Montenegro, with Lemmon and Chow winning twice each and combining for the doubles.

The final match saw a 5-4 victory over Croatia, Lin and Chow winning twice each – Lin’s victories both in five including a momentous 3-2 (12-10, 11-9, 8-11, 6-11, 14-12) win over Matija Zohil in the deciding ninth match. Chow & Lemmon again won the doubles.

Despite finishing with a 100% record, England were third in the group, as the standings were worked out on number of individual match wins – and Romania II and Croatia both notched more emphatic wins during the course of the group.

In the play-off for fifth and sixth positions, England beat a Croatia/Italy combination 5-1. Chow & Lemmon won the doubles and Lemmon went on to add two singles, with Chow and Lin also notching victories.

Singles

In the under-13s, Xiao reached the first round of the girls’ competition, going out 3-2 to Klara Rahotin Pavic of Slovenia.

Lemmon finished third in her group and went into the consolation draw, where she reached the semi-finals.

Dimitrov went furthest in the boys’ event, making the podium by getting to the semi-finals, where he lost in three to Stefan Bonchev of Bulgaria.

Chow went out in the last 16, 3-2 to Mihai Iordan of Romania, while Wu lost 3-1 to Bulgaria’s Bonchev at the same stage.

Lin finished third in his group on a three-way countback for second place. In the consolation draw, he swept through to competition to take gold, ending with a 3-1 (12-10, 11-9, 3-11, 11-8) win over Tommaso Simi of Italy in the final.

In the under-15s, Nguyen went out in the first round of the girls’ event, 3-2 (9-11, 11-6, 9-11, 16-14, 11-6) to Emili Miul of Serbia. Rahmani-Walentynska lost in the second round, the last 32, to Laura Marsickova of Czechia.

Saunders, Lemmon and Xiao all went into the consolation event, Saunders and Lemmon both losing in the semi-finals and Xiao in the second round.

Chow went furthest in the U15 Boys’ Singles, reaching the semi-finals where he was beaten by eventual runner-up Samuel Kuhl of Germany.

Second seed Piwowar reached the last 16, surprisingly going out in four to Lowis Vogler of Switzerland.

Ramirez Rioja went out in the first round to Jeffrey Wei of Germany, while Dimitrov exited in the second round, the last 32, to Spyros Sarigiannidis of Luxembourg.

Lin and Wu went into the consolation event, Wu losing in the first round and Lin in the third.

Doubles

In the Under-13 Girls, Lemmon & Xiao lost in the first round to Mia Hadzovic & Lejla Botonjic of the host nation.

In the boys’ competition, sixth seeds Dimitrov & Lin reached the semi-finals, losing 3-2 (6-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-4, 11-9) to Benno Dettmer & Kirill Manalaki of Germany, the eventual runners-up.

Chow & Wu lost in five to Milan Vucetic & Djordje Mitric of Montenegro in the first round.

In the Under-15 Girls, Nguyen partnered Anastasija Zibunova of Latvia but they were defeated in the first round as there opponents Nada Dulovic (Bosnia-Herzegovina) & Anastasija Vujovic (Montenegro) came from 2-0 down to win in five.

Saunders & Rahmani-Wakentynska lost in four at the same stage to Vivien Murkova & Martina Hrabajova of Slovakia.

In the boys’ event, Piwowar & Ramirez Rioja went out in the quarter-finals to Lukas Wang & Jonas Rinderer of Germany in three.