After a shocking start to the day, which included seven consecutive defeats, the English players managed to secure some form of base ground from which to build at the European Youth Championships.
Before Daniel Lawrence’s 4-2 victory against Dorde Jovic, there had been seven defeats in a row with all of the junior players falling by the wayside in their singles round of 128 encounters.
Especially disappointed will be Sam Walker and George Downing who both led 3-1 before losing in the seventh games of their respective matches. Meanwhile, Yolanda King fought back from 3-0 down to 3-3 only to lose 11-5 in the decider.
Once Lawrence had broken the duck his fellow cadet players followed him into the last 64. Helshan Weerasinghe, Maria Tsaptsinos and Lois Peake were all victorious as they will play again tomorrow along with the seeded Tin-Tin Ho.
There were also numerous cadet and junior doubles matches with the girls, boys and mixed tournaments all taking place today.
The good news continued in the cadet ranks as the pairings of Weerasinghe and Tomas Polansky (CZE), Mabey and Lawrence, Ho and Peake as well as Tsaptsinos and Dagmar Penkavova (CZE) all made it through.
In the juniors there was a 50% success rate as a single pair from the boys and a single pair from the girls made it through.
George Downing and Igor Morais beat their Norwegian counterparts in a thrilling five-game battle 3-2 (13-11, 8-11, 10-12, 13-11, 11-6), while Vicky Smith and Yolanda King also progressed after a 3-1 (11-4, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6) win against their opponents from Luxembourg.
Results:
Cadet boys singles (round of 128):
Nikita Vilenchyts (BLR) bt Sam Mabey 4-2 (8-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-5, 11-8)
Daniel Lawrence bt Sanan Aliyev (AZE) 4-0 (11-8, 11-1, 11-5, 11-3)
Helshan Weerasinghe bt Dorde Jovic (SRB) 4-2 (9-11, 10-12, 11-5, 11-9, 11-8, 11-8)
Cadet girls singles (round of 128):
Maria Tsaptsinos bt Katarina Belopotocanova (SVK) 4-1 (11-3, 11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6)
Lois Peake bt Alja Salkic (BIH) 4-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-2, 11-8)
Junior boys singles (round of 128):
Diogo Chen (POR) bt Sam Walker 4-3 (2-11, 11-5, 6-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 12-10)
Patrik Sukic (SLO) bt Lewis Gray 4-2 (8-11, 11-8, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-9)
Elad Kuperberg (ISR) bt George Downing 4-3 (5-11, 8-11, 14-12, 9-11, 17-15, 11-9, 11-9)
Junior girls singles (round of 128):
Paulina Nowacka (POL) bt Vicky Smith 4-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-8, 11-4)
Katarzyna Nowocin (POL) bt Yolanda King 4-3 (11-8, 11-6, 11-5, 10-12, 7-11, 11-13, 11-5)
Andreea Rosca (ROU) bt Emily Bates 4-2 (10-12, 11-4, 10-12, 11-3, 11-8, 14-12)
Cadet boys doubles (round of 64):
Polansky (CZE)/Weerasinghe bt Balaban/Mladenovic (LUX) 3-0 (11-2, 11-2, 11-7)
Mabey/Lawrence bt Franckaitis/Mutcoglo (LTU/MDA) 3-0 (11-9, 12-10, 11-6)
Cadet girls doubles (round of 64):
Tsaptsinos/Penkavova (CZE) bt Krsiakova/Cerovska 3-2 (11-9, 12-10, 7-11, 4-11, 11-9)
Ho/Peake bt Synytsyna/Gaydey (UKR) 3-1 (10-12, 11-7, 11-2, 11-4)
Junior boys doubles (round of 64):
Downing/Morais bt Lindholm/Flaglien (NOR) 3-2 (13-11, 8-11, 10-12, 13-11, 11-6)
Duda/Pucar (GER/CRO) bt Walker/Gray 3-0 (11-7, 11-7, 11-2)
Junior girls doubles (round of 64):
Stefcova/Mynarova (CZE) bt Bates/Dawson 3-0 (11-5, 11-3, 11-7)
Smith/King bt Mezzapesa/Modert (LUX) 3-1 (11-4, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6)
Junior mixed doubles (round of 64):
Kulpa/Jeger (POL/CRO) bt Walker/Dawson 3-1 (11-5, 18-16, 3-11, 12-10)
Reitspies/Stefcova (CZE) bt Morais/Smith 3-1 (11-1, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5)
Cadet mixed doubles (round of 64):
Weerasinghe/Ho bt Vilenchyts/Tsikhanava (BLR) 3-0 (11-5, 12-10, 11-5)
Ulucak/Kulakceken (TUR) bt Mabey/Tsaptsinos 3-0 (11-5, 11-4, 11-6)
Cadet mixed doubles (round of 32):
Khosbakht/Fronth (SWE) bt Weerasinghe/Ho 3-1 (10-12, 11-9, 3-11, 11-4, 11-8)