It was double French joy at the Cadet Six Nations as Bastien Rembert and Vony-Ange Randrioantsoa claimed the singles titles, with England’s Tom Jarvis the beaten finalist in the boys’ event.
It completed a great weekend for the French, who also won the girls’ team title and were second in the boys’ team competition.
Boys’ singles
Jarvis had to settle for the silver medal in Lilleshall as the Skegness youngster, who recently won the Spanish Youth Open, was beaten 3-0 by Rembert in the final.
The French youngster was out of the traps quickly, taking the first 11-3. The second was a ding-dong battle decided in Rembert’s favour 16-14, with the help of a net-cord at game point.
When the pair met during the team competition, Jarvis came from 1-0 and 2-1 down to win in five, and another comeback was now required.
But it was not to be as the champion’s serve proved a crucial weapon and, despite Jarvis saving three championship points, Rembert took the third 11-6 to seal the title.
Afterwards, Jarvis said: “The guy played out of his skin in the final and was too good for me.
“His serve was giving me a lot of trouble and he had a lot of luck. If I had got the second set, the whole match could have been different.
“But I’ve had a good weekend, I’m happy to get a medal.”
Jarvis had been drawn against fellow Englishman Luke Savill in the quarter-finals and always had enough in hand in a 11-9, 11-9, 11-7 win.
Alex Ramsden was the third English player to qualify for the knockout stage, and his day also ended in the quarter-finals as he was beaten by Dorian Zheng of France.
The left-hander took the first game 11-8 but Zheng gradually got to grips with the match and levelled by taking the second 11-9. And although Ramsden was never out of the match, he was unable to apply enough pressure and Zheng took the next two 12-10, 11-8.
It meant Jarvis would face Zheng in the last four, and he never looked in danger of losing as he powered to a 11-7, 11-7, 11-6 victory.
Leo De Nodrest and Rembert won the other quarter-finals against Fanbo Meng (Ger) and Vilmer Georgsson (Swe) respectively, giving France three of the semi-final berths.
And it was Rembert who prevailed 3-1 to set up the final meeting with Jarvis.
Group stages
The English trio had earlier made it through their groups, Jarvis winning all six of his matches, Ramsden four of his five and Savill four of six.
However, Hugo Pang exited at the group stage despite winning three matches out of five, while the England girls were all unable to make progress at Lilleshall.
Jarvis and Savill both continued from their winning starts on Saturday, the former seeing off Sweden’s Martin Friis 3-0 and Savill making it three wins on the spin with a 3-1 margin over Antoine Doyen of France.
It was the start of a roll for Jarvis as he defeated Norway’s Jakob Kvanevig, Germany’s Sven Hennig and Collin Jager of the Netherlands in three straight.
France’s Vincent Picard broke the spell, taking Jarvis to five, the Englishman winning the decider 11-8 to confirm top spot in the group.
Savill suffered his first defeat in his second match of the day, 3-2 at the hands of Germany’s Fanbo Meng and then found Truls Moregardh a tough opponent as the Swede won 3-1, but he recovered to win his last match, against Kirill Fadeev of Germany, 3-1 – clinching second spot in the group.
Ramsden proved to be a five-set specialist. His two matches on Saturday had gone the distance (one win, one defeat) and, after opening today with a 3-0 win over Adrian Wetzel of Norway, he reverted to type.
First he had to stave off a fightback by Sweden’s Melker Nilsson, winning in the fifth having been pegged back from 2-0 up. Then Roel Bogie was sent packing in five as Ramsden finished second in the group.
Pang made it three out of three by beating Tom Mykietyn in his first match today, though he did it the hard way by coming from behind to beat the German in five. He then suffered his first reverse of the group, 3-1 at the hands of Dorian Zheng of France, and ended up with a 3-0 defeat to Sweden’s Vilmer Georgsson, finishing with a record of three wins and two defeats.
Girls’ singles
France’s Vony-Ange Randrioantsoa saved six match points as she clawed back from 2-0 to claim the title against Germany’s Natalia Mozler.
Mozler took the first two games 12-10 and 11-8, but Randrioantsoa fought back to reduce the deficit by taking the third 11-7.
The real drama came in the fourth as Mozler missed six championship points in a protracted battle, which finally went to the French girl 19-17.
And Randrioantsoa made her comeback count as she took the decider 11-7.
Four French girls, three Germans and a Norwegian had qualified for the quarter-finals, with the French all drawn to play each other.
And it was Randrioantsoa and Juliette Gasqez who prevailed, beating Alessia Schaccia and Marose Al Hamra respectively.
Mozler won the all-German clash against Johanna Wiegand, while Norway’s Rebekka Carlsen beat Germany’s Qian Wan.
Randrioantsoa saw off compatriot Gasqez 3-1 in the last four, while Mozler defeated Carlsen by the same score.
Group stages
Denise Payet and Zahna Hall had the best records as all four English girls exited in the group stage.
Payet, whose first two matches on Saturday had gone to five (one win, one defeat), was brushed aside 3-0 by Germany’s Qian Wan but bounced back to defeat seed Hanna Kjellson of Sweden 3-2 and Norway’s Sarha Horgen 3-1.
Her final match in the group of seven also went to five as she clawed back from 2-0 down against Anastasia Bondareva, only to lose the decider.
It meant Payet had won three and lost three – not enough to make it through to the knockout stage.
Hall saved three match points to take it 13-11 in the fifth against Lisa Hafn of Sweden and followed that up with a 3-1 win over Yoeke Gunsing of the Netherlands. Her final match saw Maja Gjelle prove too strong, the Norwegian winning 3-0. That left Hall with a record of two wins and three defeats.
Kate Cheer, in a group of seven, opened with a 3-0 reverse at the hands of Kornelia Jonsson on Sweden and was then beaten by the same score by French pair Alessia Schaccia and Camille Lutz. She got some sets on the board against Rebekka Carlsen of Norway before going down 13-11 in the fifth, and she ended with a 3-0 defeat to Dutch girl Felicia Faas.
Kate Nixon, who had taken her first two opponents to five, was beaten 3-0 by Marose Al Hamra of France, Rachel Gerarts (Ned) and German girl Natalia Mozler.
Results
Girls’ quarter-finals:
Vony-Ange Randrioantsoa (Fra) 3-0 Alessia Schaccia (Fra) (11-7, 11-4, 13-11)
Marose Al Hamra (Fra) 1-3 Juliette Gasqez (Fra) (11-8, 9-11, 8-11, 8-11)
Rebekka Carlsen (Nor) 3-2 Qian Wan (Ger) (9-11, 12-10, 5-11, 11-8, 12-10)
Johanna Wiegand (Ger) 0-3 Natalia Mozler (Ger) (9-11, 5-11, 8-11)
Semi-finals:
Randrioantsoa 3-1 Gasqez (11-7, 8-11, 11-5, 11-5)
Carlsen 1-3 Mozler (11-8, 2-11, 4-11, 5-11)
Final:
Randrioantsoa 3-2 Mozler (10-12, 8-11, 11-7, 19-17, 11-7)
Boys’ quarter-finals:
Dorian Zheng (Fra) 3-1 Alex Ramsden (Eng) (8-11, 11-9, 12-10, 11-8)
Luke Savill (Eng) 0-3 Tom Jarvis (Eng) (9-11, 9-11, 7-11)
Fanbo Meng (Ger) 0-3 Leo De Nodrest (Fra) (9-11, 6-11, 10-12)
Vilmer Georgsson (Swe) 1-3 Bastien Rembert (Fra) (7-11, 7-11, 13-11, 8-11)
Semi-finals:
Zheng 0-3 Jarvis (7-11, 7-11, 6-11)
De Nodrest 1-3 Rembert (7-11, 10-12, 11-9, 3-11)
Final:
Jarvis 0-3 Rembert (3-11, 14-16, 6-11)