Over the years, the duel has become an essential classic: since 2017 and the first coronation in the history of Bleuets in Mulhouse, French and Danish juniors have inevitably found themselves in the final of the European team championships in the category. The former achieved the double a year later in Tallinn (Estonia), before the Danes gave them back in the following two editions in Lahti (Finland) in 2020 and Belgrade (Serbia) in 2022.
This Saturday from 9 a.m. in Ibiza (Spain), in the apotheosis of the 2024 vintage, the two countries will therefore be opposed for the fifth consecutive time, with, at stake, a third French title or a fifteenth Scandinavian crowning since the creation of the competition . Yesterday, while Denmark beat Turkey in the quarters (3-1) and the Netherlands in the semis (3-1), the Alsatians Malya Hoareau (ASPTT Strasbourg), Camille Pognante (Red Star Mulhouse) and their partners ousted Switzerland (3-1), before signing a spectacular comeback against Poland (3-2).
Against the Swiss, the ASPTTS player, for her second appearance in singles, conceded the only French defeat in front of Leila Zarrouk (18-21, 21-17, 11-21). In mixed play with Tom Lalot Trescarte (Fos-sur-Mer), the Mulhouse native won for her first match in the tournament against Liano Panza and Anic Metzger (21-19, 21-13).
Both then played a key role in the qualification of their team, led 2-0 by the Poles. Hoareau first revived it by defeating Alicja Syrek (21-15, 21-14). Associated with Fosséenne Elsa Jacob with whom she became senior French vice-champion in the ladies’ doubles in 2024, Pognante brought the third point, that of victory, ahead of Maja Janko and Kinga Stokfisz (21-16, 21-9) .
After two gold medals, then two silvers, this 2024 generation will try this Saturday morning to adorn themselves with the most precious of the two metals against the flagship nation of the Old Continent.
