Bertelsmeier beats Verdonschot in all-German European Under-21 final
Bertelsmeier beat Verdonschot 4-3 in an all-German final, and Germany left Cluj-Napoca with another sign that its Under-21 pipeline is feeding the senior game.
Andre Bertelsmeier beat Wim Verdonschot 4-3 to win the 2026 European Under 21 men’s singles title in Cluj-Napoca on June 21. Bertelsmeier led 3-0, Verdonschot forced a deciding seventh game, and then Bertelsmeier slammed the door 11-3 to take gold. Connor Green of England and Darius Movileanu of Romania shared the bronze medals.
Verdonschot arrived with men’s doubles gold and mixed doubles silver, while Bertelsmeier finished his week after a deep run through the draw. Bertelsmeier said the title meant the hard work “was worth it,” called the trophy “amazing,” and said the win gives him “confidence for the future.” He also said he came early to train under local conditions in Cluj-Napoca and felt “a bit fresher” in the final because Verdonschot had played more matches.
Bertelsmeier and Verdonschot had already teamed up to win men’s doubles gold, beating Danilo Faso of Italy and Görkem Öçal of Türkiye 3-1. Between singles and doubles, the pair left Cluj-Napoca with five medals between them. Bertelsmeier even joked that he missed a chance at six medals by dropping the mixed event.
World Table Tennis listed Verdonschot at No. 63 and Bertelsmeier at No. 69 in the senior men’s singles list updated June 22. Verdonschot had risen into the world’s top 75 over the previous seven months on the back of two WTT Feeder titles and another semifinal appearance.
The European Under 21 Championships began in Sochi in 2017, added mixed doubles in 2020 and reached their 10th edition in 2026. Nearly 40 ETTU member associations have taken part over the first decade, 25 have won medals and 16 have produced at least one champion. Germany now sits third on the all-time medal table with six gold, nine silver and seven bronze, behind Romania and Poland.
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