Likewise, he is the top seed in the junior boys’ team event alongside Lovro Zovko; in Slovenia with Leon Santek added to the line-up, they finished in the bronze medal position.

Notably Lovro Zovko is the no.4 seed in the junior boys’ singles competition behind Slovakia’s Filip Delincak and Peru’s Carlos Fernandez. All three have yet to make an impact in the junior scene this year but Carlos Fernandez has enjoyed cadet success. On this year’s ITTF World Junior Circuit, he won in Chile, in Thailand he reached the quarter-final round.

Heads list

Significantly in Skopje, he is the top seed in the cadet boys’ team event alongside Belgium’s Tom Closset and in the same spot in the cadet boys’ singles competition. He appears ahead of Romania’s Andrei Istrate and Paul Szilagyi; Norway’s Martin Froseth is next in line.

At the recent Slovenia Junior and Cadet Open, Andrei Istrate secured the cadet boys’ singles title.

Radmila Tominjak

Meanwhile, the young lady very much at the forefront in matters is Serbia’s Radmila Tominjak. She is the top seed in the junior girls’ team event alongside colleague Reka Bezeg, the duo occupying the respective top two places in the junior girls’ seeding.

Next in line is Italy’s Elisa Armanini followed by the Czech Republic’s Martina Novakova. All are players who have yet to make an impact on the international scene; Skopje provides a major opportunity.

It is the same situation in the cadet girls’ singles, a major opportunity to gain international success is presented. Chrysi Fotiadou of Greece is the top seed ahead of Belgium’s Julie Van Hauwaert and Sara Devos. Romania’s Evelyn Ungvari is the no.4 seed. In the cadet girls’ team competition, Sara Devos and Julie Hauwaert occupy the top seeded spot.

Play commences with the team events.