On Sunday, 10 May 2026, the moment had finally arrived: the Dutch National Youth Championships (A‑licenses) took place in Soest. After a year of hard training and strong results in the league, we were able to compete with a beautiful group of representatives on the highest youth stage in the Netherlands. And the group was larger than at any time in recent history. No fewer than five youth players managed to obtain (or retain) their A‑license this year and qualify for the tournament: the entire youth team 1 (Noa, Jelle, Lars, Charlotte) and Jasper. Ayan was also present today—on Saturday he impressively won 3rd prize at the NJK‑B and was therefore allowed to participate in the A‑event as well. In addition to the usual coaches Theo and Jeffrey, Sergey Pevtsov and Teun Kanters joined this time to guide our players.
Doubles
The tournament began with the doubles. Charlotte and her partner Yenthe Salden had to get to work immediately in the semifinal against Marlieke de Gier and Floortje Gerritsen. Despite playing well at times, they unfortunately did not manage to reach the final.
Lars and Jelle started in the quarterfinal and impressively defeated the strong pair Lunga Mntambo and Pavlo Shytikov. The semifinal became even more exciting against Rens Loozen and Gijs Luijbregts, but they narrowly lost in five games, 10–12 in the decider.
Noa was paired with Lars Clephas for the occasion and started in the round of 16, which they won in four games. The quarterfinal turned out to be the end of the road for this duo.
Jasper and his partner Thijmen de Groot faced Luciano Andres Medrano Prado and Stijn Schuur right away. They fought hard and showed some beautiful rallies, but did not reach the next round.
Singles – Group Stage
After a long wait, it was finally time for the singles group phase.
Ayan (O11)
Ayan faced much stronger opposition in the A‑event than the day before in the B‑event. Nevertheless, he managed to win one of his four matches—well done, and very promising for the future of this young player.
Jasper
Jasper had not slept well (perhaps due to nerves?) and started the day quite tired. His first opponent was the strong Stijn Schuur, a player from the national A‑league who had given our first youth team a lot of trouble this season. Knowing he had nothing to lose, Jasper came out firing: with strong serves, active blocking, and attacking play, he surprisingly took the first two games. Unfortunately, he couldn’t maintain that high level and Stijn turned the match around to win. A disappointing result, but we were extremely proud of what Jasper showed.
He won his second match against Jesper Venendaal. After another long break, his third match against Thijmen de Groot would decide who advanced to the quarterfinals. Jasper couldn’t reach the level of his first match and was eliminated in the group stage. Still, we could look back with satisfaction at his play, attitude, and effort—a big improvement compared to last year.
Jelle
Jelle (coached by Teun) also had a flying start against the highly seeded Pavlo Shytikov, taking the first two games with ease. An upset seemed possible, and in the third game Jelle even reached match point. Unfortunately, Pavlo managed to turn the match around and took the win.
Jelle won his second match against Michael Zheng. His final match against Matthijs Laatsch would determine who advanced. Matthijs proved stronger, and Jelle did not progress.
Lars
Lars, coached by Sergey, also started against a highly seeded player: Madhav Anoop. He boldly took the first game but eventually lost the match. His second opponent, Lasse Maathuis, was an easy win. The next opponent was Leon Veerman, a familiar face from the league. In a tense five‑game match, Lars claimed the victory. This match decided the group, and Lars advanced to the round of 16.
There he met Ivar Neijssel, whom Lars had defeated in the final of the B‑ranking tournament in Soest (earning his A‑license at that event). This time, Ivar took the win, ending Lars’ NJK‑A adventure.
Noa
Noa had a day of ups and downs. After a loss to top seed Matthias Scheurwater, he became uncertain and struggled in his second match against Finn Borst. After trailing 1–2 and quite a bit of complaining, he managed to regain his level and won the last two games comfortably.
Noa continued his good form, winning his final group match and his round‑of‑16 match with ease. His journey ended in the quarterfinal against Tobias van Geffen. Still, Noa could be proud of a successful tournament—his growth continues, and losing to the two eventual finalists is certainly no shame.
Charlotte – Highlight of the Day
The highlight of the day belonged to Charlotte. Knowing she had the strong Sofja Chapochnikov in her group, she would need to win her other three matches to reach the semifinal—and she did exactly that.
Against Iris Reuver and Esmeé Volkers she had little trouble. Against her doubles partner Yenthe she faced strong resistance and had a tough moment, but still managed to win. Despite a pre‑planned strategy with coach Theo, she couldn’t do much against the untouchable Sofja, who later won the tournament. But the goal was achieved: Charlotte reached the semifinal.
There she faced Floortje Gerritsen. Knowing she had upset Floortje in Ede previously, she knew it wouldn’t be easy but that she certainly had a chance. Charlotte started bravely, and the match became a true battle of endurance. The games were close, the tension was immense, and both players produced beautiful shots. Despite several stunning winners from Charlotte, Floortje edged out the victory in the fifth game, 11–9, after a forehand miss.
Both players left the court emotional. Charlotte was disappointed to come so close to the final, yet incredibly proud of her performance. And her reward was well deserved: a fantastic third place at the NJK! A beautiful trophy and a well‑earned podium moment for Charlotte, once again proving she belongs among the best in the Netherlands (after already winning gold and silver in previous years).
Closing
After a long day full of emotion, sportsmanship, and plenty of cheering from the bench, we returned home from Soest tired but satisfied. Once again, this tournament showed what our club stands for: passion for the sport and support for one another. Our players’ ceiling is far from reached.
A special word of thanks to all coaches who stood ready throughout the day and to the parents who provided support. On to the next tournament!
Sporting regards,
Jeffrey Kang
