France may head into the 2026 European U19 Individual Championships with both title favourites — but Oriol Salvia Ripoll is bidding to add Spanish flavour to the podium.
Salvia is seeded 3/4 for the boys’ title at the European U19 Individual event (28-31 March) at Atras Squash Club in Krakow. This precedes the Mixed Team event which runs from 2-5 April.
Although France’s defending champions Amir Khaled-Jousselin and Lauren Baltayan look very strong favourites for the boys’ and girls’ titles respectively, European no.4 Salvia has his own high ambitions for the trip to Poland.
“My goal in the European Individuals is to bring a medal home,” says the 18-year-old. “I believe I can do that if I play my best squash.
“Amir is the favourite to win. He is apart from the rest of the players. But apart from him, I think I can compete with everyone and go for the win against them.
“If I get a medal there, it would be the best result so far in my career.”
Only once since the European U19 Individuals began in 1989 has a Spaniard been crowned champion (Cristina Gomez in 2017 in Lisbon) and only twice has Spain had a runner-up (Edmon Lopez in 2015 and Margaux Pitarch in 2003).
Salvia is based in Sant Just Desvern near Barcelona where he plays at Mèlich Sportsclub. His father (also called Oriol, pictured above) reached world no.83 in 2002 and his mother Marta played for Spain and reached the quarter-finals of the European U19 Individuals in 1998.
Their teenage son — who reached the quarter-finals in his first overseas PSA Tour event in Finland last weekend — has plenty of evidence to support his quest for a podium finish in Krakow.
This year so far, he has won the Austrian Junior Open in Vienna and finished third at the German Junior Open, taking the first game against European no.1-ranked Mohammed Alnasfan in the semi-finals. A strong showing in Birmingham in January also pleased him.
“I finished 10th at the British Junior Open which was a very big result for me,” he says.
“After that position, I train harder, searching for even bigger results. It gives me a lot of confidence because I knew that I worked very hard for it. It showed me I can play with a lot of top players.”
A look at the seedings…
Khaled-Jousselin (pictured above), who won last year’s European U19 Individual title aged just 16, will have England’s recently-crowned British junior champion Dylan Roberts as his main challenger. Ripoll has England’s Ronnie Hickling as his fellow 3/4 seed.
In the women’s draw, France’s other defending champion Lauren Baltayan is top seed. The glorious winner of January’s British Junior Open U19 crown is already an established member of France’s senior team and has played 25 PSA Tour events, winning four titles on the Challenger Tour.
England’s 17-year-old Mariam Eissa, a GU17 bronze medallist at the British Junior Open, will be girls’ second seed in Krakow, with her compatriot Reka Kemecsei and US-based Belgian Savannah Moxham the 3/4 seeds.
You will be able to watch the ESF European U19 Individual and Mixed Team Championships on European Squash TV!
Check out the players and seedings for the ESF European U19 Individual Championships here
(Top images: German Junior Open 2024)
