The junior athletes in the Werner Schlager Academy training group left an impressive stamp on the Youth National Championships in Telfs.

 

The outstanding player in the championship was Viennese

Simon Pfeffer, a member of the WSA training community since September, whose sudden level increase was rewarded by being placed (along with Stefan Leitgeb) into the highest training group at the Werner Schlager Academy with players from the national team and the international stars of Daniela Dodean and Joao Monteiro.

 

Pfeffer won all titles in the individual events he entered.  With his WSA-training colleague Stefan Leitgeb (the only player to be undefeated in the team competition), he won the doubles crown.  Pfeffer won gold in mixed doubles with WSA colleague Nicole Galitschitsch and, in a high quality final against Stefan Leitgeb (though Pfeffer had an inferior record in the team competition), won 3 – 0.

 

Nicole Galitschitsch was the outstanding girl player in the tournament.  Along with the gold in mixed doubles with Simon Pfeffer, she attained a gold in the girls' doubles event with Carinthian Melanie Dohr and a silver medal in the girls' singles event, where she lost only to recently naturalized Moldovian Sofia Polcanova (Linz).

 

In addition to Pfeffer, Leitgeb, and Galitschitsch, others from the WSA group performed very well.

 

Andreas Levenko won the team gold with Salzburg and made it to the quarterfinal round in the 12 years old event.

 

Valerie Tischler secured the gold with the Vienna team and a silver with teammate Caroline Mischek.

 

A noteworthy impression was left by Lower Austrian's Thomas Daxböck and Marianne Schwaiger (bronze in girl's singles).

 

Werner Schlager Academy Head Coach Dirk Wagner was pleased with the quality of the performances of the young Academy players.  “I think our players performed well at these Championships.”  When the WSA Head Coach Richard Prause was informed of the results, he too was satisfied with their efforts.