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Maidstone table tennis player Luke Savill says double gold at Slovak Junior Open is his biggest success so far

Luke Savill hailed the best tournament of his life as he took double gold at the Slovak Junior Open.

The Maidstone youngster, seeded sixth, won three group matches and two knockout rounds without dropping a set to reach the quarter-finals.

There, he faced top seed Tobias Hippler of Germany and edged a see-saw clash 4-3 (9-11, 9-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-9, 3-11, 11-7) to reach the last four.

Luke Savill had plenty to celebrate in Slovakia
Luke Savill had plenty to celebrate in Slovakia

He went on to beat Csaba Andras, of Hungary, 4-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-7, 11-7) and completed his memorable triumph against German fifth seed Kay Stumper in the final with a 4-0 (16-14, 11-2, 11-9, 11-8) scoreline.

The individual title added to the team crown won by England earlier in the tournament, who beat top seeds Germany in the final, having won their group and beaten Czech Republic and Hungary in the knockout rounds.

Savill, 17, got England off to a superb start in the final by sinking Hippler in the first match by a 3-1 scoreline (11-5, 11-5, 10-12, 11-6).

He said: “Beating Hippler in the team meant I felt more confident coming into the singles and I carried it forward. I’ve been training hard recently and trying to get a few good results and it all came together at this tournament.

“I’m over the moon, it’s definitely the best performance of my career and given me a lot of confidence going forward.”

In the doubles competition, Savill and Josh Bennett, a member of the South East Performance Centre in Cranbrook, reached the quarter-finals, where they were beaten 3-1 (11-6, 4-11, 11-9, 15-13) by Csaba Andras and Oliver Both of Hungary.

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