Champions League Men | 13 May 2018
TTCLM final: Borussia travels to Russia with 3:2 win
Photo: majo-foto.de
German club beat actual TTCLM champion Orenburg in the first leg, as Timo BOLL won two matches and Kristian KARLSSON added one
Ten times TTCLM winner Borussia Dusseldorf has secured 3:2 (12:8 in sets) advantage in the first leg of 2017/18 against reigning champion and no. 1 seed Fakel Gazprom Orenburg. Timo BOLL provided two points, as he beat Dimitrij OVTCHAROV and Jun MIZUTANI, while Kristian KARLSSON concluded the clash by his win against OVTCHAROV who wasn’t in his best shape due to injury.
Timo BOLL prevailed against his team mate from the German National Team Dimitrij OVTCHAROV in four games. Host controlled the game in the first two sets, but guest managed to reach third one by a narrow margin in spite of having four set points (6:10). BOLL responded by four consecutive points in an early fourth game (4:1), making crucial run from 6:4 to 9:4.
Two left-handers met in the second encounter, as Jun MIZUTANI was extended to full distance by Kristian KARLSSON. There were dozen incredible points, but “craziest” moment was one at 10:10 in the third set, when Japanese concluded the longest rally in the match.
Third game confronted one of the youngest TTCLM participants, 20 year-old Anton KALLBERG and the oldest one, 42 year-old Vladimir SAMSONOV. Belarus legend won in four games.
Timo BOLL ended Jun MIZUTANI`s winning run to level the score at 2:2. German has improved his season`s win-loss record to 14-3, while Japanese now has 11-1. Most probably this match was BOLL`s best one in 2017/18 TTCLM so far.
KARLSSON secured victory for German team, as he overcame OVTCHAROV in straight games. Swede decided the game by five consecutive points in third set (5:7, 10:7).
Second leg will be held next Friday, May 18th, in Orenburg.
2017/18 TTCLM final, first match
Borussia Dusseldorf (no. 2 seed) – Fakel Gazprom Orenburg (no. 1 seed) 3:2
Timo BOLL – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV 3:1 (11:7, 11:8, 10:12, 11:6)
Kristian KARLSSON – Jun MIZUTANI 2:3 (8:11, 11:8, 10:12, 11:9, 12:14)
Anton KALLBERG – Vladimir SAMSONOV 1:3 (6:11, 3:11, 11:7, 6:11)
Timo BOLL – Jun MIZUTANI 3:1 (13:11, 11:8, 5:11, 11:3)
Kristian KARLSSON – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV 3:0 (11:8, 11:4, 11:8)
