Champions League Men | 29 Nov 2014

Chartres reminds on its power

In tonight`s Round 5 matches of Men`s European Champions League it`s Chartres significantly improved its chances to progress in quarter-final, Werder Bremen missed its last opportunity for that, Borussia continued its dominancy in Group D, Sten Marketing

Borussia confirmed the top spot of Group D, sending clear message to other title pretenders that they have to count on it in that race. After two bad seasons, hit by several injuries, Dusseldorf’s side performs like in its best time. Tonight they lost just one set against GV Hennebont and now has 5-0 score and outstanding 15-2 set-ratio.

Timo BOLL beat CHEN Chien-An in straight games of the opening match, to improve his individual season`s record to 7-0 (21-3 in sets). Guest forced German to play his best table tennis in first two tight sets, but in third he had no solution to stop him. Experienced Greek Panagiotis GIONIS confidently overcame young Frenchman Quentin ROBINOT, while Indian Sharat Kamal ACHANTA defeated Kalinikos KREANGA in four sets to secure fifth consecutive win for Borussia.

The 2013 MECL runner-up Chartres reached its second consecutive victory and now controlled fully its destiny in Group B. GAO Ning & Co. beat tonight 2013 Bundes liga winner Werder Bremen 3:0. “The Greens”, MECL semi-finalists in 2012/13, reached only one set (STEGER against GERELL). It could say that first match between GAO and Adrian CRISAN directed the whole clash. Singaporean won it in straight games, but each set was very close and tense. Robert GARDOS dominated against Constantin CIOTI who got just 13 points in total.

After the game between Angers and Sten Marketing in France the real winner is German Saarbrucken! Czech side won away and now it has, like Angers, 1-4 score. It means that both have no chance to reach quarter final, while Saarbrucken (3-2) automatically secured the place for the next stage. Sten Marketing now has the better chance than Angers to finish as no. 3 in Group C and to continue in ETTU Cup. Man of the match was Pavel SIRUCEK who won two encounters, both in five games, against Christophe LEGOUT and Jens LUNDQVIST.

MECL Round 5 - Group B

Chartres ASTT – SW Werder Bremen 3:0
GAO Ning – Adrian CRISAN 3:0 (12:10, 11:9, 12:10)
Par GERELL – Bastian STEGER 3:1 (6:11, 11:8, 11:8, 16:14)
Robert GARDOS – Constantin CIOTI 3:0 (11:4, 11:3, 11:6)

Group C

Vaillante Angers – Sten Marketing HB Ostrov 1:3
Jens LUNDQVIST – Tomas TREGLER 3:0 (11:8, 11:8, 13:11)
Christophe LEGOUT – Pavel SIRUCEK 2:3 (11:9, 12:10, 8:11, 5:11, 7:11)
Benjamin BROSSIER – Petr KORBEL 0:3 (10:12, 7:11, 3:11)
Jens LUNDQVIST – Pavel SIRUCEK 2:3 (11:7, 7:11, 11:9, 9:11, 6:11)

Group D

Borussia Dusseldorf – GV Hennebont 3:0
Timo BOLL – CHEN Chien-An 3:0 (12:10, 13:11, 11:5)
Panagiotis GIONIS – Quentin ROBINOT 3:0 (11:7, 11:3, 15:13)
Sharat Kamal ACHANTA – Kalinikos KREANGA 3:1 (8:11, 11:7, 11:6, 11:9)

Alex MILETIC, EWT, Alex MILETIC, EWT