Top seeds 1. FC Saarbrücken TT secured their place in the HYLO ETTU Champions League Final 4, but only after a dramatic home encounter with GV Hennebont TT that proved far more demanding than expected.
“It was a very tough match today and we really had to fight as a team. We showed that we are very difficult to beat, even on days when we are not playing at our very best. Now we are really looking forward to the Final Four at home. There will be a lot of spectators and it will be a big event for the table tennis world, and hopefully also something very special for Saarbrücken. We are extremely excited about it,” said MOREGARD.
Three-time champions and winners of both previous Final 4 tournaments, 1. FC Saarbrücken TT arrived with a comfortable 3-0 cushion from the away leg in France. Yet the return match turned into a tense battle that went the full distance, highlighted by two major upsets from Hennebont’s Simon GAUZY and Rubio WEN.
The French no. 11 in Europe, fresh from defeating Patrick FRANZISKA at the recent CCB Europe Top 16 Cup Round of 16, stunned the home crowd by beating Olympic champion Zhendong FAN in the fourth match. Earlier in the evening, FAN, the youngest world champion and reigning Olympic gold medalist, had already fallen to Rubio WEN in a five-game thriller, giving the visitors early momentum.
Despite the setbacks, Saarbrücken’s depth ultimately proved decisive. Europe’s no. 1 Truls MOREGARD, Olympic and World Championships runner up, restored order with a strong win over GAUZY, while Darko JORGIC, runner up at last week’s CCB Europe Top 16 Cup and no. 4 in Europe, overcame Vladimir SIDORENKO to keep the German side on track. MOREGARD then sealed the tie by defeating Lev KATSMAN in four games.
“I’m very happy that we qualified for the semifinal. From the very beginning we knew it would be an extremely tough match. The opening encounter surprised us a bit, especially Rubio’s win over Fan Zhendong, but Trus gave us a great start and brought us back into the tie. I knew my match would be decisive, so I stayed fully focused from start to finish and I think I played very well. I had lost to SIDORENKO in Muscat, so I’m especially happy that I was able to take my revenge for that defeat. We were aware that a difficult task awaited us in front of a full arena, and I’m very proud of the whole team. We are really looking forward to the semifinal and we hope we can win the trophy again this year, just as we did when we captured the Champions League title,”: said JORGIC.
Seeded seventh, Hennebont pushed the favorites to their limits and underlined their quality with fearless performances, especially from GAUZY. Nevertheless, Saarbrücken combined their away-leg advantage with key home victories to confirm their status as one of the main contenders for the title and advance to the HYLO ETTU Champions League Final 4.
1. FC Saarbrücken TT – GV Hennebont TT 3-2
- Zhendong FAN – Rubio WEN 2-3 (11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 10-12, 1-6)
- Truls MOREGARD – Simon GAUZY 3-1 (11-8, 11-13, 11-8, 11-4)
- Darko JORGIC – Vladimir SIDORENKO 3-1 (11-7, 12-10, 7-11, 11-8)
- Zhendong FAN – Simon GAUZY 2-3 (11-5, 9-11, 7-11, 11-3, 5-6)
- Truls MOREGARD – Lev KATSMAN 3-1 (11-6, 12-10, 10-12, 11-6)
GV Hennebont TT (FRA)-1. FC Saarbrücken TT (GER) 0-3
- Vladimir SIDORENKO-Truls MOREGARD 1-3 (8-11,11-9,4-11,10-12)
- Simon GAUZY-Zhendong FAN 2-3 (11-4,5-11,11-7,14-16,2-6)
- Lev KATSMAN-Patrick FRANZISKA 0-3 (8-11,8-11,11-13)
