On the final day of the 2025 HYLO Champions League Final 4 in Saarbrücken, the title will be decided between Borussia Düsseldorf and 1. FC Saarbrücken TT — marking the fourth time these two powerhouses meet in the final of the competition, and the second consecutive time under the Final 4 format. The first semifinal, between Borussia Düsseldorf and KS Dartom Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki, ended in favor of the German giants, who have already claimed six Champions League titles and six Europe Cup of Champions trophies — more than any other club in the competition’s history. In their quest for a third consecutive title, the host club 1. FC Saarbrücken TT overcame Polish side KS Global Pharma Orlicz 1924 Suchedniów to book their place in Sunday’s final. KS GLOBAL PHARMA ORLICZ 1924 SUCHEDNIÓW – 1 FC Saarbrücken Tischtennis e.V. 0-3 Jeongwoo PARK – Patrick FRANZISKA 2-3 (2-11, 10-12, 11-9, 11-7, 2-6) From the very first point, 1. FC Saarbrücken Tischtennis e.V. showed they were on a mission. Patrick FRANZISKA left Jeongwoo PARK without an answer to his game, taking the opening game in dominant fashion. The second game saw a better start from PARK, whose strong service helped him stay in the rally. However, Patrick was in no mood for charity — he withstood the pressure and converted his second game ball to take a 2-0 lead. In the third game, FRANZISKA faced serious pressure, as PARK unleashed a series of remarkable spins coming at lightning speed. The Korean narrowed the gap after some fantastic exchanges from both sides and, with full momentum, dominated the fourth game to force a decider. But FRANZISKA came out in full force in the fifth, reclaiming control and sealing the victory to give the defending champions a perfect start. “I started strong, but from the third game PARK showed why their team made it to the semis. He played so fast I could barely see where the ball was coming from. In the fifth game, I had to raise my level to 110 percent to win. Thanks to the great support from the Saarlandhalle crowd, I made it — they’re the ones who make the difference in such tight situations,” said FRANZISKA. Mateusz ZALEWSKI – Truls MOREGARD 1-3 (2-11, 11-9, 4-11, 3-11) Just a week after winning the bronze medal at the ITTF World Championships in Qatar, Truls MOREGARD returned to action — and true to his reputation, he stormed through the opening game. In the second, it took some time before Mateusz ZALEWSKI found his rhythm. Applying more pressure, he came back from 5-8 down, leveled the score, and eventually took the game to nullify Truls’ early advantage. MOREGARD responded fiercely. The Swede dominated the next two games to seal the match with a confident victory. “It was a bit difficult to adjust in such a short time after the World Championships — the matches here are shorter and the table is different — but with the fantastic support I get here, it’s fine. It’s a different feeling compared to last season when I played in the semis for TTC Neu-Ulm. Now, I really feel like I’m at home here,” said Truls, who famously beat both FRANZISKA and JORGIĆ last year, although his team lost the semifinal. Deni KOZUL – Darko JORCIC 2-3 (11-5, 11-9, 8-11, 6-11, 4-6) KOZUL had the better start in the all-Slovenian clash between two national teammates. He dominated the opening game, and although JORGIC managed to apply a bit more pressure in the second, he continued to struggle. KOZUL didn’t allow him to take control — after a few early exchanges of advantage, Deni held his ground and leveled at 8-8 and 9-9 before closing out the game to go 2-0 up. But the momentum shifted in the third. Darko JORGIC regrouped and won the game to stay in the match. He then forced a decider with a thrilling finish in the fourth that had spectators on the edge of their seats. In a nerve-wracking fifth game, JORGIC held his composure and launched the defending champions into yet another Champions League final. “We are very good friends and have known each other for 15 years. I started the match very passively, while he was very aggressive. Then I told myself, ‘If you want to win, you have to attack’ — and I did,” said JORGIC. KS DARTOM BOGORIA Grodzisk Mazowiecki – Borussia Düsseldorf 1-3 Milosz REDZIMSKI – Dang QIU 0-3 (11-13, 5-11, 11-13) QIU started with fierce intensity, but REDZIMSKI kept pace. In the opening game, Dang gained the early advantage, yet Milosz held on, leveling the score at 7-7 and later at 10-10. He saved two game points and even had one of his own, but QIU capitalized on his third opportunity to secure the game. The second game went clearly in QIU’s favor, but the third turned into another tight battle. REDZIMSKI led 7-6 and pushed the game into yet another close finish. He had a game point to stay in the match but couldn’t convert. On the other side, QIU seized his first opportunity to seal the win. “Milosz started really strong and he forced to give my best,” said QIU. Marek BADOWSKI – Anton KALLBERG 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 12-10) The clash between Marek BADOWSKI and Anton KÄLLBERG was a much closer affair, with Marek taking control early to win the opening game. Despite a stronger start from KÄLLBERG in the second, BADOWSKI responded well, regaining momentum and forcing his opponent into errors. In the final stages, Anton saved two game points, and at 10-9, BADOWSKI called a timeout. Upon returning to the table, the Polish player managed to close out the game. In the third game, KÄLLBERG took more risks, but once Marek settled into the new rhythm, the match became evenly balanced again. KÄLLBERG had a chance to stay in the match at 10-9, but BADOWSKI saved it and eventually secured the win. “The crucial moment was the second game. Anton had

Before the start of the first semifinal match at the 2025 HYLO Champions League Final 4 between Borussia Düsseldorf and KS Dartom Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Timo BOLL was presented with a special award in recognition of his outstanding career. The award was presented by ETTU President Pedro MOURA, honouring BOLL’s remarkable contribution and lasting influence on the sport of table tennis. “Thank you for the unforgettable moments. Thank you, and congratulations on your outstanding achievements in European table tennis. Please stay around and don’t leave us,” said MOURA. Timo BOLL: 150 Champions League Wins for Borussia Düsseldorf “To finish with a title would be really nice!” Timo BOLL recently reaffirmed what he had already stated last August: “I would love to win one more title with Borussia!” He still has two chances to do so – at 2025 HYLO Champions League Final 4 in Saarbrücken this weekend (May 31/June 1) and the German Championship on June 15. No club has won more titles in Champions League than Borussia Düsseldorf – and no player more than Timo BOLL. He arrived on the Rhine in 2006 already as Champions League champion. He had previously won the title in 2005 and 2006 with his former club TTV Gönnern. With the German record champions, he lifted the trophy in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2021 – he missed out in 2022 as the final against Russian club Orenburg was canceled due to the war in Ukraine. Timo BOLL: “Nicest and most memorable was the first championship with Gönnern. It was such a big surprise and for a small club like Gönnern a crazy achievement. “ He also played in four more finals. This year, Danny HEISTER’S team – with the now 44-year-old Boll – is one win away from another final. On Saturday, their opponent is Bogoria Mazowiecki from Poland. But first, a look back at the remarkable stats of this exceptional athlete: 150 Champions League victories in 125 appearances wearing the red jersey. He has been undefeated in the TTCL since the epic semifinal against Neu-Ulm in 2023, where he narrowly lost 2–3 to Truls MÖREGÅRDH. Interestingly, MÖREGÅRDH could be his opponent again in a potential final against Saarbrücken, having transferred there –for the Champions League – from the Danube to the Saar. Since that match, Boll has won eight straight TTCL games and in his 18-year international career, he has only had to congratulate an opponent 35 times.

The city of Saarbrücken will once again be the focal point of top-level European club table tennis this weekend, as it hosts the 2025 HYLO Champions League Final 4. One of the standout semifinal clashes will see the host club and reigning champion, 1. FC Saarbrücken TT, take on Polish side KS Global Pharma Orlicz 1924 Suchedniów. The German squad boasts a powerful lineup that includes Truls MOREGARD, fresh from winning bronze at the World Championships, Patrick FRANZISKA, Darko JORGIĆ, Cedric MEISSNER, Eduard IONESCU, and Yuto MURAMATSU. Their opponents from Suchedniów, however, have shown no fear throughout their historic run, with Robert FLORAS, Deni KOZUL, Mateusz ZALEWSKI, and Jeongwoo PARK proving they can compete with Europe’s elite. Patrick FRANZISKA, who recently returned from the World Championships in Qatar where he reached the Round of 16, shared his thoughts ahead of the crucial semifinal: “We are used to playing a lot of competitions after big events. So, I had two, three days of rest with the family and then after that, I was in full swing again. The motivation is very high since we play on home soil and want to defend our title. We practice together in Saarbrücken — the whole team — Truls came little later. I think the spirit has been very good throughout the Champions League season. We have a clear goal, and that’s to win the semi-final, first of all, tomorrow on Saturday.” Asked to analyze the adversaries, FRANZISKA added: “They have a strong Korean player, who beat Jonathan GROTH, for example, in the quarter-finals. So I guess he won’t be easy to beat. And then with Danny KOZUL — a guy who played in Saarbrücken and knows Darko especially well — it promises to be a pretty interesting semi-final. But of course, our goal is to make it to the final.” KS Global Pharma Orlicz 1924 Suchedniów have already caused a major upset this season, but the German side will be a tough team to overcome. “Our strength is that we’re a very strong team across all positions, and we can all play in different positions. I think it’s hard for the adversary to predict how we will line up. Our confidence comes from knowing each other very well and genuinely enjoying being together — that’s what makes us strong. Our confidence is pretty high at the moment.”