The ETTU Champions League Women’s historic season officially kicked off today in Novi Sad. Stage 1 marks the first step toward the inaugural ETTU Champions League Women Final 4. Top-seeded club SKST Plus Hodonín from Czechia justified their status, but only after a hard-fought battle against Poland’s PGE Fibrain KU AZS Politechnika Rzeszów. The Polish side had the better start, as 2013 European champion Fen LI defeated Karin GROFOVA. Binyue ZHANG then doubled the advantage with a win over Zuzanna WIELGOS, before Yerin KIM widened the gap to 2–1. At that point, LI and ZHANG looked ready to seal the victory, but LI was forced to withdraw due to injury. “I went for a smash, but then I felt pain in the arm ligament. I have a problem with my elbow. I hope I will be ready for tomorrow,” said LI. With the score tied at 2–2, WIELGOS and GROFOVA returned to the table. At 5–5 in the decisive game, GROFOVA seized the golden point to secure the win. “They call me the expert for the golden point. I rarely lose it,” GROFOVA said with a smile of relief. “WIELGOS is very strong in the service game, but the key was to return well, and I managed to do it.” Meanwhile, French side Saint-Denis TT 93 produced a commanding victory, sweeping Spain’s MIRÓ Ganxets Costa Daurada in straight matches. Hana ARAPOVIC, Jie LI, and Agathe AVEZOU dropped only one game in the process. Hosts STK Novi Sad overcame former Champions League winners, Croatia’s STK Dr. Časl, in a thrilling 3–2 victory. Aneta MAKSUTI gave the hosts a dream start. Experienced Szandra PERGEL pushed MAKSUTI to the full distance but failed to capitalize. “I’m really glad we started with a victory, we are all happy. My match was a bit uncertain — I was leading 2–0, and then I don’t know what happened. Szandra is very experienced, but at 5–3 for her in the fifth game I gave everything I had and managed to turn it around and win. I hope that gave some extra motivation to the team. My teammates played great, the atmosphere was fantastic, the crowd supported us, and this win was really important for us. I hope we will play just as well the day after tomorrow,” said MAKSUTI. Coach Miloš TIOSAVLJEVIĆ added: “As always, the first match in a tournament is probably the toughest. We started really well, Aneta won the first two games relatively easily, but PERGEL found her rhythm, leveled at 2–2, and even led 5–3 in the decider with two match points. Aneta didn’t give up, she kept believing in herself and managed to turn it around, winning the decisive points. That finish definitely lifted the spirits of her Russian teammates who joined us for this tournament.” Stage 1 features clubs seeded from positions 9 to 16, divided into two groups of four teams. The group winners and runners-up will progress to Stage 2, where they will join the automatically qualified top eight seeds. Stage 2 will consist of four groups of three clubs each. The winners and runners-up from those groups will advance to the quarterfinals, contested in home-and-away format. The four winners will then proceed to the first-ever Women’s Champions League Final 4.
ETTU Champions League Stage 1 Opens in Novi Sad with Alexis LEBRUN’s Return
The 2025 ETTU Champions League Women and Men Stage 1 commenced today in Novi Sad. Over three days of play, two top clubs from each group will secure their place in the next stage. The greatest upset on the opening day came from Europe Cup quarterfinalists Real Club Cajasur Priego TM. The Spanish side, featuring Hampus SÖDERLUND, Carlos MACHADO, and Alejandro CALVO, defeated the highest-seeded club on duty in Novi Sad — French AS Pontoise Cergy TT, with Europe’s no. 19 Liam PITCHFORD, Alexandre CASSIN, and Flavio MOURIER. PITCHFORD lost both of his matches, first to MACHADO and then to CALVO. “We came here without Robert GARDOS. We were under pressure and disappointed with the situation, and our chances looked slimmer. Eventually, I had to play, and it was so satisfying for me because, at the age of 45, I managed to beat PITCHFORD in the opener. Such a good start boosted our confidence and motivation. We kept the pressure on until the victory,” said MACHADO. No. 2 seeds in Stage 1, Germany’s Post SV Mühlhausen 1951 e.V. last season’s Europe Cup semifinalists, prevailed against Polish club Dojlidy Białystok, but not without a fight. The Polish side stretched the contest to the full distance, with Patryk CHOJNOWSKI and Piotr CHODORSKI both overcoming Cheng-Ting LIAO. Ovidiu IONESCU proved to be the backbone of the German team’s success with two wins, while Kay STUMPER added one more. Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier, led by Europe’s no. 3 Alexis LEBRUN, overcame ASD TT Santa Tecla Nulvi in straight matches. “Last year we had a difficult draw against Borussia Düsseldorf in the quarterfinals, playing for a place in the Final 4. It was our first really big challenge as a team, but it was a very good experience. After that match, we improved a lot, which is why we won the French Championships. We are happy about last year, but now we are moving forward. Our goal is to perform well in the Champions League and to reach at least the quarterfinals, hopefully even the Final 4, which would be a great achievement for the club. Of course, it will not be easy. Even here we are not the top seeds in our group, and we came without Félix LEBRUN and Esteban DORR, but still we have a strong team,” said the coach Vincent AVRIL. Alexis LEBRUN arrived in Novi Sad following a one-month break after hand surgery. “This is my first tournament after the break, and I am happy to return to a good level in competition. I have done a lot of training. All the teams in our group have good players. Of course, we are favorites, but it is never easy to win in the Champions League. So far, we are doing well,” said LEBRUN. n the men’s event, Stage 1 features four groups of four clubs each, seeded from position nine onwards. The top eight seeds are directly qualified for the Round of 16. The top two teams from each Stage 1 group will progress to join them. From that point, the Champions League Men will follow a knockout format, with two-legged ties in the Round of 16 and quarterfinals, before the four winners advance to the Final 4. See the pictures here
