The Serbian champions will face French side Etival ASRTT, the No. 4 seed, on November 11 in Novi Sad, at the start of Stage 2 of the Champions League. The Novi Sad team reached this round by winning first place in their group in August, thus qualifying among the top 12 European teams for the fourth year in a row. The group also includes Spanish UCAM Cartagena, the No. 8 seed. The two best-placed teams will advance to the quarterfinals. “Both opponents are extremely strong, composed of experienced players. Etival, with Jieni SHAO, Yangzi LIU, and Christina KÄLLBERG in their line-up, are certainly the favourites against us. Australian Liu is ranked No. 30 in the world, and against Shao, ranked No. 55, we played last season — our player Aneta Maksuti managed to win at home,” explained coach Slobodan Stojanov. Cartagena also have powerful assets. “Maria XIAO, ranked No. 78, is very experienced; we haven’t managed to beat her so far. Tin-Tin HO from England plays the penholder style, which we rarely encounter. Fei QI, Jiao LI, Daniela ORTEGA… they have a deep and strong roster. It will be extremely difficult; we played them a few seasons ago and didn’t do well,” added Stojanov. Still, the coach remains optimistic about this season. “The situation is completely different now; the teams have changed significantly. We have experienced Russian players who are eager to prove themselves on the international stage. They showed their quality in the qualifications, and we hope to be competitive in this phase as well. The goal is, of course, to reach the top eight teams,” said the Novi Sad coach. The Serbian team consists of Aneta MAKSUTI, Valeria KOTCYR, Valeria SHCHERBATYKH, Reka BEZEG, and Irina SLAUTINA.
HB Ostrov z.s. Ready to Build on European Cup Triumph
After a historic 2024 season that saw HB Ostrov z.s. lift the Europe Cup, the Czech champions now step into the ETTU Champions League Men Round of 16, aiming to build on their continental success. The team has been placed among the eight highest seeds, earning direct entry into the main stage. However, their opening draw is anything but easy. HB Ostrov travel to Germany on 11 November 2025 to face Post SV Mühlhausen 1951 e.V., a regular Bundesliga powerhouse featuring world-class talent. “Every club from the German Bundesliga is extremely difficult,” admitted Czech international Pavel ŠIRUČEK. “But we will fight for promotion. It’s a huge advantage that Vladislav URSU can play without him, we probably wouldn’t have much chance. Now it’s much better. We want to get the best possible result in the first match so that we have a real opportunity in the return leg. We’ll also have our great fans behind us at home, which could help if it goes to a Golden Match.” HB Ostrov’s line-up features Vladislav URSU (MDA), Jiří VRÁBLÍK, Tomáš TREGLER, and Martin KOBLÍŽEK, combining international experience with domestic consistency. The German side, however, bring serious depth: LIN Gaoyuan (CHN), Ovidiu IONESCU (ROU), LIAO Cheng-Ting (TPE), Kay STUMPER (GER), and Steffen MENGEL (GER), with Marcos FREITAS (POR) also registered. Mühlhausen topped their Stage 2 group with a perfect record and will be formidable opponents. Coach Mira JINEK shared confidence ahead of the upcoming clash: “The atmosphere in the team is great. We are leading the Czech League and looking forward to the match. The opponent is very strong, and the draw was tough, but we will fight and try to advance to the next stage.” On the team’s condition, he confirmed: “All players are fit and ready to compete.” Jinek emphasised the importance of the Champions League for the club: “This competition is a top priority for us — for our sponsors, our fans, and for the reputation of Czech table tennis.” Finally, he addressed the supporters: “We ask our fans to keep their fingers crossed and come to our home matches in large numbers. Their support means a lot; they are among the best in Europe.”
KTS Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg Aim to Reclaim European Glory as Champions League Journey Begins in Spain
Last year, four-time champions KTS Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg were forced to surrender their title before reaching the final of the Champions League Women, as TTC Berlin Eastside produced a stunning comeback in the semi-finals. This season, the Polish powerhouse begins its new campaign in Stage Two of the ETTU Champions League. The top-seeded Tarnobrzeg side will open their 2025–26 journey on November 11 in Spain against MIRÓ Ganxets Costa Durada. Also in their group are the No. 5 seeds, the French club Saint-Quentin TT. “For our club, the Champions League competition is very prestigious, and that is why our players, our fans and I as the coach are very happy that the competition starts in just a few days,” said President and Coach Zbigniew NĘCEK. “Our players were playing in the WTT Champions tournament in Frankfurt this week, but I hope they will arrive in Spain healthy and ready to play. For the first time in our history, we drew MIRÓ Ganxets Costa Durada, and we are very curious to see how the competition with this team will go.” As always, Tarnobrzeg can rely on one of the strongest rosters in Europe. The team features Europe’s No. 5 Ying HAN, World No. 9 Satsuki ODO from Japan, Europe’s No. 13 Fu YU, Europe’s No. 19 Xiaoxin YANG, World No. 23 Wing Lam NG, and Polish players Magdalena SIKORSKA and Kinga STEFAŃSKA. HAN reached quarterfinals in Frankfurt earlier this week, whilst ODO reached Round of 16. “I am very happy about the return of Xiaoxin YANG. She is a very good player with a great personality, and her presence gives our team additional strength,” said coach NĘCEK. Looking ahead, the coach knows that the task will not be easy. “We would really like to win first place in the group stage, but I know it will be very difficult. Finishing first would allow us to use our seeding advantage in the quarter-final phase. From experience, we know that only right before the match, in the hall, we will see the final composition of our opponents, so it is difficult to talk about the odds now.” In the Polish national league, KTS Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg have played five rounds so far and are leading the table with 15 points. Coach NĘCEK also had a message for the fans ahead of the forthcoming European matches. “Our fans and friends, keep your fingers crossed for us in the Champions League. We are fighting for another medal, but we respect our competitors very much and we know that it will be very difficult.”
