Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier produced a commanding home performance, sweeping aside SolexConsult TTC Wiener Neustadt 3–0 without conceding a single game. Félix LEBRUN set the tone in emphatic fashion, overpowering Patrick SKERBINZ in straight games to give the French side an ideal start. His brother Alexis LEBRUN then underlined the hosts’ superiority, delivering a composed 3–0 victory over Andrei ISTRATE, controlling the key moments throughout the match. Manav THAKAR sealed the tie in style, maintaining the momentum and closing the encounter with another straight-games win against Peter HRIBAR, completing a flawless evening for Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier. “It was a very good win today. It’s not always easy to close a match like this, but the players did extremely well,” said head coach Vincent AVRIL. “I am proud of the team — they stayed focused and serious from start to finish. Our main goal was to remain concentrated in all three matches, and the team delivered.” With the job done, Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier advance to the quarter-finals, where they will face Poland’s KS DekORGLASS Działdowo. Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier (FRA) – SolexConsult TTC Wiener Neustadt (AUT) 3 – 0 Opening leg SolexConsult TTC Wiener Neustadt – Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier 1–3 GV Hennebont TT Cruise Past Grünwettersbach to Secure 3–0 Home Win GV Hennebont TT produced a solid performance on home soil, sweeping aside ASC Grünwettersbach 3–0 to seal the tie without conceding a match. Vladimir SIDORENKO set the tone in the opening singles, overcoming Tobias HIPPLER in four games. After dropping the first game, SIDORENKO raised his level at the crucial moments, including a tense fourth game, to hand the French side an early advantage. Rubio WEN then doubled the lead with another four-game victory, this time against Hiroto SHINOZUKA. WEN dictated the pace with aggressive play and showed composure after losing the third game, closing out the match convincingly in the fourth. Simon GAUZY confirmed the win in style, producing a confident straight-games success over Tiago APOLONIA. GAUZY stayed solid in the key points of the opening two games before dominating the third to complete a clean sweep for GV Hennebont TT. “It was a good match and I’m happy with this kind of win. At home we are very strong, we haven’t lost here in 15 matches in a row. Wen Ruibo is in good shape, Simon as well, everything looks good,” said SIDORENKO. In the quarter-finals, the French side will face top seeds and reigning champions 1. FC Saarbrücken TT. GV Hennebont TT (FRA) – ASC Grünwettersbach (GER) 3–0 Opening leg ASC Grünwettersbach – GV Hennebont TT 1–3 Suchedniów Prevail in Golden Match to Book Quarter-final Clash with Bogoria The final duel of the Round of 16 between KS Bank Spółdzielczy Orlicz 1924 Suchedniów and TTC Sokah Hoboken was decided by a dramatic Golden Match. After the Belgian side secured a 3–0 home victory in the first leg, the Polish club responded with a 3–1 win on home soil, forcing the decisive extra tie. The clash between last season’s Final Four participants and a team that had to progress through Stage 1 ultimately ended in favour of Suchedniów, who held their nerve when it mattered most. In the second leg, Deni KOZUL once again proved decisive. He gave the hosts a perfect start with a straight-games win over Olav KOSOLOSKY, before Kazuhiro YOSHIMURA doubled the lead by edging past Remi BETELU in a tense five-game encounter. TTC Sokah Hoboken kept their hopes alive thanks to a convincing straight-games victory by Gabrielius CAMARA against Mateusz ZALEWSKI, but KOZUL returned to the table in the fourth singles and sealed the 3–1 win for the Polish side with a composed performance against BETELU. The Golden Match pushed Suchedniów to the limit, as the tie went the full three games before the hosts finally secured their place in the quarter-finals. “It was a really hard match and we gave everything we had. We knew it would be tough, but we kept fighting until the very end. We couldn’t have done it without the amazing support of our fans – I really want to thank them. Their support was incredible. It was a huge effort from the whole team. Now we face a team we know very well. It will be another very difficult match, but we will give everything to try to reach the Final Four,” said KOZUL. In the next round, KS Bank Spółdzielczy Orlicz 1924 Suchedniów will face fellow Polish club KS Orlen Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki.Golden match KS Bank Spółdzielczy Orlicz 1924 Suchedniów (POL) – TTC Sokah Hoboken (BEL) 2-1 KS Bank Spółdzielczy Orlicz 1924 Suchedniów (POL) – TTC Sokah Hoboken (BEL) 3–1 Opening leg TTC Sokah Hoboken – KS Bank Spółdzielczy Orlicz 1924 Suchedniów 3–0
Lowest-Seeded Team Defy Odds, Hosts Lille Metropole TT and Top Seeds Advance to Knockout Stage
Despite entering the competition as the lowest-seeded team (No. 29), Energa Manekin Toruń secured a place in the Round of 16 of the ETTU Europe Cup, joining Roskilde Bordtennis BTK 61, hosts Lille Metropole TT, UTTC Paneceo Stockerau, Enoli Borges Vall, STK Vyhne, AS Pontoise Cergy TT and ASD Marcozzi Cagliari among the clubs progressing from Stage 2. The group winners and runners-up advanced to the knockout phase, where they will face teams dropping down from the ETTU Champions League Round of 16. Group A: Energa Manekin Toruń Remain Perfect In Group A, Energa Manekin Toruń preserved their unbeaten record, finishing top of the group with three wins from three matches. The Polish side, composed of Tomasz KOTOWSKI, Taimu ARINOMU, Konrad KULPA and Dimitrije LEVAJAC, confirmed first place with victories over Roskilde Bordtennis BTK 61, SPG Felbemayr Wels and Alicante TM. Roskilde Bordtennis BTK 61 secured second position with two wins, including a decisive final-round victory over SPG Felbemayr Wels. The Danish squad featured Jens LUNDQVIST, , Tobias RASMUSSEN and Anders ERIKSSON. SPG Felbemayr Wels finished third with one win, while Alicante TM ended the group stage without a victory. Group B: Lille Metropole TT Dominate on Home Soil In Group B, hosts Lille Metropole TT delivered a flawless performance, winning all three of their matches to top the standings. The French club showed consistency with a roster including Tom CLOSSET, Romain BRARD, Amir Hossein HODAEI and Fabio RAKOTOARIMANANA. Second place was claimed by UTTC Paneceo Stockerau, who finished with two wins and one defeat. After an opening loss, the Austrian side responded strongly to secure progression, led by Tarek AL-SAMHOURY, David SERDAROGLU and Mykhailo LOVHA. ASD TT Santa Tecla Nulvi concluded the group in third place, while CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc finished fourth without registering a win. Group C: Enoli Borges Vall Complete Perfect Campaign In Group C, Enoli Borges Vall completed a perfect group stage with three victories from three matches. The Spanish side, composed of Marc DURAN, Joan MASIP, Francesc CARRERA, confirmed first place with wins over TTC Ostrava 2016, STK Vyhne and KS Olesno. STK Vyhne finished second with two wins and one defeat. The Slovak club featured Adam KLAJBER, Filip SZYMANSKI and Boguslaw KOSZYK, including a crucial final-round victory over TTC Ostrava 2016. TTC Ostrava 2016 placed third, while KS Olesno ended the group stage in fourth position. Group D: Pontoise and Marcozzi Advance In Group D, AS Pontoise Cergy TT and ASD Marcozzi Cagliari advanced as the top two teams. Top seeds AS Pontoise Cergy TT lived up to expectations, finishing first with a perfect record. Their squad, featuring Thomas LAROCHE, Flavio MOURIER, Alexandre CASSIN, Rafael CABRERA, showed consistency across all three rounds, including a decisive 3–1 win over Marcozzi and a closing victory against STK Starr Croatia. ASD Marcozzi Cagliari claimed second place despite one defeat, bouncing back with wins over STK Starr Croatia and a dominant 3–0 victory against SPG Linz in the final round. The Italian side relied on Carlo ROSSI, Federico VALLINO and Jeet CHANDRA. Behind them, SPG Linz finished third, while STK Starr Croatia concluded the group stage without a win.
Son Cladera, Hodonín, Fenerbahce and Dr CASL Book Europe Cup Women Quarterfinal Places
Following a busy weekend in Lille, Stage 2 of the ETTU Europe Cup Women has concluded, with four teams advancing to the quarterfinals. In the knockout phase, the winners and runners-up from Groups A and B will face the clubs that finished third in their respective groups in Stage 2 of the ETTU Champions League Women. The draw weill be done on Tuesday. In Group A, Son Cladera TTC – Mallorca finished first, securing top spot in the standings with only one defeat from four matches, their sole loss coming against hosts CP Lyssois Lille Métropole. Group A winners Son Cladera TTC – Mallorca are seeded No. 7 and field a squad including Gaia MONFARDINI, Pei-Ling SU, Ayano UGI, Pauline CHASSELIN, Eugenia SASTRE, Katarzyna WEGRZYN, Francisca SASTRE, Natalia PARTYKA, Ainhoa CRISTOBAL, Clara IZQUIERDO ALONSO, Maria PEREZ MARIN and Debora VIVARELLI. SKST Plus Hodonín with Karin GROFOVA, Tereza LOSTAKOVA, Binyue ZHANG, Ting Yao LIAO, Marketa SEVCIKOVA, Simona HOLUBOVA, Anna KLEMPEREROVA, Adela BRHELOVA and Monika PARIZKOVA claimed second place and the remaining quarterfinal spot. The Czech side also finished with one defeat, but crucially edged Lille in the head-to-head battle, which proved decisive. Despite recording just one loss as well, CP Lyssois Lille Métropole narrowly missed out on qualification due to the tie-break criteria. ASD Tennistavolo Sassari and Budaörsi Sport Club completed the group in fourth and fifth positions respectively. Notably, the Hungarian side, Europe Cup winners in 2024, entered the competition after dropping down from Stage 1 of the ETTU Champions League Women. In Group B, Fenerbahce Sports Club delivered a flawless performance, finishing the stage with four wins from four matches. The No. 14 seeds rely on a line-up featuring Elizabeta SAMARA, Defne KARAOGLU, Sibel ALTINKAYA, Gul Pembe OZKAYA, Selin AKYÜZ, Nil BASARAN and Ece HARAC. Finishing second were STK Dr. Časl Zagreb, who entered the competition from the ETTU Champions League Women. The Croatian side is represented by Xia Lian NI, Tamyolwan KHETKHUAN, Mirela DURAK, Joo CHEONHUI, Szandra PERGEL, Ganna HAPONOVA, Jiaqi LIU and Katerina TOMANOVSKA. Bebetto AZS UJD Częstochowa, TalTech Sport Club and CTM Mirandela concluded the stage in third, fourth and fifth positions respectively, bringing the Group B campaign to a close.
