Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier took an important step towards the Final Four of the ETTU Champions League Men, recording a 3–1 home victory over KS Dekorglass Działdowo in the opening leg of the quarterfinals, inspired by an outstanding performance from Felix LEBRUN. The French side made a flying start as Felix LEBRUN dominated Samuel KULCZYCKI in straight games to give the hosts an early advantage. Momentum continued with Alexis LEBRUN, who controlled his match against Hou YINGCHAO to double the lead. The Polish team responded in the third match, with Jakub DYJAS proving too strong for Antoine HACHARD to keep Działdowo in contention. However, Felix LEBRUN returned to the table to close the tie in style, overcoming Hou YINGCHAO in four games and securing a valuable 3–1 victory ahead of the return leg in Poland. “It was a very good win for my team. We expected a very tough match because normally PUCAR, DYJAS, KULCZYCKI and YINGCHAO form a very strong lineup. Honestly, we were happy not to see PUCAR when they arrived in Montpellier,” said the Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier coach Vincent AVRIL. “We played a very good match overall. Alexis and Felix were excellent against the Chinese defender, with truly impressive performances. Felix was extremely well prepared for his opening duel against KULCZYCKI, ready from the first point, and in the end it became quite a comfortable win. Alexis then faced the defender, and we know he is very strong against that style, so the second match was also relatively straightforward. In the third match, we expected a tough battle because DYJAS is probably their second-best player. Antoine had a so-so performance, but DYJAS played very well and deserved the win. Felix then returned for the fourth match and, after a very intense fight, managed to beat YINGCHAO. That point was extremely important , winning 3–1 is very different from winning 3–2 in the Champions League,” stated AVRIL. Coach AVRIL look forward return leg scheduled for February. “Now we need only two points in the second leg to qualify for the Final Four. We are extremely happy with this performance and with the level shown by all our players. We can’t wait for the return match and the chance to reach the first Final Four in the club’s history.” Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier (FRA) – KS Dekorglass Dzialdowo (POL) 3–1
Lille Metropole TT take clear advantage, AS Pontoise Cergy TT survived thriller
Lille Metropole TT made a strong start in the opening leg of the Round of 16 in the ETTU European Cup, claiming a convincing 3–0 home win over SKST Havirov. Romain BRARD gave the French side a dream start with a solid four-game victory against Michal BLINKA, overcoming the early setback to secure the first point. Amir Hossein HODAEI then delivered a dominant straight-games performance against Stepan BRHEL, extending Lille’s lead without difficulty. The hosts sealed the night in style as Tom CLOSSET controlled his match against Jakub MAKARA, completing the clean sweep and putting Lille Metropole TT in a strong position ahead of the return leg in Czechia. Lille Metropole TT (FRA) – SKST Havirov (CZE) 3-0 AS Pontoise Cergy TT claimed a hard-fought 3–2 home victory over SolexConsult TTC Wiener Neustadt in a tense encounter, decided only in the fifth and final match. Alexandre CASSIN gave the French side the perfect start, overcoming Patrick SKERBINZ in four games to put the hosts in front. The visitors responded through Piotr CYRNEK, who delivered a commanding straight-games win against Flavio MOURIER to level the tie. Momentum then swung back and forth in the third match, where Peter HRIBAR edged Thomas LAROCHE in a close five-game battle to hand Wiener Neustadt a narrow advantage. Pontoise Cergy answered immediately as Alexandre CASSIN returned to the table and produced another strong performance, this time defeating Piotr CYRNEK in four games to keep the tie alive. Everything came down to the final match, where Flavio MOURIER rose to the occasion with a confident straight-games victory over Patrick SKERBINZ, sealing a dramatic 3–2 win for the French club and rewarding the home crowd after a closely contested night. AS Pontoise Cergy TT (FRA) – SolexConsult TTC Wiener Neustadt (AUT) 3–2
