Top seeds 1. FC Saarbrücken TT secured their place in the HYLO ETTU Champions League Final 4, but only after a dramatic home encounter with GV Hennebont TT that proved far more demanding than expected. “It was a very tough match today and we really had to fight as a team. We showed that we are very difficult to beat, even on days when we are not playing at our very best. Now we are really looking forward to the Final Four at home. There will be a lot of spectators and it will be a big event for the table tennis world, and hopefully also something very special for Saarbrücken. We are extremely excited about it,” said MOREGARD. Three-time champions and winners of both previous Final 4 tournaments, 1. FC Saarbrücken TT arrived with a comfortable 3-0 cushion from the away leg in France. Yet the return match turned into a tense battle that went the full distance, highlighted by two major upsets from Hennebont’s Simon GAUZY and Rubio WEN. The French no. 11 in Europe, fresh from defeating Patrick FRANZISKA at the recent CCB Europe Top 16 Cup Round of 16, stunned the home crowd by beating Olympic champion Zhendong FAN in the fourth match. Earlier in the evening, FAN, the youngest world champion and reigning Olympic gold medalist, had already fallen to Rubio WEN in a five-game thriller, giving the visitors early momentum. Despite the setbacks, Saarbrücken’s depth ultimately proved decisive. Europe’s no. 1 Truls MOREGARD, Olympic and World Championships runner up, restored order with a strong win over GAUZY, while Darko JORGIC, runner up at last week’s CCB Europe Top 16 Cup and no. 4 in Europe, overcame Vladimir SIDORENKO to keep the German side on track. MOREGARD then sealed the tie by defeating Lev KATSMAN in four games. “I’m very happy that we qualified for the semifinal. From the very beginning we knew it would be an extremely tough match. The opening encounter surprised us a bit, especially Rubio’s win over Fan Zhendong, but Trus gave us a great start and brought us back into the tie. I knew my match would be decisive, so I stayed fully focused from start to finish and I think I played very well. I had lost to SIDORENKO in Muscat, so I’m especially happy that I was able to take my revenge for that defeat. We were aware that a difficult task awaited us in front of a full arena, and I’m very proud of the whole team. We are really looking forward to the semifinal and we hope we can win the trophy again this year, just as we did when we captured the Champions League title,”: said JORGIC. Seeded seventh, Hennebont pushed the favorites to their limits and underlined their quality with fearless performances, especially from GAUZY. Nevertheless, Saarbrücken combined their away-leg advantage with key home victories to confirm their status as one of the main contenders for the title and advance to the HYLO ETTU Champions League Final 4. 1. FC Saarbrücken TT – GV Hennebont TT 3-2 GV Hennebont TT (FRA)-1. FC Saarbrücken TT (GER) 0-3
Top seeds KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL Tarnobrzeg underline status with strong win at Etival
In the quarterfinal of the ETTU Europe Cup Women, top seeds KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL Tarnobrzeg confirmed their favorites’ status with a composed 3-1 away victory over fourth-seeded Etival ASRTT. The Polish side, last year’s semifinalists and four-time champions, relied on their quality and experience to take firm control of the tie. Etival ASRTT, last season’s quarterfinalists, lined up with strong individual credentials, led by Jieni SHAO (no. 9 in Europe) and Christina KALLBERG (no. 22 in Europe). However, Tarnobrzeg answered with an equally impressive roster featuring Ying HAN (no. 4 in Europe) and Xiaoxin YANG (no. 40 in Europe) and HE Zhuojia. HAN Ying set the tone for the visitors by overturning the opening game deficit to defeat KALLBERG in four games. HE Zhuojia then delivered a dominant performance against SHAO to double Tarnobrzeg’s lead. The hosts stayed in contention thanks to Liu YANGZI, who edged a dramatic five-game duel against YANG Xiaoxin. Any hopes of a comeback were quickly halted as HE Zhuojia returned to the table to overcome KALLBERG in straight games and seal a valuable away success. “I’m happy with the win in the first match. My players were very focused and fought for every point. Now we look ahead to the return leg, where we are aiming for another victory and qualification for the Final Four, which will be held in Tarnobrzeg,” said coach Zbigniew NECEK. Etival ASRTT – KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL Tarnobrzeg 1-3
SKST Plus Hodonín beat TTC Novi Sad in dramatic golden match thriller
In the quarterfinal of the ETTU Europe Cup Women, TTC Novi Sad and SKST Plus Hodonín delivered one of the most dramatic ties of the round, with both legs going the full distance before the Czech side sealed the victory in a decisive golden match. After two legs played at maximum intensity and a nerve-testing golden match, SKST Plus Hodonín emerged as semifinalists, ending TTC Novi Sad’s spirited European campaign. The opening leg in Hodonín went the way of the hosts, while Novi Sad responded in Serbia with a 3-2 victory to level the overall tie and force the shootout. Despite the Serbian club’s strong comeback, SKST Plus Hodonín held their nerve at the crucial moment to secure a place in the semifinals. TTC Novi Sad started strongly, with Aneta MAKSUTI opening the tie in commanding fashion against Marketa SEVCIKOVA. Valeria SHCHERBATYKH then survived a tense five-game duel with Karin GROFOVA to put the home side in a promising position. Hodonín answered through Zhang BINYUE and GROFOVA, who both claimed important wins to turn the score around. With elimination looming, SHCHERBATYKH produced a composed performance against SEVCIKOVA to clinch the match for Novi Sad and send the contest into a golden match. In the sudden-death decider, the Czech team struck quickly. Zhang BINYUE defeated SHCHERBATYKH in the opening duel, and GROFOVA followed by overcoming MAKSUTI to seal qualification for SKST Plus Hodonín. TTC Novi Sad – SKST Plus Hodonín 3-2 Golden match TTC Novi Sad – SKST Plus Hodonín 0-2 SKST Plus Hodonín – TTC Novi Sad 3-2
SF SKK El Nino Praha edge TTC Sokah Hoboken in thrilling Europe Cup quarterfinal
After securing an emphatic 3-0 away victory in the first encounter, last year’s runners up, SF SKK El Nino Praha reached the semi-final of the Europe Cup Men with a hard-fought 3-2 success against TTC Sokah Hoboken. Despite already holding a strong aggregate advantage, the Czech side faced determined resistance from the visitors in a tense five-match duel. Tomas KONECNY opened the tie with a narrow five-game win over Olav KOSOLOSKY, but Hoboken immediately responded as Quentin ROBINOT defeated David REITSPIES to level the score. Praha regained control thanks to a dominant straight-games performance from Yevhen PRYSHCHEPA against Cedric FLEBUS. ROBINOT once again kept Hoboken in contention by overcoming Martin SIP, forcing a decisive final match. Under pressure, David REITSPIES produced a composed display to beat Olav KOSOLOSKY in straight games and seal another victory for El Nino Praha. Tomáš KONECNY: “Reaching the European Cup semifinals for the second consecutive time is a huge success in the history of our club. But we are not satisfied yet – we want to go even further. The rematch with the Belgian club was difficult. My match against Olav KOSOLOSKY was not easy; he is an uncomfortable opponent, a left-hander with a very strong serve. At one stage I struggled a bit, but in the end everything worked out and I managed to secure the important opening point. After that, it was in the hands of my teammates, and fortunately it all turned out well.” SF SKK El Nino Praha – TTC Sokah Hoboken 3-2 TTC Sokah Hoboken – SF SKK El Nino Praha 0-3
Cajasur Priego advance to Europe Cup semifinals after golden match drama
Real Club Cajasur Priego TM booked their place in the Europe Cup Men semifinals after a dramatic quarterfinal decided by a golden match against HB Ostrov z.s. The Spanish side carried a 3-1 advantage from the opening leg at home, but the return encounter in Czechia saw Ostrov fight back strongly to level the tie and force a golden match decider. HB Ostrov opened the second leg with a convincing win as Vladislav URSU defeated Diogo CARVALHO in straight games. Robert GARDOS responded for the visitors, edging Jiri VRABLIK in a tense five-game duel to keep Cajasur in contention. The hosts regained control through Pavel SIRUCEK, who overcame Carlos MACHADO 3-0, before URSU struck again, narrowly beating GARDOS to secure a 3-1 victory in the leg and push the quarterfinal into a golden match. With everything at stake, Cajasur showed composure in the decider. Robert GARDOS gave the Spanish club the lead with a single-game win over SIRUCEK, and Diogo CARVALHO sealed qualification by edging URSU in a dramatic extended game. We are very happy to reach the semifinal. It was a very tough and difficult match against a very strong team. In Priego we made an important step, but here we still had work to do. We were playing in unfamiliar conditions, different from what we are used to at home, so we really had to fight. It was not our best performance, but we kept pushing and gave everything. In the end I believe we deserved to qualify. When we were 2-1 down, I was leading 2-0 and 8-4 against URSU, later also 9-6 and 9-7. In the deciding game it was 5-5, so it could have gone either way. Still, I think we created more chances to close out the match than our opponents. The key was that we never gave up. We kept fighting until the end, and that determination allowed us to win and secure our place in the semifinal,”explained GARDOS. Second leg HB Ostrov z.s. – Real Club Cajasur Priego TM 3-1 Golden match HB Ostrov z.s. – Real Club Cajasur Priego TM 0-2 Opening leg Real Club Cajasur Priego TM – HB Ostrov z.s. 3-1
Seven-time champions Düsseldorf march into HYLO ETTU Champions League Final 4
Seven-time Champions League winners Borussia Düsseldorf confirmed their place in the HYLO ETTU Champions League Final 4 after securing the two points they needed in the second leg of the quarterfinal against Post SV Mühlhausen 1951 e.V. Having already built a commanding 3-0 advantage in the opening leg, today’s 2-0 success sealed an emphatic overall triumph. The No. 2 seeds, who have also lifted the European Club Cup of Champions six times, once again demonstrated their depth and experience. European champion from Munich 2022 Dang QIU (No. 7 in Europe), Anton KALLBERG (No. 9 in Europe) and Kanak JHA (No. 31 in the world) formed a powerful lineup against the No. 10 seeded Mühlhausen, led by Ovidiu IONESCU (No. 31 in Europe). Düsseldorf opened the return leg in confident style as Anton KALLBERG controlled his duel with Nico MULLER in straight games. With qualification within reach, the spotlight then turned to Kanak JHA, who secured the decisive point after a demanding contest against IONESCU. “My match against Ovi was tough. He is a very aggressive player and in the first game I struggled to adapt to his rhythm. As the match went on I improved step by step. To finish the tie with such clear results – 3-0 in the first leg and 2-0 here – makes this a fantastic quarterfinal for us. Now we are excited and looking forward to a tough semifinal challenge against Montpellier. Borussia head coach Danny HEISTER admitted that despite the final scoreline, the tie demanded full focus. “In the end it looked like an easy game, but before the match we knew it wouldn’t necessarily be so simple. With the format meaning the tie could already be decided in the fourth match, there was little margin for mistakes. When Müller is in the lineup you normally expect to win, but it can still be tricky. After the first set, however, I felt Kanak had the situation under control. I’m really happy that we qualified for the final. We had already done a fantastic job in the first leg, winning 3-0 in Mulhouse, so today we came in as heavy favorites. Even so, we stayed focused and did our job, which makes us very satisfied.” With two clear victories across the tie, Düsseldorf advance to the Final 4 carrying strong momentum and confidence as they prepare for a high-level semifinal clash. Borussia Düsseldorf (GER) – Post SV Mühlhausen 1951 e.V. (GER) 2-0 Opening leg Post SV Mühlhausen 1951 e.V. (GER) – Borussia Düsseldorf (GER) 0–3
