C.D Indiana Games completed a perfect run at the ETTU Europe Trophy Grand Finals, overcoming last year’s runners-up STK Josip Kolumbo Niš 3-1 in the final to secure the title. For the Serbian side, it was another painful finish at the final hurdle on home soil, despite a bright start. Chen SUN gave Josip Kolumbo the lead with a dominant opening win, raising hopes of going one better than last season. However, the Spanish side responded immediately and never looked back. Haruna OJIO, Roxana ISTRATE and Marta PERALES GONZALEZ all delivered strong performances, turning the match around with three consecutive victories. OJIO once again proved to be the key player, sealing the title in the fourth match with a strong display under pressure. Earlier in the semi-finals, STK Josip Kolumbo Niš secured their place in the final with a 3-1 win over CDTM Hujase Jaén. The decisive fourth match saw Chen SUN edge Margaryta PESOTSKA to confirm the victory. C.D Indiana Games, meanwhile, advanced with a confident 3-1 success against Panathinaikos A.C. Roxana ISTRATE and Haruna OJIO set the tone with straight-games wins, and although Dina MESHREF kept Panathinaikos in contention, OJIO closed the tie to send her team into the final. In the match for third place, Panathinaikos A.C. finished on a high note, defeating CDTM Hujase Jaén 3-0. Nikoleta STEFANOVA, Dina MESHREF and Aikaterini TOLIOU all delivered convincing victories to secure the win. FINAL STK Josip Kolumbo Niš – C.D Indiana Games 1-3 MATCH FOR 3RD PLACE CDTM Hujase Jaén – Panathinaikos A.C. 0-3 SEMI FINAL CDTM Hujase Jaén – STK Josip Kolumbo Niš 1-3 Panathinaikos A.C. – C.D Indiana Games 1-3
Real Club Cajasur Priego TM advance to ETTU Europe Cup final (VIDEO)
Spanish Real Club Cajasur Priego TM confirmed their place in the ETTU Europe Cup Men final with a 3-1 win over French Lille Metropole TT in the second leg, completing a confident performance across both matches. After the 3-0 victory away, the Spanish side came into the return leg with control of the tie and handled the situation calmly. Robert GARDOS turned the opening match around after dropping the first game, and Hampus SODERLUND followed with another strong win to put Priego in a very comfortable position. Lille showed some resistance through Fabio RAKOTOARIMANANA, who pulled one point back, but there was never a real shift in momentum. GARDOS stepped up once again in the fourth match and closed the tie with a composed straight-games win, sending Priego through to the final. “I had a bit of a difficult start. Tom CLOSSET, even though he is still a junior, played very aggressively and at a high level. He had some really good points, but I stayed calm. I knew I could turn things around by changing the rhythm, and in the end I managed to do that. Hampus SODERLUND played a great match against their number one, Romain BRARD, and that meant we were already in the final, which helped us relax a bit. Carlos MACHADO lost to Fabio RAKOTOARIMANANA, but by the last match I felt comfortable. I received BRARD’s serves very well and was also happy with my own serve. Overall, my serve and receive game worked better today. We are very happy to be in the final. We have raised the bar for our club’s history,” said Robert GARDOS. Real Club Cajasur Priego TM – Lille Metropole TT 3-1 Opening leg Lille Metropole TT – Real Club Cajasur Priego TM 0-3
