In Champions League Women’s Group B, Germany’s TTC Berlin Eastside clinched their place in the knockout phase with an away win against Metz TT. Competing in Group B alongside Metz TT (France) and SKST Plus Hodonin (Czech Republic), Berlin’s team solidified their dominance with a third victory in the group. The knockout phase begins in January 2025, with the top two teams from each Group in Stage 2 advancing to the quarterfinals.
Tonight’s win marked TTC Berlin Eastside’s third Group B victory, following identical 3-1 wins over both SKST Plus Hodonin and Metz TT in earlier matches.
Experienced Xiaona SHAN, a key player in four of Berlin’s five Champions League titles, gave her team the perfect start with a commanding win over Mariia TAILAKOVA.
Nina MITTELHAM faced a tougher battle, going the full distance against Charlotte LUTZ before emerging victorious by the narrowest of margins.
Sabina SURJAN seemed on course to secure a straightforward win for Berlin after racing to a 2-0 lead. However, Sarah De NUTTE staged a remarkable comeback to level the match. In a nail-biting finish, Sabina prevailed, sealing the victory for TTC Berlin Eastside with another death-point triumph.
“At first, we were surprised that Diaconu was not listed in the lineup. Lutz was playing lower, and De Nutte was in position three,” explained Surjan. “Xiaona played at a superb level tonight. She gave Tailakova no chance—she was so focused and played smart.
Nina’s match against Lutz was challenging; at some points, Charlotte was very dangerous, but Nina used her experience to give us a 2-0 lead.
My match against De Nutte had two halves: in the opening two games, I played flawlessly, but then I just stopped. I made errors on points where I shouldn’t have. I had a 2-1 lead at 9-9 and then lost 9-11. In the decisive game, I was down 2-4 and 4-5, but I saved a match point to eventually win.”
METZ TT – ttc berlin eastside 0-3
- Mariia TAILAKOVA – Xiaona SHAN 0-3 (8-11, 5-11, 1-11)
- Charlotte LUTZ – Nina MITTELHAM 2-3 (11-8, 2-11, 11-6, 8-11, 5-6)
- Sarah DE NUTTE – Sabina SURJAN 2-3 (10-12, 6-11, 11-9, 11-9, 5-6)
