The Champions League Men is proving to be stronger than ever, with some of the world’s top players competing. Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier boasts World No. 4 Felix LEBRUN and No. 5 Alexis LEBRUN, 1 FC Saarbrücken Tischtennis e.V. features World No. 9 Truls MÖREGÅRDH, and Postsportverein Mühlhausen 1951 e.V. has strengthened its lineup with Gaoyuan LIN, a three-time World Champion as part of Team China.
In a dramatic Round of 16 second-leg clash, KS Dekorglass Działdowo edged out Postsportverein Mühlhausen 1951 e.V. to secure their place in the quarterfinals. The German side brought in their Chinese star Gaoyuan LIN for the return leg in Poland, following a 1-3 defeat at home. Overcoming such a deficit was a monumental task, even with a player of LIN’s caliber.
Jonathan GROTH gave a strong start against Mühlhausen, defeating Ovidiu IONESCU but narrowly losing to Gaoyuan LIN in a nail-biting fifth game. KS Dekorglass Działdowo nearly leveled the match after LIN and Irvin BERTRAND defeated Samuel KULCZYCKI and Jakub DYJAS, putting the visitors ahead 2-1.
LIN sealed the regular match, bringing the overall score to a tie. For the first time in this year’s Champions League, the Golden Match rule was applied. LIN triumphed over KULCZYCKI to give Mühlhausen the initial lead, but GROTH leveled it again with a victory over BERTRAND. In the decisive game, Jakub DYJAS overcame Ovidiu IONESCU, launching the Polish club into the quarterfinals.
KS Dekorglass Działdowo – Postsportverein Mühlhausen 1951 e.V. 1-3
- Jonathan GROTH – Ovidiu IONESCU 3-0 (11-7, 12-10, 11-9)
- Samuel KULCZYCKI – Gaoyuan LIN 1-3 (10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 5-11)
- Jakub DYJAS – Irvin BERTRAND 1-3 (7-11, 3-11, 11-6, 8-11)
- Jonathan GROTH – Gaoyuan LIN 2-3 (2-11, 7-11, 14-12, 11-9, 4-6)
Golden match
KS Dekorglass Działdowo – Postsportverein Mühlhausen 1951 e.V. 2-1
- Samuel KULCZYCKI – Gaoyuan LIN 2-11
- Jonathan GROTH – Irvin BERTRAND 13-11
- Jakub DYJAS – Ovidiu IONESCU 11-8
Opening leg
Postsportverein Mühlhausen 1951 e.V. – KS Dekorglass Działdowo 1-3
- Steffen MENGEL – Samuel KULCZYCKI 1- 3 (11-8, 9-11, 6-11, 7-11)
- Ovidiu IONESCU – Jonathan GROTH 1-3 (11-5, 7-11, 9-11, 3-11)
- Irvin BERTRAND – Jakub DYJAS 3-2 (13-11, 9-11, 10-12, 11-7, 6-4)
- Daniel HABESOH – Jonathan GROTH (11-9, 11-13, 8-11, 8-11)
