After two days of top-class table tennis, 1. FC Saarbrücken TT successfully defended their title at the 2025 HYLO Champions League Final 4. In the final, held at Saarlandhalle Saarbrücken, the reigning champions overcame Borussia Düsseldorf in a repeat of last year’s decisive clash. On the opening day, Saarbrücken defeated Polish challengers KS Global Pharma Orlicz 1924 Suchedniów to secure their place in the final.
Patrick FRANZISKA lost the opening match to ANTON Källberg on a sudden death point in the fifth game, but later redeemed himself by defeating Dang QIU—again by the narrowest of margins. Darko JORGIĆ overcame Timo BOLL, while Truls MÖREGÅRDH prevailed against Qiu to seal Saarbrücken’s triumph.
Franziska spoke about his performance at the press conference following the team’s victory:
“Anton started really strong in the first two games. His backhand was spot on, which I was a bit afraid of. But I made some small adjustments, and suddenly I was leading 5-3 in the fifth. But like Anton said, it’s always match points both ways in these matches—you can never be sure. I was honestly quite sad afterward that I didn’t take more risks in the decisive moments, especially when he served long twice. I played those points with only 70-80% intensity, not full energy.”
Reflecting on his second match, Franziska described a shift in mindset:
“Against Dang, it was the opposite. He led 5-2 in the fifth, and when I was down 3-0, I told myself during the timeout that I had to really go for every ball—so I wouldn’t regret anything later. In the end, it came down to small details. That last banana shot caught the edge. If I had hit it a split second later, it could have gone out or into the net. You have to take those risks. Luckily, they were on our side today, just like for Darko against Timo. I’m speechless and relieved that we won.”
Darko JORGIĆ reflected on his win over Timo BOLL in what was the legend’s final Champions League match:
“Playing against a legend in his last Champions League match—I didn’t want to lose this one. The last time we played, he won, so I’m really happy I managed to turn it around. I knew he’d start strong, and he did. He played really well. It’s amazing what Timo has achieved in his career. It’s always an honor to play him. Since our first match, it’s always been a big fight. I’m really proud to have won this one.”
Truls MÖREGÅRDH arrived in Saarbrücken fresh off a bronze medal at the World Championships in Qatar, and carried that form into the Final 4:
“Of course, it was tough to come here and play at a high level right after the World Championships. I had some shoulder pain during the whole tournament there, but when I arrived here, it actually felt amazing. I don’t know how or why—maybe I had some kind of energy boost that helped. I’m just really happy that I could perform at 100%. The conditions here are different—shorter matches, different tables, different balls—so it took some adjustment. But I’m very satisfied with how I played and how we played as a team.”
Truls also confirmed that he will stay in Saarbrücken next season:
“I feel great here. I couldn’t beat them, so I had to join them,” said MÖREGÅRDH, who previously played for Neu-Ulm, a team eliminated by Saarbrücken in last season’s semifinal.
