Lille Metropole TT made a strong start in the opening leg of the Round of 16 in the ETTU European Cup, claiming a convincing 3–0 home win over SKST Havirov.
Romain BRARD gave the French side a dream start with a solid four-game victory against Michal BLINKA, overcoming the early setback to secure the first point. Amir Hossein HODAEI then delivered a dominant straight-games performance against Stepan BRHEL, extending Lille’s lead without difficulty. The hosts sealed the night in style as Tom CLOSSET controlled his match against Jakub MAKARA, completing the clean sweep and putting Lille Metropole TT in a strong position ahead of the return leg in Czechia.
Lille Metropole TT (FRA) – SKST Havirov (CZE) 3-0
- Romain BRARD – Michal BLINKA 3-1 (9-11, 11-9, 11-9, 12-10)
- Amir Hossein HODAEI – Stepan BRHEL 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 11-8)
- Tom CLOSSET – Jakub MAKARA 3-0 (11-6, 11-7, 11-3)
AS Pontoise Cergy TT claimed a hard-fought 3–2 home victory over SolexConsult TTC Wiener Neustadt in a tense encounter, decided only in the fifth and final match.
Alexandre CASSIN gave the French side the perfect start, overcoming Patrick SKERBINZ in four games to put the hosts in front. The visitors responded through Piotr CYRNEK, who delivered a commanding straight-games win against Flavio MOURIER to level the tie. Momentum then swung back and forth in the third match, where Peter HRIBAR edged Thomas LAROCHE in a close five-game battle to hand Wiener Neustadt a narrow advantage.
Pontoise Cergy answered immediately as Alexandre CASSIN returned to the table and produced another strong performance, this time defeating Piotr CYRNEK in four games to keep the tie alive. Everything came down to the final match, where Flavio MOURIER rose to the occasion with a confident straight-games victory over Patrick SKERBINZ, sealing a dramatic 3–2 win for the French club and rewarding the home crowd after a closely contested night.
AS Pontoise Cergy TT (FRA) – SolexConsult TTC Wiener Neustadt (AUT) 3–2
- Alexandre CASSIN – Patrick SKERBINZ 3–1 (11–4, 9–11, 11–4, 11–6)
- Flavio MOURIER – Piotr CYRNEK 0–3 (8–11, 7–11, 6–11)
- Thomas LAROCHE – Peter HRIBAR 2–3 (8–11, 11–9, 11–5, 10–12, 2–6)
- Alexandre CASSIN – Piotr CYRNEK 3–1 (13–15, 11–3, 11–9, 11–7)
- Flavio MOURIER – Patrick SKERBINZ 3–0 (11–2, 12–10, 12–10)
