Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier will face reigning champions 1. FC Saarbrücken TT in the final of the HYLO ETTU Champions League Final 4 Men after a fantastic performance in the semi-final against Europe’s most decorated club, Borussia Düsseldorf. The French side produced one of the biggest victories in club history to eliminate the German giants, winners of six Champions League titles and six Cup of European Champions trophies, and secure their first ever place in the Final 4 title match — one year after Düsseldorf ended their European campaign in the quarterfinals.
See the pictures here.
Europe’s no. 3 Alexis LEBRUN opened the second semi-final in impressive fashion, leading Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier to an early advantage against Germany’s club.
Facing Europe’s no. 6 Dang QIU, the French star immediately found his rhythm and controlled the opening game with aggressive play and high intensity. The second game brought more suspense, but LEBRUN successfully adapted to the changes in rhythm and once again managed to take control at the key moments.
QIU increased the pressure in the third game and moved ahead 5-1, but Alexis quickly erased the deficit to level at 6-6. The two players stayed close until 8-8 before LEBRUN produced a furious finish to close the match in straight games.
“I played a great match. I am satisfied with the start and I managed to put a lot of balls on the table,” said LEBRUN afterwards. “I really enjoyed the moment here.”
Europe’s no. 2 Felix LEBRUN fully justified his status in the second match of the semi-final, overcoming Europe’s no. 10 Anton KALLBERG to extend Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier’s lead.
Despite the straight-games result, the encounter was far tighter than the scoreline suggests. KALLBERG managed to apply strong pressure, especially in the second game where the Swedish player moved ahead 6-3 and later held game points at 12-11 and 13-12. However, Felix LEBRUN once again demonstrated his composure in the crucial moments, eventually taking the game 16-14 to move within one game of victory.
The third game confirmed the French star’s dominance as he maintained control to close the match and give the French side a commanding 2-0 advantage.
“Against Anton it is always close,” said Felix LEBRUN afterwards. “Today it was 3-0, but it could easily have been 2-0 for him at the beginning. I was fighting for every single point. The crucial moment was at the end of the second game, when I took the timeout to refocus and win that game.”
World no. 27 Kanak JHA kept Borussia Düsseldorf alive, reducing the deficit against Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier after overcoming world no. 37 Manav THAKAR.
The match largely followed the rankings in the opening two games, with JHA controlling the crucial moments and building a solid advantage. However, the third game brought fresh drama as THAKAR refused to surrender. The Indian player raced into a 10-4 lead before JHA mounted a late comeback to 10-8, but THAKAR stayed composed to extend the match into a fourth game.
JHA eventually recovered his rhythm and held his nerve in another close finish to secure Borussia Düsseldorf’s first point of the evening.
“It was shaky, but I managed pretty well in the first two games,” said JHA afterwards. “I played quite decisively. Manav is a very tricky player to face and during the last year and a half he has been playing really well. I am very happy that I managed to stay calm and win this match.”
Felix LEBRUN concluded the semi-final in style, defeating Dang QIU in a fantastic duel to send Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier into the final of the HYLO ETTU Champions League Men Final 4.
After already giving the French side a strong advantage with his victory over Anton KALLBERG, Europe’s no. 2 once again stepped up under pressure. The opening game turned into a spectacular battle, with Felix eventually edging it 16-14 before maintaining control through the remainder of the match despite QIU’s resistance in the second game.
With the victory, Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier secured a 3-1 overall success over Borussia Düsseldorf and booked their place in Sunday’s final.
Felix LEBRUN was voted Player of the Match, with the award presented by ETTU Vice President Zoran PRIMORAC
“We are very proud of the players because they gave everything, exactly as I asked from the beginning,” said the Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier coachVincent AVRIL after reaching the final. “I am proud of the whole team, including the guys on the bench. It is not easy to stay on the bench in such an atmosphere during a match like this, so I want to thank everyone for their attitude and commitment.”
He also praised Alexis and Felix LEBRUN after their decisive contributions in the semi-final victory.
“Congratulations to Alexis and Felix for bringing the three points. It was a very close match and they played amazingly well. After the World Championships, it is very difficult to come back immediately and play another stressful match like this one.”
Looking ahead to the final, the French side remains ambitious despite the challenge waiting against reigning champions 1. FC Saarbrücken TT.
“We will keep the same spirit as always. For more than a year we have been playing together with a fantastic team spirit and we know each other very well. Now we are ready to fight against maybe the best team in the world. It will be very exciting. We need to recover and then play our best table tennis to try to win this wonderful competition. We are very proud to have reached the final.”.
Borussia Düsseldorf (GER) – Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier (FRA) 1-3
- Dang QIU – Alexis LEBRUN 0-3 (5-11, 8-11, 8-11)
- Anton KALLBERG – Felix LEBRUN 0-3 (9-11, 14-16, 8-11)
- Kanak JHA – Manav THAKAR 3-1 (11-9, 12-10, 8-11, 11-9)
- Dang QIU – Felix LEBRUN 1-3 (14-16, 11-9, 5-11, 8-11)
