Real Club Cajasur Priego TM secured the first European trophy in the club’s history after defeating SF SKK El Nino Praha in a dramatic ETTU Europe Cup Men final that delivered two thrilling encounters decided only after the full five matches.
The trophy to the winning team was presented by ETTU Vice President Jaroslaw KOLODZIEJCZYK.
After taking a narrow 3-2 victory in the opening leg in Spain, the Priego side travelled to Prague knowing that another difficult battle awaited them. Just like in the first encounter, the second leg again went the distance, but the Spanish club once more found the decisive points when it mattered most.
One of the heroes of the final was Hampus SODERLUND, who preserved his unbeaten record across both matches and delivered two crucial victories in each encounter.
Priego opened the second leg perfectly as SODERLUND defeated David REITSPIES in straight games. Robert GARDOS then increased the visitors’ advantage with a strong victory over Tomas KONECNY, placing the Spanish side in a commanding position.
SF SKK El Nino Praha responded through Yevhen PRYSHCHEPA, who overcame Carlos MACHADO to keep the Czech club alive. The momentum continued to swing after David REITSPIES produced an impressive straight-games victory against Robert GARDOS to level the match and force a dramatic final encounter.
Everything rested on the duel between Tomas KONECNY and the unbeaten Hampus SODERLUND. The experienced Czech player started strongly and moved within one game of victory after taking the first two games. However, SODERLUND produced another remarkable comeback, fighting back to win the next three games and secure the title for Real Club Cajasur Priego TM.
The Spanish side therefore completed a memorable European campaign and added the ETTU Europe Cup Men trophy to the club’s history for the very first time.
Hampus SODERLUND admitted that immediately after the final victory he was still struggling to process the emotions following the historic success for Real Club Cajasur Priego TM.
“At the moment I honestly don’t even know exactly what I feel. Maybe a little bit empty because it has been such a long journey for all of us,” said SODERLUND. “We started already in Novi Sad at the end of August in Champions League Stage 1and since then it has been a whole season full of difficult matches where somehow we always managed to survive.”
The Swedish player highlighted the significance of securing the first European trophy in the history of the Spanish club.
“I’m just happy that together we managed to make this title possible for the first time in the history of Priego de Córdoba. It is truly a historic night for the club.”
SODERLUND also praised the entire structure around the team throughout the season.
“The club management did an amazing job, the coaches worked incredibly well on the bench and of course the players also gave everything. I’m simply very proud of this team.”
Reflecting on the final itself, SODERLUND underlined how difficult the challenge in Prague proved to be.
“We knew it would be very hard. Winning 3-2 at home was great, especially with such an amazing crowd behind us, but that result gave us no real advantage going into Prague. We knew we had to start again and beat them one more time in their own hall and we managed to do it.”
He also pointed out that the road to the trophy had already included several dramatic moments earlier in the competition.
“In the quarterfinals against HB Ostrov we won through the Golden Match and Diogo CARVALHO played unbelievably. In the earlier stages we also had problems against Marcozzi from Italy, then suddenly Carlos MACHADO started winning incredible realies. It was really a complete team effort all season. Whenever one player struggled a bit, another one stepped up. That’s why this journey was so special.”
Robert GARDOS also highlighted the difficulty of the final and praised the team’s preparation for the decisive encounter.
“We suspected that the opponent would make some changes to the lineup. But they have three quality players and it was difficult for us again,” said GARDOS. “I did not play well in the opening match and I wanted to help the team more in the second leg. I prepared very well and I definitely gave a better performance.”
The experienced Austrian praised the team’s excellent start in the second leg, particularly the contribution of the unbeaten Hampus SODERLUND.
“We started amazingly. Hampus was once again in great shape and I managed to play much better than in the first match. After going 2-0 up, I already felt we had two very good chances to win the title.”
Despite seeing the Czech side fight back, GARDOS said the team never stopped believing.
“Carlos fought hard, but he lost against PRYSHCHEPA. Then I also lost because the Czech player simply played better than me. But even when Hampus was trailing, we still believed he could turn the match around. He had his chances, stayed mentally strong, and finally managed to change the direction of the match and win.”
The experienced Austrian also admitted that the team’s previous success in a Golden Match earlier this season may have helped mentally, even though Priego eventually avoided another decider.
“This year we already won a Golden Match in the Czech Republic against HB Ostrov, so maybe that gave us some psychological advantage. But it is good that it did not happen this time because Golden Matches are very unpredictable.”
SF SKK El Nino Praha – Real Club Cajasur Priego TM
- David REITSPIES – Hampus SODERLUND 0-3 (6-11, 6-11, 8-11)
- Tomas KONECNY – Robert GARDOS 1-3 (12-14, 7-11, 11-4, 4-11)
- Yevhen PRYSHCHEPA – Carlos MACHADO 3-1 (11-8, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7)
- David REITSPIES – Robert GARDOS 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-6)
- Tomas KONECNY – Hampus SODERLUND (11-6, 11-9, 11-13, 5-11, 4-6)
Opening leg
Real Club Cajasur Priego TM – SF SKK El Nino Praha 3-2
- Robert GARDOS – Yevhen PRYSHCHEPA 1-3 (6-11, 12-10, 5-11, 6-11)
- Hampus SODERLUND – David REITSPIES 3-1 (11-8, 11-7, 9-11, 11-4)
- Carlos MACHADO – Tomas KONECNY 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-7)
- Robert GARDOS – David REITSPIES 2-3 (11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 6-11, 3-6)
- Hampus SODERLUND – Yevhen PRYSHCHEPA 3-1 (12-10, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6)
