Six-time Champions League winners and holders of six European Cup of Champions trophies, Borussia Düsseldorf progressed to the quarter-finals of the ETTU Champions League after overcoming Real Club Cajasur Priego TM in the two-legged Round of 16.
The No. 2 seeds and last season’s runners-up completed the job against the Spanish side, but unlike the opening leg, the No. 17 seeds pushed the favourites to their limits and applied sustained pressure throughout the return match.
Borussia Düsseldorf eventually secured a hard-fought 3–2 victory after a dramatic five-match battle.
The German side made a strong start as Anton KÄLLBERG opened the tie with a confident 3–1 win over Diogo CARVALHO, controlling the rallies and setting the tone. Priego responded immediately through Tao YUCHANG, who overturned Li YONGYIN in four games to level the score at 1–1.
Düsseldorf regained the lead thanks to an impressive performance by Kanak JHA, who dominated Carlos MACHADO in straight games to put the hosts back in front. However, Priego refused to give in, as Tao YUCHANG completed a superb evening with a five-game victory over KÄLLBERG, forcing the tie into a deciding match.
In the decisive encounter, Borgar HAUG rose to the occasion against Diogo CARVALHO. After dropping the opening game, Haug showed strong nerves and composure, winning the next three games to clinch the match and seal a crucial 3–2 win for Borussia Düsseldorf.
“We’re very happy to go through to the next stage. It was a bit of a tricky situation. We knew we needed only two matches, but that can actually increase the pressure in some ways. So we just tried to approach it match by match,”stated Kanak JHA. “Anton started very strongly for us, and that was really important. Against MACHADO, I was the clear favorite, so I felt like I simply needed to do my job and I did.
It was also a very nice match of Borgar. It was played at a really high level, great for the spectators, and great for Borgar to take the win here at home. Overall, it was a very good evening for us.”
In the quarter-finals, Borussia Düsseldorf will face the winner of the tie between HB Ostrov z.s. and Post SV Mühlhausen 1951 e.V.
Borussia Düsseldorf (GER) – Real Club Cajasur Priego TM (ESP) 3–2
- Anton KALLBERG – Diogo CARVALHO 3–1 (11–4, 11–6, 5–11, 11–7)
- Li YONGYIN – Tao YUCHANG 1–3 (11–6, 6–11, 8–11, 7–11)
- Kanak JHA – Carlos MACHADO 3–0 (11–8, 11–4, 11–4)
- Anton KALLBERG – Tao YUCHANG 2–3 (12–10, 6–11, 11–8, 9–11, 2–6)
- Borgar HAUG – Diogo CARVALHO 3–1 (7–11, 11–7, 12–10, 11–9)
Opening leg
Real Club Cajasur Priego TM – Borussia Düsseldorf 0–3
- Hampus SÖDERLUND – Anton KALLBERG 1–3 (12–10, 6–11, 6–11, 4–11)
- Diogo CHEN – QIU Dang 0–3 (9–11, 5–11, 5–11)
- Carlos MACHADO – Kanak JHA 0–3 (3–11, 7–11, 4–11)
KS Dekorglass Działdowo Moved forward
Last season’s ETTU Champions League quarterfinalists, KS Dekorglass Działdowo, have once again secured their place among the last eight, reaching the quarterfinals for the third consecutive season.
In both legs of the ETTU Champions League Men tie, the Polish side overcame Czech SKST Havířov with straight-match victories. Tomislav PUCAR, Jakub DYJAS and Samuel KULCZYCKI featured in both encounters.
“We won 3–0 and secured a place in the quarter-finals. What makes this victory even more special is that it came in front of our home crowd,” said Tomislav PUCAR. “I opened the match against BLINKA and I think I won the first two game very convincingly. After that, he started to play better and adjusted his tactics, which made the third set very tight. I had a match point that I didn’t convert, so the match went into the fourth game. It was very close again at 5–5, but I managed to pull away and win the match.”
PUCAR continued: “We took a 1–0 lead, and after that we needed just one more win to qualify for the quarter-finals. DYJAS played next against BRHEL and delivered a great performance, securing the second point, which was enough for us. The third match was also open and competitive, but Samuel played very well. In the end, we won 3–0. It was important for us to win in front of our home supporters, and Samuel did a very good job in the last match, bringing the tie to a successful conclusion.”
In the quarter-finals, KS Dekorglass Działdowo will meet the winner of the tie between France’s Alliance Nîmes/Montpellier and Austria’s SolexConsult TTC Wiener Neustadt, with the French club having secured a four-match victory in the opening leg.
Meanwhile, SKST Havířov will continue their European campaign in the ETTU Europe Cup Round of 16.
Round of 16
KS Dekorglass Działdowo (POL) – SKST Havirov (CZE) 3–0
- Tomislav PUCAR– Michal BLINKA 3–1 (11–3, 11–4, 11–13, 11–5)
- Jakub DYJAS –Stepan BRHEL 3–1 (11–8, 11–7, 10–12, 11–7)
- Samuel KULCZYCKI –Jan SKALDA 3–0 (11–6, 11–5, 15–13)
Opening leg
SKST Havířov – KS Dekorglass Działdowo 0–3
- Gustavo GÓMEZ – Jakub DYJAS 0–3 (7–11, 11–13, 5–11)
- Štěpán BRHEL – Tomislav PUCAR 1–3 (11–8, 6–11, 8–11, 8–11)
- Michal BLINKA – Samuel KULCZYCKI 1–3 (11–7, 9–11, 8–11, 10–12)
KS Orlen Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki Cruise Into Quarterfinals
KS Orlen Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki have also safely booked their place in the ETTU Champions League Men quarter-finals. Over two legs the Polish club, seeded No. 3, fully justified their ranking by overcoming Czech SF SKK El Nino Praha.
There were no changes to the line-up, as Milosz REDZIMSKI, Marek BADOWSKI and Panagiotis GIONIS once again delivered the victory on home soil.
“We were very focused from the first game until the last. We knew that we needed to win two matches. Milosz was amazing, he played fantastic table tennis, really top level, exactly his level when he is fully focused. Marek was also excellent. He usually has a tough time against REITSPIES, but today he stayed focused and handled the match very well,” stated GIONIS.” After Marek’s win, my match was more about finishing the overall tie for the spectators and for the team. It was not so important for qualification because we had already secured our place in the quarter-finals, but I still tried to stay focused. It’s not easy to play a match that doesn’t carry the same pressure, but I think I played well. Overall, it was a very good day for us. We are very happy to be in the quarter-finals, and now we are waiting to see our next opponent as we fight for back-to-back Final Four appearances.”
In the quarter-finals, KS Orlen Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki will face the winner of the all-Polish clash between KS Bank Spółdzielczy Orlicz 1924 Suchedniów and TTC Sokah Hoboken.
KS Orlen Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki (POL) – SF SKK El Nino Praha (CZE) 3–0
- Milosz REDZIMSKI – Tomas KONECNY 3–0 (11–2, 11–6, 11–7)
- Marek BADOWSKI – David REITSPIES 3–0 (11–3, 11–6, 11–6)
- Panagiotis GIONIS – Yevhen PRYSHCHEPA 3–1 (9–11, 11–5, 11–7, 11–3)
Opening leg
SF SKK El Niňo Praha – KS Orlen Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki 0–3
- David REITŠPIES – Marek BADOWSKI 1–3 (11–7, 3–11, 4–11, 9–11)
- Yevhen PRYSHCHEPA – Miłosz REDZIMSKI 0–3 (6–11, 6–11, 6–11)
- Tomáš KONEČNÝ – Panagiotis GIONIS 0–3 (6–11, 3–11, 8–11)
