Eslovs upsets Pontoise in the first final leg of TTCLM

May 7, 2016
8:12 pm
Champions League Men

Actual ETTU Cup winner beat the 2014 TTCLM champion 3:1 as XU Hui beat Marcos FREITAS in the decisive match

The 14th seed in the ongoing TTCLM season Eslovs Al Bordtennis upset the 2013/14 winner AS Pontoise Cergy in the first final leg held in front of about 1000 people in Eslovshalle. Actual ETTU Cup winner won 3:1 (9:5) as Chinese XU Hui defeated the world`s no. 13 Marcos FREITAS in the decisive match. Returning leg is scheduled for May 29th in France.

XU beat Tristan FLORE in four games of the opening encounter. Promising French player who usualy play as no.3 in the line-up (he had 4-0 in that role) now was faced with one of the best TTCLM players in the 2015/16 season. Chinese confirmed his reputation in the fourth set when his opponent tried to continue excellent play from the previous game.

Marcos FREITAS leveled the score against Robert SVENSSON. The silver medalist from the 2015 ITTF European Championships did it in straight games but not easy. Host player put a lot of pressure on him all the time and all three sets were ended by narrow margin. In the last one Portuguese saved a set ball and concluded the clash by three points in a row.

Mattias OVERSJO got maybe the most important point in his club`s career beating WANG Jian Jun 3:1. Crucial moment came in the early fourth set when host took four consecutive points (6:2).

Two leading players from both sides have emerged one against another to decide the first final leg as XU overcame FREITAS in superb style. European star had no any chance against Chinese who now has the best individual score (17-4) in the ongoing season (FREITAS 15-4).

It was the third game between these two teams in this season (in the group stage both sides won away). The 2013/14 TTCLM winner and actual no. 3 seed will be faced with a hard task bearing in mind that they should prevent XU to take again two points. Chinese now has 5-1 individual score against Pontoise`s players so far.

The 2015/16 TTCLM final 1^st leg

Eslovs Al Bordtennis – AS Pontoise Cergy 3:1 (9:5)

XU Hui – Tristan FLORE 3:1 (11:7 11:5 5:11 11:4)

Robert SVENSSON – Marcos FREITAS 0:3 (9:11 11:13 11:13)

Mattias OVERSJO – WANG Jian Jun 3:1 (11:4 11:6 9:11 11:9)

XU Hui – Marcos FREITAS 3:0 (11:7 11:9 11:7)

WINTER: The best decision of my table tennis career

Since December 2024, Sabine WINTER’S career has followed only one direction sharply upwards. The key to this development lies in an extraordinary decision she made at that time: a complete...

From Jeju to Havířov: Eurospins Camp Continues to Unite European and Korean Youth

For the second time, young Europeans aged 13 to 16 are practicing in a joint Eurospins camp with their peers from South Korea. Last December it was in Asia, in...

ETTU celebrates 25 years of partnership with LIEBHERR

The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) proudly marks 25 years of partnership with LIEBHERR, one of the world’s leading technology companies and a long-standing supporter of European table tennis. “For...

Webinar Social Media Conduct for Umpires and Referees attracts strong interest

As part of a new initiative, the ETTU Umpires and Referees Committee hosted a webinar dedicated to social media conduct for match officials, drawing significant interest from across the community....