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)

PAVADE to Lead Historic Launch of the ETTU Champions League Women in Novi Sad

Novi Sad will host the start of a historic season in the ETTU Champions League Women. Stage One kicks off on Friday, and the three-day tournament will mark the first...

Riga Crowns Champions: MALOV and KOBOSZ Rule U15; ISAKSSON and WU Strike Gold in U13

The JOOLA Europe Youth Series in Riga concluded today after five days of matches. The crowned champions in the Under 15 singles events are Alexander MALOV of Spain and Lucja...

Spain and Combined Germany-Denmark-Serbia Team Crowned Mixed Teams Champions in Riga

On the second day of play at the JOOLA Europe Youth Series in Riga, the Mixed Teams champions were crowned. Spain triumphed in the Under 13 category, while the combined...

ETTU President MOURA: ITTF Executive Board Meeting Reaffirms Unity and Progress

ETTU President Pedro MOURA, attending the ITTF Executive Board meeting in his role as President of the European Table Tennis Union, underlined the importance of unity and progress at a...