TTCLM final: Borussia travels to Russia with 3:2 win

May 13, 2018
4:53 pm
Champions League Men

German club beat actual TTCLM champion Orenburg in the first leg as Timo BOLL won two matches and Kristian KARLSSON added one

Ten times TTCLM winner Borussia Dusseldorf has secured 3:2 (12:8 in sets) advantage in the first leg of 2017/18 against reigning champion and no. 1 seed Fakel Gazprom Orenburg. Timo BOLL provided two points as he beat Dimitrij OVTCHAROV and Jun MIZUTANI while Kristian KARLSSON concluded the clash by his win against OVTCHAROV who wasn’t in his best shape due to injury.

Timo BOLL prevailed against his team mate from the German National Team Dimitrij OVTCHAROV in four games. Host controlled the game in the first two sets but guest managed to reach third one by a narrow margin in spite of having four set points (6:10). BOLL responded by four consecutive points in an early fourth game (4:1) making crucial run from 6:4 to 9:4.

Two left-handers met in the second encounter as Jun MIZUTANI was extended to full distance by Kristian KARLSSON. There were dozen incredible points but “craziest” moment was one at 10:10 in the third set when Japanese concluded the longest rally in the match.

Third game confronted one of the youngest TTCLM participants 20 year-old Anton KALLBERG and the oldest one 42 year-old Vladimir SAMSONOV. Belarus legend won in four games.

Timo BOLL ended Jun MIZUTANI`s winning run to level the score at 2:2. German has improved his season`s win-loss record to 14-3 while Japanese now has 11-1. Most probably this match was BOLL`s best one in 2017/18 TTCLM so far.

KARLSSON secured victory for German team as he overcame OVTCHAROV in straight games. Swede decided the game by five consecutive points in third set (5:7 10:7).

Second leg will be held next Friday May 18^th in Orenburg.

2017/18 TTCLM final first match

Borussia Dusseldorf (no. 2 seed) – Fakel Gazprom Orenburg (no. 1 seed) 3:2

Timo BOLL – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV 3:1 (11:7 11:8 10:12 11:6)

Kristian KARLSSON – Jun MIZUTANI 2:3 (8:11 11:8 10:12 11:9 12:14)

Anton KALLBERG – Vladimir SAMSONOV 1:3 (6:11 3:11 11:7 6:11)

Timo BOLL – Jun MIZUTANI 3:1 (13:11 11:8 5:11 11:3)

Kristian KARLSSON – Dimitrij OVTCHAROV 3:0 (11:8 11:4 11:8)

Metz Deliver Perfect Birthday Win for Hana GODA (VIDEO)

Following a successful start to the ETTU Champions League Women Stage 2 and a 3–1 away victory over Poland’s PGE Fibrain KU AZS Politechnika Rzeszów, French side Metz TT continued...

LINZ AG Froschberg and SPG LINZ Seeking Head Coach

LINZ AG Froschberg and SPG LINZ are looking for an experienced Head Coach to lead their professional table tennis programme. The clubs operate a high-performance tournament system focused on top-level...

Draw for the WTT Finals Hong Kong 2025

Only 16 men, 16 women, and 8 mixed doubles pairs have been invited to the prestigious WTT Finals Hong Kong 2025, taking place from 10–14 December. The Men’s Singles draw...

OLÁH Cruises to Finlandia Open Title With Los Angeles 2028 Already on His Mind

Finland’s top player Benedek OLÁH claimed the men’s singles crown at the traditional Finlandia Open, held at the Kisakallio Sports Institute in Lohja. In the final, OLÁH defeated Denmark’s Dominykas...