Favourites won TTCLM Round 1 games 3:0 – actual TTCLM champion and 11-time winner Borussia beat Sporting while two-time winner Pontoise prevailed against Ostrava
Favourites proved their status in the opening round of the 2018/19 Table Tennis Champions League Men: TTC Ostrava 2016 – AS Pontoise Cergy 0:3 Borussia Dusseldorf – Sporting Clube de Portugal 3:0.
Reigning TTCLM champion and record holder with 11 crowns Borussia has hosted last season`s semi-finalist Sporting. Portugal`s champion couldn’t count on injured Joao MONTEIRO while domestic team played without recently crowned 2018 ITTF European champion Timo BOLL who won his seventh title in Alicante last weekend.
Two best ranked African players at the ITTF ranking list Omar ASSAR (World no. 29) and Quadri ARUNA (no. 22) were involved in this clash. ASSAR replaced BOLL as Borussia`s no. 1 this time debuting in TTCLM with 3:1 win against Diogo CARVALHO. Sweden`s Kristian KARLSSON who won Men`s Singles bronze in Alicante prevailed against ARUNA while his countryman Anton KÄLLBERG defeated Bode ABIODUN.
AS Pontoise Cergy 2014 and 2016 TTCLM winner after six years played its first European match without Marcos FREITAS who signed for Fakel Gazprom Orenburg this summer. New line-up was composed by Can AKKUZU Mattias FALCK and Tristan FLORE.
The 21-year-old AKKUZU has paved the way to Pontoise`s victory as he overcame Tomas TREGLER in the opener after full five games. Mattias FALCK and Tristan FLORE have concluded their clashes in straight games against Felipe OLIVARES and Ondrej BAJGER.
2018/19 TTCLM Round 1
Group A
TTC Ostrava 2016 – AS Pontoise Cergy 0:3
Tomas TREGLER – Can AKKUZU 2:3 (5:11 4:11 13:11 11:8 4:11)
Felipe OLIVARES – Mattias FALCK 0:3 (9:11 6:11 11:13)
Ondrej BAJGER – Tristan FLORE 0:3 (9:11 6:11 8:11)
Borussia Dusseldorf – Sporting Clube de Portugal 3:0
Omar ASSAR – Diogo CARVALHO 3:1 (11:3 11:4 7:11 13:11)
Kristian KARLSSON – Quadri ARUNA 3:1 (11:7 9:11 12:10 11:9)
Anton KÄLLBERG – Bode ABIODUN 3:1 (14:12 11:5 7:11 11:4)
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