1. FC Saarbrücken TT e.V. Secures Final 4 Spot

December 21, 2023
11:39 pm
Europe Cup Men

The list of competitors for the Champions League Men Final Four is now complete with the host 1. FC Saarbrücken TT e.V. securing the last spot for the 2023/2024 season showdown from March 31 to April 1 2024 at the Saarlandhalle.

Joining reigning champions 1. FC Saarbrücken TT e.V. in the Final Four are Borussia Düsseldorf TTC Neu-Ulm and the surprise winners of Group C SolexConsult TTC Wiener Neustadt. The Austrians are the only non-German representatives in the final.

In the ultimate match of Group A 1. FC Saarbrücken TT e.V. overcame French A.S Pontoise-Cergy TT after a closely contested five matches. In the opening match Darko JORGIC went the full distance against Korean player LIM Jonghoon but emerged victorious.

“I am very happy that we managed to reach the Final 4 in Saarbrücken. Everybody expected that from us to play F4 on home soil. Personally it was also a very important individual win for me. My victory over LIM is very valuable since he is very highly ranked. It was very close and if I had lost we could easily have been defeated 0-3 ” explained JORGIC. “It was clear that FRANZISKA was missing his training. He was ill for ten days and did not have the chance to train at all. So it was very important that Yuto stood and prevailed after 1-1 and he beat BOULOUSSA. At that point we were in the clear we secured our place in F4 and everything became easier.”

Yuto MURAMATSU added one point in the match against Mehdi BOULOUSSA. “My body was not feeling very well tonight. I had a stomachache. Also my adversary was very strong. However when I lost the opening game I did not give up. I kept on fighting.”

Eduard IONESCU who only played against Tesla Batteries Havirov in Stage 2 overcame Flavio MOURIER in the decisive match. Patrick FRANZISKA returned to the team but failed to secure a victory tonight losing to Marcos FREITAS and LIM Jonghoon.

A.S PONTOISE-CERGY TT – 1. FC Saarbrücken TT e.V. 2-3

LIM Jonghoon – Darko JORGIC 2-3 (11-6 1-11 13-11 7-11 2-6)

Marcos FREITAS – Patrick FRANZISKA 3-1 (11-8 12-10 8-11 11-6)

Mehdi BOULOUSSA – Yuto MURAMATSU 1-3 (12-10 6-11 10-12 9-11)

LIM Jonghoon – Patrick FRANZISKA 3-1 (11-4 8-11 11-8 11-6)

Flavio MOURIER – Eduard IONESCU 0-3 (10-12 2-11 12-14)

Young Talents Shine Across All Singles and Mixed Doubles Events in Beočin

A full programme of finals at the JOOLA Europe Youth Series Serbia Open in Beočin showed the rising stars of European table tennis. Across six title events, players from Poland,...

DTTB Marks 100 Years: A Century of Table Tennis Celebrated in Düsseldorf

The German Table Tennis Federation (DTTB) celebrated its 100th anniversary with a modest yet dignified gala at the German Table Tennis Centre (DTTZ) in Düsseldorf. Guests from sport, politics, and...

Team Titles Decided in Beočin as JOOLA Europe Youth Series Serbia Open Continues With Singles Events

The JOOLA Europe Youth Series – Serbia Open continued in Beočin with the completion of all team events in the Under 13 and Under 15 categories, before the focus shifted...

ETTU Opens Application Process for Hosting 2028 European Events

The European Table Tennis Union has officially released the hosting documents for all major European events scheduled in 2028. Member Associations are invited to submit their applications, with all relevant...