Champions League Men | 21 Jun 2016
TTCL Men 2016/17 – 16 clubs announced
FAKEL GAZPROMA ORENBURG again tops the TTCLM seedings
The seeding list for the 2016/17 Table Tennis Champions League Men is announced prior the Draw which will be held on Friday 24thJune in Vienna. As last season, 16 clubs in four groups will compete for the title.
There are no big changes among the top placed clubs on the seeding list. Triple time champion FAKEL GAZPROMA ORENBURG (2012, 2013, 2015) again tops the list with his long term trio Dimitrij OVTCHAROV, Vladimir SAMSONOV, Alexey SMIRNOV, boosted with strong newcomer transferred from UMMC, Japanese Jun MIZUTANI. They will be surely huge favorite in the upcoming season, being sixth consecutive time no. 1. seed.
All these years FAKEL GAZPROMA ORENBURG has been following on the list by ten times TTCLM winner and record holder BORUSSIA DÜSSELDORF. German champion has two big changes: Panagiotis GIONIS (new member of K.S. DARTOM BOGORIA GRODZISK MAZOWIECKI) and Patrick FRANZISKA (1. FC SAARBRÜCKEN TT) left the club, while both Stefan FEGERL and Kristian KARLSSON have signed. Timo BOLL stays as the leading player in the scheme of Coach Danny HEISTER.
Reigning TTCLM champion AS PONTOISE CERGY TT stands as no. 8. seed. One Swede replaced another: Mattias KARLSSON instead of Kristian KARLSSON. WANG Jian Jun moved to SPG WALTER WELS, but Marcos FREITAS and Tristan FLORE will defend both titles from previous season, TTCLM and Pro A. Last season's runner-up ESLÖVS AI BORDTENNIS is now no. 13 seed.
One of the most interesting news is the comeback of Michael MAZE who announced his retirement a couple months ago. The 34-year-old Danish player fought with many injuries in last seasons, having many surgeries as well, but despite that he decided to return to ROSKILDE BORDTENNIS BTK 61.
After many years Singaporean GAO Ning left CHARTRES ASTT and signed for K.S. DARTOM BOGORIA GRODZISK MAZOWIECKI. Polish club also signed Panagiotis GIONIS from BORUSSIA DÜSSELDORF. German club 1. FC SAARBRÜCKEN TT increases its ambition having two newcomers who wore BORUSSIA DÜSSELDORF`s jersey in TTCLM, Patrick FRANZISKA and Patrick BAUM.
UMMC signed Croatian Andrej GACINA, ASTS "OLIMPIA-UNIA" GRUDZIĄDZ puts in its squad ESLÖVS AI BORDTENNIS` Mattias OVERSJO, while TABLE TENNIS CLUB OSTRAVA 2016 starts new season with two well experienced players in TTCLM, Aleksandar KARAKASEVIC and Petr KORBEL.
Upcoming season gathered 23 players among the Top 50 ITTF World Ranking. They are: Dimitrij OVTCHAROV (no. 5, FAKEL GAZPROMA ORENBURG), Jun MIZUTANI (6, FAKEL GAZPROMA ORENBURG), Vladimir SAMSONOV (9, FAKEL GAZPROMA ORENBURG), Timo BOLL (10, BORUSSIA DÜSSELDORF), Marcos FREITAS (12, AS PONTOISE CERGY TT), Tiago APOLONIA (17, FC SAARBRÜCKEN TT), Andrej GACINA (20, UMMC), Alexander SHIBAEV (21, UMMC), Stefan FEGERL (22, BORUSSIA DÜSSELDORF), Simon GAUZY (24, TTF LIEBHERR OCHSENHAUSEN), Panagiotis GIONIS (K.S. DARTOM BOGORIA GRODZISK MAZOWIECKI), Kristian KARLSSON (27, BORUSSIA DÜSSELDORF), Par GERELL (30, CHARTRES ASTT), GAO Ning (31, K.S. DARTOM BOGORIA GRODZISK MAZOWIECKI), Emmanuel LEBESSON (35, VS ANGERS TT), Joao MONTEIRO (38, CHARTRES ASTT), Mattias KARLSSON (41, AS PONTOISE CERGY TT), Robert GARDOS (43, CHARTRES ASTT), Bojan TOKIC (44, FC SAARBRÜCKEN TT), WANG Yang (46, ASTS "OLIMPIA-UNIA" GRUDZIĄDZ), Patrick FRANZISKA (47, FC SAARBRÜCKEN TT), Jakub DYJAS (48, TTF LIEBHERR OCHSENHAUSEN), Liam PITCHFORD (50, GV HENNEBONT TT).
1 FAKEL GAZPROMA ORENBURG RUS 8518
2 BORUSSIA DÜSSELDORF GER 7469
3 UMMC RUS 7175
4 1. FC SAARBRÜCKEN TT GER 7060
5 K.S. DARTOM BOGORIA GRODZISK MAZOWIECKI POL 7054
6 CHARTRES ASTT FRA 7041
7 TTF LIEBHERR OCHSENHAUSEN GER 7007
8 AS PONTOISE CERGY TT FRA 6974
9 VS ANGERS TT FRA 6634
10 GV HENNEBONT TT FRA 6563
11 ASTS "OLIMPIA-UNIA" GRUDZIĄDZ POL 6380
12 SPG WALTER WELS AUT 6327
13 ESLÖVS AI BORDTENNIS SWE 6299
14 TABLE TENNIS CLUB OSTRAVA 2016 CZE 6277
15 ROSKILDE BORDTENNIS BTK 61 DEN 6162
16 KST ENERGA – MANEKIN TORUŃ POL 5685
