Champions League Women | 30 Sep 2016
ECLW Round 1: Three wins of host sides
Photo: Courtesy UCAM Cartagena
All four matches finished 3:1, but just one belonged to the visitors, as ALCL TT Grand-Quevilly upset BURSA BÜYÜKŞEHİR BELEDİYESPOR
Three out of four top seeds were successful in the opening round of the 2016/17 European Champions League Women: TTC Berlin Eastside – Postas Sport Egyesulet 3:1, UCAM Cartagena – TuS bad Driburg 3:1, BURSA BÜYÜKŞEHİR BELEDİYESPOR – ALCL TT Grand-Quevilly 1:3, KTS Siarka-ZOT Tarnobrzeg – SKST Stavoimpex Hodonin 3:1.
Berlin beat Postas in Group A, as Yui HAMAMOTO won two matches. The 18-year-old from Japan played just one game in the last season, as team`s no. 3 in the line-up (beat Bursa`s Maria DOLGIKH) but tonight started as no. 1 and beat two former individual European champions. First she overcame LI Jiao in five games of the opener, and then Ruta PASKAUSKIENE in four sets.
Newcomer in Postas`s team PASKAUSKIENE took unique point for her side, beating SHAN Xiaona. Georgina POTA was better than Rita KERTAI in the third match.
UCAM Cartagena presented all three its newcomers against TuS bad Driburg. World No. 8 CHENG I Ching, who played 2014 ECLW final in Fenerbahce`s jersey, defeated SHI Qi and Nina MITTELHAM in the first and fourth match respectively. Matilda EKHOLM provided one more point for the host, against 19-year-old MITTELHAM, while Sara DE NUTTE was unique winner in the team which plays its very first ECLW season. DE NUTTE was better than Tetyana BILENKO after full five games.
ALCL TT Grand-Quevilly managed to upset Bursa in the Group C clash in which two leading players were absent: YU Mengyu (Bursa) and LI Fen (Grand Quevilly). Host side put 17-year-old Simay KULAKSEKEN as team`s no. 1 and she lost both her encounters, against TIAN Yuan and Shihi ONO who brought one more point to her side, defeating Aleksandra PRIVALOVA.
Second seed and actual ECLW runner-up KTS Siarka-ZOT Tarnobrzeg was confident against SKST Stavoimpex Hodonin, thanks to the best ranked ECLW player HAN Ying (World No. 7) who beat both Lenka HARABASZOVA and Renata STRBIKOVA in straight games. STRBIKOVA leveled the score in the second match, beating former individual European champion Viktoria PAVLOVICH. The most exciting game was one between LI Qian and Natalia PARTYKA, which belonged to the host after full five games.
Group A: TTC Berlin Eastside – Postas Sport Egyesulet 3:1
Yui HAMAMOTO – LI Jiao 3:2 (11:6, 11:13, 11:6, 4:11, 11:9)
SHAN Xioana – Ruta PASKAUSKIENE 2:3 (11:4, 11:8, 3:11, 7:11, 9:11)
Georgina POTA – Rita KERTAI 3:0 (12:10, 11:7, 11:7)
Yui HAMAMOTO – Ruta PASKAUSKIENE 3:1 (11:8, 5:11, 14:12, 11:6)
Group B: UCAM Cartagena – TuS bad Driburg 3:1
CHENG I Ching – SHI Qi 3:2 (8:11, 7:11, 11:4, 11:7, 11:3)
Matilda EKHOLM – Nina MITTELHAM 3:0 (11:6, 11:0, 11:5)
Tetyana BILENKO – Sarah DE NUTTE 2:3 (10:12, 11:9, 11:9, 6:11, 6:11)
CHENG I Ching - Nina MITTELHAM 3:1 (10:12, 15:13, 11:7, 11:5)
Group C: BURSA BÜYÜKŞEHİR BELEDİYESPOR – ALCL TT Grand-Quevilly 1:3
Simay KULAKCEKEN – TIAN Yuan 0:3 (2:11, 4:11, 5:11)
Aleksandra PRIVALOVA – Shiho ONO 1:3 (3:11, 11:8, 7:11, 10:`12)
HU Melek – Galia DVORAK 3:1 (14:12, 9:11, 11:7, 11:8)
Simay KULAKCEKEN – Shiho ONO 2:3 (9:11, 11:9, 11:9, 7:11, 7:11)
Group D: KTS Siarka-ZOT Tarnobrzeg – SKST Stavoimpex Hodonin 3:1
HAN Ying – Lenka HARABASZOVA 3:0 (11:9, 11:6, 11:8)
Viktoria PAVLOVICH – Renata STRBIKOVA 0:3 (9:11, 8:11, 9:11)
LI Qian – Natalia PARTYKA 3:2 (14:12, 11:3, 4:11, 13:15, 11:5)
HAN Ying – Renata STRBIKOVA 3:0 (11:9, 11:9, 11:8)
