Champions League Women | 10 Jun 2019
ECLW: Berlin Eastside returns at the top
Photo: Courtesy ITTF
The 2019/2020 European Champions League Women
The seeding list of the 2019/20 European Champions League Women, composed by 12 teams, has three new names – two from Spain, no. 10 seed Leka Enea Tenis de Mesa and no. 11 GIRBAU VIC TT, and one from Austria, no. 12 TTC "CarinthiaWinds" Villach. The draw for the 2019/20 ECLW will be held on Saturday 15th June 2019 at the ETTU office in Luxembourg, at 12:00 CET and it will be live streamed.
Four-times ECLW champion, TTC Berlin Eastside (GER) returns at the top of the seeding list after two years, assembling one of the strongest teams in its history. The names speak for themselves: twice in a row Europe Top 16 finalist in last two editions (2018 winner) Bernadette SZÖCS (world no. 20), 2018 European Championships Women’s Doubles bronze medalists, Matilda EKHOLM (no. 28) and Georgina POTA (no. 36), 2017/18 ECLW winner with Dr. CASL and 2016 European Championships runner-up FU Yu (no. 35), 2013 European Junior champion, Nina MITTELHAM (50), 2013 European Championships runner-up SHAN Xiaona (213), Archana Girish KAMATH (155) and Katrin MÜHLBACH (-).
Two-times ECWL winner, Linz AG Froschberg (AUT) is no. 2 seed, led by European rising star, 2019 Europe Top 16 bronze medalist Sofia POLCANOVA (world no. 21). She is teamed up with same players like in the 2018/19 edition, SOO Wai Yam Minnie (41), Linda BERGSTROM (79) and Yiu HAMAMOTO (86), Christina KALLBERG (253), Margarita BALTUSHITE (514), Sohia KELLERMANN (562), Selina LEITNER (-).
Reigning ECLW champion, KTS Enea Siarka Tarnobrzeg (POL) is going to defend the crown with the well-known names, including 2015 European champion Elizabeta SAMARA (no. 26), three strong defensive players, 2013 European Championships bronze medallist, HAN Ying (no. 34), China’s GU Ruochen (-), actual individual European champion LI Qian (no. 45) and two-times Women’ Singles European Championships gold medallist Viktoria PAVLOVICH (no. 133), as well as Kinga STEFANSKA (no. 754). The team is strengthened by USA’s player WU Yue (no. 43).
Three-times in a row ECLW quarter-finalist in the last four seasons, TT Saint-Quentinois (FRA), no. 4 seed, will play with the same line-up: ZHANG Mo (no. 25), Polina MIKHAYLOVA (no. 57), Aurore LE MANSEC (-), covered by Olga MIKHAYLOVA (-).
Last year’s quarter-finalist, No. 5SKST Stavoimpex Hodonin (CZE) signed Hong Kong’sNG Wing Nam (world no. 58) to improve its chances for the semi-final spot. Other members of the team are following: Natalia PARTYKA (no. 71), Iveta VACENOVSKA (no. 126), Solomiya BRATEYKO (no. 254), Nikoleta PUCHOVANOVA (no. 271), Marketa SEVCIKOVA (no. 679), JEE Min Hyyung (no. 725).
The 2015/16 ETTU Cup winner, ECLW no. 6 seed CP Lyssois Lille Métropole (FRA), counts onDora MADARASZ (no. 72), Tamolwan KHETKHUAN (no. 109), Agnès LE LANNIC (-), Andrea TODOROVIC (no. 163) and Sanja KORAK (-).
No 7. Seed UCAM Cartagena (ESP), 2015/16 ECLW semi-finalist and 2018/19 ETTU Cup winner, signed 2016 European Championships gold medallist HU Melek (no. 58) who won ECLW with Fenerbahce four years ago. Other three players are LIU Xin (no. 460), Silvia Assis de Souza ERDELYI (-), Ana GARCIA MONTERO (no. 275).
The 2012/13 ECLW runner-up, actual no. 8 seed Budaorsi 2i SC (HUN), has a mixture of experience and youth, with one of the most promising European players Sabina SURJAN (world no. 138) and former ECLW champion Petra LOVAS who lifted the trophy with TTC Berlin Eastside few years ago. Hungarian side has three more domestic players: Szandra PERGEL (no. 75), Mercedesz NAGYVARADI (no. 257), Maria FAZEKAS (-) and Krisztina SZVITAN (-).
The 2017/18 ETTU Cup champion and two-times ECLW quarter-finalist in last three years, no. 10 seed Metz TT (FRA) is the side filled by the same names like in the previous season: Pauline CHASSELIN (no. 120), Daniela DODEAN MONTEIRO (no. 125), Adina DIACONU (no. 170), Carole GRUNDISCH (no. 412)
Three newcomers are posted at the three out of four lowest positions on the seeding list. No. 9 Leka Enea Tenis de Mesa of Spain will play with Maria XIAO (no. 70), LIN Chia-Chih (-), Ioana TECLA-GHEMES (-) and Roxana Mihaela IAMANDI (-), no. 11GIRBAU VIC TT has no players with ECLW experience, as they have XU Xuan Zhang (109), Charlotte CAREY (151), Orsolya FEHER AGOTA (194), Gabriella FEHER (-), while no.12 seedTTC "CarinthiaWinds" Villach hopes that Amelia SOLJA (60) and LI Qiangbing (-), supported by Liudmila KIRITSA (-), Anna Zsofia FENYVESI (-), LIU Yan (-) and Bettina FEUDERABEND (-), are strong enough to provide them place among the best eight sides.
2019-2020 ECLW Seeding List
1 TTC Berlin Eastside (GER)
2 Linz AG Froschberg (AUT)
3 KTS Enea Siarka Tarnobrzeg (POL)
4 TT Saint-Quentinois (FRA)
5 SKST Stavoimpex Hodonin (CZE)
6 CP Lyssois Lille Métropole (FRA)
7 UCAM Cartagena T.M (ESP)
8 Budaörsi 2I SC (HUN)
9 Leka Enea Tenis de Mesa (ESP)
10 Metz TT (FRA)
11 GIRBAU VIC TT (ESP)
12 TTC "CarinthiaWinds" Villach (AUT)
More information: here
