Champions League Women | 13 Sep 2019
ECLW Round 1: Reigning champions to host Metz
Photo: Courtesy KTS Enea Siarka Tarnobrzeg
The 2019/2020 European Champions League Women
The 2019/2020 European Champions League Women commences today, September 13, as reigning champion KTS Enea Siarka Tarnobrzeg of Poland host 2018 ETTU Cup Women winner Metz TT (Group C, 18:00). Remaining Round 1 games will take place in Germany, France and Austria: TTC Berlin Eastside - GIRBAU-VIC TT (Group A, 18:30), TT Saint Quentinois - TTC CarinthiaWinds Villach (Group B, 19:30) and Linz AG Froschberg - Leka Enea Tenis de Mesa (Group D, September 15, 16:00).
All three debutants, 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, are ready to play their very first ECLW matches.
Four-times ECLW champion and no. 1 seed TTC Berlin Eastside (Germany) has assembled one of the strongest teams in its history. The names speak for themselves: recently crowned ITTF 2019 European Team champion Bernadette SZÖCS (Romani), 2018 European Championships Women’s Doubles bronze medalists, Matilda EKHOLM (Sweden) and Georgina POTA (Hungary), 2017/18 ECLW winner with Dr. CASL and 2016 European Championships runner-up FU Yu (Portugal), 2013 European Junior champion, Nina MITTELHAM (Germany) and 2013 European Championships runner-up SHAN Xiaona (Germany).
German team hosts no. 11 seed GIRBAU VIC TT, side with lack of ECLW experience: XU Xuan Zhang, Charlotte CAREY, Orsolya FEHER AGOTA, Gabriella FEHER.
Two-times ECWL winner, Linz AG Froschberg (Austria, no. 2 seed) is determined to win its third title, led by European rising star, 2019 Europe Top 16 bronze medalist Sofia POLCANOVA (actual no. 1 in Europe). She is teamed up with SOO Wai Yam Minnie (Hong Kong), Linda BERGSTROM (Sweden) and 2017 Austrian Open runner-up Yiu HAMAMOTO (Japan). They face Spanish team Leka Enea (no. 9 seed) which line-up includes Maria XIAO, LIN Chia-Chih, Ioana TECLA-GHEMES and Roxana Mihaela IAMANDI.
Reigning ECLW champion, KTS Enea Siarka Tarnobrzeg (Poland, no. 3) is going to defend the crown with the well-known names, including gold medalist from the recent ITTF 2019 European Team Championships Elizabeta SAMARA (Romania), three strong defensive players, 2013 European Championships bronze medallist, HAN Ying (Germany), GU Ruochen (China), actual individual European champion LI Qian (Poland) and two-times Women’ Singles European Championships gold medallist Viktoria PAVLOVICH (Belarus). The team is strengthened by USA’s player WU Yue.
Poland’s champion will be tested by 2018 ETTU Cup and two-time ECLW quarter-finalist in last three years winner Metz TT, no. 10 seed. French side continues with same names: Pauline CHASSELIN, Daniela DODEAN MONTEIRO, Adina DIACONU, Carole GRUNDISCH.
Three-times in a row ECLW quarter-finalist in the last four seasons, TT Saint-Quentinois (France), no. 4 seed, is set to play with the same line-up like in the 2018/19 edition: ZHANG Mo, Polina MIKHAYLOVA, Aurore LE MANSEC and Olga MIKHAYLOVA. They will face no.12 seed TTC "CarinthiaWinds" Villach, represented by Amelia SOLJA, LI Qiangbing, Liudmila KIRITSA, Anna Zsofia FENYVESI and LIU Yan.
2019/20 ECLW, Round 1
GROUP A: TTC Berlin Eastside - GIRBAU-VIC TT (Sep 13, 18:30)
GROUP B: TT Saint Quentinois - TTC CarinthiaWinds Villach (Sep 13, 19:30)
GROUP C: KTS Enea Siarka Tarnobrzeg - Metz TT (Sep 13, 18:00)
GROUP D: Linz AG Froschberg - Leka Enea Tenis de Mesa (Sep 15, 16:00)
