Champions League Women | 3 Dec 2020

Top clubs in hunt for glory at the European Champions League Women

Photo: Helmut Ploberger (PHOTO PLOHE)

European Champions League Women in Linz (from 3rd to 8th December)

The season in Europe finally commenced with the the European Champions League Women kick off. In Austria’s Linz, under strict sanitary measures 11 teams fight for the most prestigious club’s title.

TT Saint-Quentinois (FRA) - TTC CarinthiaWinds Villach (AUT) 3:0

Polina MIKHAILOVA – wo 3:0

Sarah DE NUTTE - Bettina FEUERABEND 3:0 (11:4, 11:4, 11:6)

Andrea DRAGOMAN - Anna Zsofia FENYVESI 3:0 (11:8, 11:6, 12:10)

The action started with the duel between French TT Saint-Quentinois, last year quarterfinalists and Austria’s TTC Carinthia Winds Villach. French side won first point without big problems; Austria’s club can only count on two players.

“ We were a bit lucky they didnt have all the players, so we could have a very good start. This is important for our next match which will be much harder. We are happy that finally, we can play a tournament and is safe for us because its in a buble. There are a lot of new rules but we are trying to adapt to it and we are fighting to reach the semifinal,” said Andreea DRAGOMAN.

Tomorrow TT Saint-Quentinois will meet Stavoimpex Hodonin in Round 2 of Group stage.

Metz TT FRA - SH-ITB Budaörsi Sport Club HUN 3:0

Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN - Szabina SURJÁN 3:1 (11:3, 7:11, 11:7, 11:5)

Adina DIACONU – Maria FAZEKAS 3:2 (5:11, 11:9, 12:14, 11:8, 6:3)

WU Jiaduo - Helga DARI 3:0 (11:4, 11:5, 11:8)

Two times European Double champion, Romania’s star Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN had a good start against Szabina SURJÁN; she sealed the opening game in express way and left Szabina with only three points. However, we did not have to wait long for the response. SURJAN took over the control to secure equalizer. The match heated up; Daniela found the answer and despite hard efforts Szabina put to find the way to change the course of the match, it went only one way until the end.

“It is little strange with all of the system changes,” said Daniela MONTEIRO DODEAN. “I am not very happy with the rule that the decisive game can only play until sixth point. The game is very fast and if you have two or three unlucky balls, it is over. Szabina played very well. I think she improved a lot. She has a very good hand and a good feeling.”

Another Romania’s player in Metz’s jersey Adina DIACONU faced Maria FAZEKAS. Experienced Hungarian player won opening game without major difficulties. Adina took her time to warm up, but when she did, from the second half of the second game, she was in the driving seat. FAZEKAS stroke back in the closing stage of the third game and secured lead once again. We had a chance to see how the sudden death rule works for a first time today. It was DIACONU who reached the sixth point first in the decisive game.

“ I’m happy that we could have a good start of this competition. I was very good mentally, I fought a lot and I have been focused for each point. The team goal is to finish Group stage in first two and after that, step by step to reach the semifinal. The competition it really long,” said DIACONU. “The decisive game was really strange; I played all points like it was last point. I was really focused to avoid easy mistakes and to put a lot of pressure on the adversary. I had some difficulties to adapt at her game and her service. Also after 1st and 3rd game not to go to coach it little bit strange.”

WU Jiaduo was in fast line against Helga DARI; Germany’s player took two opening games by storm. In the third game she faced a pressure, but managed to seal the match in three games.

Girbau-Vic TT ESP - Linz AG Froschberg AUT 0:3

Sofia-Xuan ZHANG - Bernadette SZöCS 1:3 (5:11, 4:11, 11:8, 7:11)

Charlotte CAREY - Margarita PESOTSKA 0:3 (4:11, 9:11, 7:11)

Gabriela FEHER - LIU Jia 0:3 (8:11, 6:11, 9:11)

Hosts, Linz AG Froschberg, showed no mercy against Spain’s Girbau-Vic TT. New addition to the club in this season, Bernadette SZöCS of Romania overcame Sofia-Xuan ZHANG to give her club a dream start. Although she faced the pressure and lost third game, SZöCS held the grip tight in the closing stages of the match.

Margarita PESOTSKA also had furious start but Charlotte CAREY showed more in the second game. That was not enough to halt Ukraine’s player progress.

Experienced LIU Jia knew how to act and safely drove the duel toward the end.

UCAM Cartagena T.M ESP - GDCS Do Juncal POR 3:0

Maria XIAO - Tatiana GARNOVA 3:1 (11:9, 8:11, 11:6, 14:12)

LI FEN - Gulchehkra KHUSSEINOVA 3:0 (11:5, 11:7, 11:2)

Silvia ERDELJI - Raquel ANDRADE 3:0 (11:3, 11:6, 11:7)

UCAM Cartagena secured valuable points on their way to knock out phase. Maria XIAO took an early lead, but Russia’s Tatiana GARNOVA proved hard adversary to beat. She recovered to level. In the third game GARNOVA failed to maintain the rhythm. Maria XIAO controlled the duel throughout third and final fourth game.

European singles champion from Schwechat 2013 faced Uzbekistan’s Gulchehkra KHUSSEINOVA to secure safe lead for Spanish side. Silvia ERDELJI faced no problems against Raquel ANDRADE.

TTC Berlin eastside (GER) – CP Lyssois Lille Metropole (FRA) 3:2

SHAN Xiaona - Dora MADARASZ 0:3 (8:11, 9:11, 6:11)

Nina MITTELHAM - Linda BERGSTROM 2:3 (9:11, 11:8, 5:11, 11:4, 4:6)

Britt EERLAND - Andrea TODOROVIC 3:0 (11:8, 11:8, 11:3)

SHAN Xiaona - Linda BERGSTROM 3:0 (15:13, 11:5, 11:4)

Nina MITTELHAM – Dora MADARASZ 3:0 (12:10, 13:11, 11:2)

Number one seed and the club with most of the titles in new history of the ECLW competition TTC Berlin eastside performed fantastic recovery; after being two matches to null in reverse, they concluded opening round of the group stage unbeaten.

Dora MADARASZ proved too strong for Berlin’s no. one SHAN Xiaona. With that major obstacle succesfully overcamed CP Lyssois Lille Metropole was in driving seat. Swede Linda BERGSTROM continued in the same pace, but after being one game in reverse Nina MITTELHAM recovered. The pendulum swung from one side to another and decisive game was once again today in the offer.

Britt EERLAND’s solid performance against Andrea TODOROVIC brought German club back in the game. On her second exit to the table SHAN Xiaona showed no mercy against Linda BERGSTROM, and the duel entered the decisive match. Nina MITTELHAM showed good performance under pressure and bet MADARASZ.