French club Saint-Denis TT 93 clinched the Europe Cup Women’s title, repeating their success from the 2020/21 season. This evening, they overcame SKST Plus Hodonín in Czechia, needing just four matches -just as they did a few days ago in Paris during the first leg of the final.
The lineup remained unchanged in both legs of the final, with Hsing-Yin LIU, Prithika PAVADE, and Agathe AVEZOU securing the victory. On the opposing side were Solomiya BRATEYKO, Karin GROFOVÁ, Markéta ŠEVČÍKOVÁ, and Natalia PATYKA.
“We’re super happy to win this ETTU Cup – the second one for our club!” said Prithika PAVADE, celebrating the team’s success on the European stage.
Hsing-Yin LIU reflected on the road to the trophy: “It was a tough way to get here. Every opponent was strong. The semifinal was really tough and intense, and in the final, we managed well to win both matches.”
“For the Champions League, of course we wanted to pass the group,” noted Agathe AVEZOU. “But we had a tough one, I think. Still, it will help us to be better next season!”
The Team Manager Julien JACQUEMONT and coach Qiwen XIAO were satisfied with the team’s performance.
“We’re really happy to have won the Europe Cup. The players all performed very well tonight. I think what we did best was that we didn’t get carried away by our victory in the previous match. Instead, we stayed focused on this game and worked hard, actively looking for the win. We learned from our loss in the final of the French league — we knew that even though we won the first match, the second one would be the hardest. We were well prepared for the challenges, “stated coach Qiwen XIAO.
Coach XIAO continued:
The atmosphere today was great, and the crowd created a very exciting environment. The first match was especially important — LIU Hsingyin gave the team a great start, playing with spirit and giving a big boost of confidence to her teammates. After that, Prithika played a very solid match and secured another win for us. Although Agathe lost in the third match, she played really well — as a young player, it’s not easy to step up and fight bravely like she did. The fourth match wasn’t easy either. By that point, we knew we had already secured the European Cup title based on the score, but we still wanted to win that match. Prithika had to refocus, fight point by point, and find a way to win — and that was not easy at all.”
On their way to this year’s title, the French team defeated Poland’s Fibrain KU AZS Politechnika Rzeszów in the semifinals and Portugal’s CTM Mirandela in the quarterfinals.
Earlier in the season, they competed in Stage Two of the Champions League but failed to reach the knockout rounds. In Group C, they managed only one win in four matches, finishing behind Austria’s Linz AG Froschberg and Italy’s ASD Quattro Mori.
“We’re really proud to take this title. Even though we went out of the Champions League too early this year, we proved ourselves here in the European Cup. We’re a fantastic team – everyone enjoys being together, and it feels amazing to work towards a common goal. There will always be wins and losses in sport, but this team will keep pushing forward.”
SKST Plus Hodonin – Saint-Denis TT 93 1-3
- Solomiya BRATEYKO – Hsing-Yin LIU 0-3 (9-11, 11-13, 8-11)
- Marketa SEVCIKOVA – Prithika PAVADE 0-3 (11-13, 6-11, 6-11)
- Natalia PARTYKA – Agathe AVEZOU 3-1 (11-7, 11-7, 4-11, 11-8)
- Karin GROFOVA – Prithika PAVADE 1-3 (9-11, 6-11, 11-9, 7-11)
Opening leg
Saint-Denis TT 93 – SKST Plus Hodonin 3-1
- Hsing-Yin LIU – Karin GROFOVA 3-1 (12-10, 6-11, 11-3, 11-5)
- Prithika PAVADE – Solomiya BRATEYKO 3-1 (11-8, 5-11, 11-8, 11-8)
- Agathe AVEZOU – Natalia PARTYKA 0-3 (4-11, 4-11, 9-11)
- Hsing-Yin LIU – Solomiya BRATEYKO 3-1 (11-8, 11-5, 10-12, 11-5)
