Austria’s LINZ AG Froschberg clinched their place in the Champions League Women quarterfinals with a victory in their penultimate Group C match. Remaining unbeaten in Stage 2, they defeated French Saint-Denis 93 TT for the second time this season.
Earlier, Linz had triumphed over Italy’s ASD QUATTRO MORI (3-1) and Saint-Denis 93 TT (3-2) in the opening leg, overcoming a 0-2 deficit in Paris. Tonight, they faced another fierce challenge as Saint-Denis fought desperately to stay in contention for the group’s second spot but ultimately fell short.
Suthasini SAWETTABUT endured a grueling five-game battle against ZHU Chengzhu, securing victory with a death point. Prithika PAVADE also pushed Britt EERLAND to the limit, but EERLAND emerged victorious in another five-game thriller, clinching the match 6-3.
Barbora BALAZOVA secured the sole point for the French team with a win over Ivana MALOBABIC. However, SAWETTABUT sealed Linz’s overall victory with another dramatic five-game match, defeating PAVADE once again by a death point.
“From the beginning, we knew we needed two points to progress. Having beaten them last time, the pressure was on Saint-Denis,” said Britt EERLAND. “Our coach predicted they might start with ZHU Chengzhu, and it worked in our favor. We played sharp and smart. I’m happy to have avenged my loss to PAVADE, but it was extremely close and could have gone either way. Overall, it was a great team effort, and we’re proud of our performance and this experience.”
Group C
LINZ AG Froschberg – Saint-Denis 93 TT 3-1
- Suthasini SAWETTABUT – ZHU Chengzhu 3-2 (11-8, 10-12, 11-7, 6-11, 6-5)
- Britt EERLAND – Prithika PAVADE 3-2 (11-6, 11-6, 8-11, 9-11, 6-3)
- Ivana MALOBABIC – Barbora BALAZOVA 1-3 (8-11, 12-10, 6-11, 5-11)
- Suthasini SAWETTABUT- Prithika PAVADE 3-2 (15-13, 7-11, 11-9, 3-11, 6-5)
