Post Sportverein Mühlhausen 1951 e.V. overcame HB Ostrov z.s. in Germany in the opening leg of the Europe Cup Men semifinal.
Irvin BERTRAND made a strong start against Andrej GACINA. Although the Croatian managed to recover, the French player withstood GACINA’s spirited comeback to give the German side the early lead with win in decisive game.
Vladislav URSU then leveled the score for the Czech team with a win over Ovidiu IONESCU. Daniel HABESOHN responded by defeating Pavel ŠIRUČEK, and BERTRAND later recorded his second win of the day to seal the match in Mühlhausen’s favor.
After the match, HABESOHN reflected on the team’s performance and the importance of home support:
“We had a very good start, especially in the first match, and we showed a good performance overall. I think we also had the advantage of the home match on our side. It was very loud, many people were supporting us. This was maybe, for the players who didn’t know our hall, a little bit surprising how loud it was,” explained HABESOHN.
“BERTRAND brought us 1-0 in front directly. Then IONESCU had his chances against URSU. Unfortunately, he lost in a tough game — it was a little bit tactical. At 1-1, I played a very good match against ŠIRUČEK. This was maybe already a little bit deciding, because the pressure was high on the side of the Czech team. BERTRAND, he played very well today. He showed a good performance, he played solid. In the end, this was the key for our victory.”
The team now turns its attention to the crucial away leg:
“It’s not done. It’s like a first step. The Czech team is a good one and we need to take care. They can play very well. Also, they have some experienced players like GACINA. We need to be prepared for the second match away. We are fully focused on the second match now, and hopefully we can repeat the shape we showed today.”
The return leg is scheduled for 31st May in Havlíčkův Brod.
In the other semifinal, Czechia’s SF SKK EL NINO PRAHA claimed a valuable 3-1 away victory over ASC GRÜNWETTERSBACH in Germany.
Postsportverein Mühlhausen 1951 e.V. – HB Ostrov z.s. 3-1
- Irvin BERTRAND – Andrej GACINA 3-2 (11-4, 11-6, 9-11, 11-13, 6-1)
- Ovidiu IONESCU – Vladislav URSU 1-3 (11-6, 9-11, 10-12, 9-11)
- Daniel HABESOHN – Pavel SIRUCEK 3-0 (11-9, 11-8, 11-8)
- Irvin BERTRAND – Vladislav URSU 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-8)
