Italian side ASD Quattro Mori Cagliari strengthened their chances of progressing to the quarter-finals of the ETTU Champions League Women after a crucial home victory over Poland’s PGE Fibrain Ku AZS Politechnika Rzeszów.
French club Metz TT remains at the top of the group with two wins over both adversaries, while the Italian team recorded their first victory of the campaign.
Poland’s Zuzanna WIELGOS gave the visitors a perfect start with a straight-games win over Elizabet ABRAAMIAN, but Tania PLAIAN then turned the match in Cagliari’s favour. The Romanian player defeated Fen LI before Hengyu MA and ABRAAMIAN followed suit to seal the victory.
“I’m very happy with this victory because it was extremely important for us. We still have a chance to qualify for the quarter-finals. I’m very happy for my teammates, for my coach, and for the whole club,” said PLAIAN.
“We didn’t start well because Elizabet was not in her best shape today, while Susanna played very good. As for my match, it was unbelievable. I felt like I could do everything. I played the best table tennis I have played in a long time. Since last year, I never played like this.
“About Ma Heng-Yu, our Chinese player, she was unbelievably good. She used very good tactics against Ilona, and her service and forehand were excellent. Elisabeth, in the last match, followed the tactics perfectly. She listened to the bench, and we supported her until the very last point.”
The victory over former European champion from Sweden was an important confidence boost for PLAIAN, who recently returned from injury.
“Regarding the injury, I am still not 100 percent recovered. I’m still in the recovery process, but I try to give my best. Now, during the Christmas break, I want to reset my mind and rest a little, because I played many matches in this period,” she added.
Group leaders Metz TT will host PGE Fibrain Ku AZS Politechnika Rzeszów on Saturday. In January, ASD Quattro Mori Cagliari will face Metz TT on 14 January, before meeting PGE Fibrain Ku AZS Politechnika Rzeszów in Poland on 18 January.
SD Quattro Mori Cagliari (ITA) – PGE Fibrain Ku AZS Politechnika Rzeszów (POL) 3-1
- Elizabet ABRAAMIAN – Zuzanna WIELGOS 0-3 (7-11, 6-11, 9-11)
- Tania PLAIAN – Fen LI 3-0 (11–2, 11–2, 11–7)
- Hengyu MA – Ilona SZTWIERTNIA 3-1 (8–11, 11–3, 11–4, 11–8)
- Elizabet ABRAAMIAN – Fen LI 3:1 (4–11, 12–10, 11–5, 11–6)
Saint-Denis TT 93 Claim Away Win in Group C
In Group C, Saint-Denis TT 93 bounced back from their defeat against the reigning champions ttc berlin eastside with an important away victory over Linz AG Froschberg. The result leaves the Austrian side on shaky ground, having suffered two defeats from two matches.
The 3–1 victory followed a very tight contest. Moe NOMURA gave the hosts a dream start with the narrowest of wins over Prithika PAVADE, but Siqi FAN then put the French club on the winning track. She claimed both of her singles victories, defeating Britt EERLAND and NOMURA. In the all-Croatian clash, Hana ARAPOVIC overcame Ivana MALOBABIC in straight games.
“Prithika really had a very good start against Japan’s NOMURA. She took a 2–0 lead and we thought she could win the match. However, NOMURA showed that she is a very strong player and managed to turn the match around by a narrow margin. In the next match, Siqi showed that she adjusted very well to Britt’s style of play. My match against Ivana was a duel against a player I know very well, so it was not difficult to find the right tactics.
The crucial moment came in the last match. Siqi managed to recover after being down 0–2. She changed her tactics and adapted her game perfectly.
Now we will play against Berlin in a few days, and it will be very important to build on this success,” said Hana ARAPOVIC.
Group C leaders ttc berlin eastside will host Saint-Denis TT 93 on Saturday. In January, Linz AG Froschberg will face ttc berlin eastside on 13 January, while Saint-Denis TT 93 will meet Linz AG Froschberg on 18 January.
Linz AG Froschberg (AUT) – Saint-Denis TT 93 (FRA) 1–3
- Moe NOMURA– Prithika PAVADE 3–2 (10–12, 6–11, 11–6, 12–10, 6–4)
- Britt EERLAND– Siqi FAN 1–3 (8–11, 4–11, 11–8, 3–11)
- Ivana MALOBABIC– Hana ARAPOVIC 0–3 (3–11, 6–11, 7–11)
- Moe NOMURA– Siqi FAN 2–3 (11–4, 12–10, 8–11, 4–11, 2–6)
