In Germany, ttc berlin eastside secured a 3-1 victory in the opening leg of the Champions League Women’s final against Metz TT. With two matches going the full distance, it was a night of suspense and momentum swings — but the standout performer was Sabina ŠURJAN, who delivered two crucial wins for the home side.
ŠURJAN began in superb style, winning the first two games against Charlotte LUTZ, but the French player fought back to level the score. At the end of the fourth game, trailing 6-10, ŠURJAN showed great composure to close the gap, but LUTZ held firm to push the match into a decider. In the final game, however, the Serbian took full control and dominated from start to finish to seal the win.
“Until 2-0, I was very confident, but after I stopped to play, I was very passive. And that’s why it came to 2-2. So, after 2-2, I changed the approach and started to play more aggressive again. I think that was the key. And, of course, because of the atmosphere in the venue,” said ŠURJAN.
In the second match, Adina DIACONU notched her ninth Champions League victory this season, overcoming Xiaona SHAN in four games. Before this encounter, DIACONU had suffered only one defeat in the entire campaign — against China’s HE Zhuojia, who also represents the Berlin club.
The evening featured another five-game thriller as Mia GRIESEL overcame Mariia TAILAKOVA. The Metz player took the opening game, but GRIESEL responded strongly by taking the next two. TAILAKOVA fought back to level, but GRIESEL stayed composed in the decider to win.
In the final match, ŠURJAN returned to the table and outplayed DIACONU in straight games, capping a brilliant night and securing Berlin’s 3-1 lead ahead of the return leg.
“Mia played tactically perfectly against TAILAKOVA. She really fought strong. Concerning my match against Adina, everything fell into place,” SURJAN added.
This season, the two teams already met twice in the group stage, with ttc berlin eastside emerging victorious on both occasions — 3-1 and 3-0.
The second leg is scheduled for 12 June in France.
ttc berlin eastside – METZ TT 3-1
- Sabina SURJAN – Charlotte LUTZ 3-2 (11-4, 11-8, 5-11, 8-11, 6-3)
- Xiaona SHAN – Adina DIACONU 1-3 (8-11, 10-12, 12-10, 8-11)
- Mia GRIESEL – Mariia TAILAKOVA 3-2 (3-11, 11-5, 11-6, 6-11, 6-3)
- Sabina SURJAN – Adina DIACONU 3-0 (11-5, 11-8, 11-7)
