On November 11, Last year’s Europe Cup winners, French side Saint-Denis TT 93 will host reigning ETTU Champions League champions ttc berlin eastside in the opening leg of Stage Two, Group 3.
Unlike the German powerhouse, which joins the competition directly at this stage, the French club had to earn its place through Stage One.
In September in Novi Sad, without Prithika PAVADE, the trio of Jie LI, Hana ARAPOVIĆ, and Agathe AVEZOU topped their group to secure qualification for the next phase.
According to coach Qiwen XIAO, the team is now in stronger form:
“Our team is in good shape and everyone is healthy. In the French Pro A league we are currently in fourth place, and both Jie and Hana have been performing excellently recently, especially at the European Team Championships. Prithika also played very well in recent WTT events.”
Facing the six-time ETTU Champions League winners will be a formidable challenge.
“We lost in the group stage last year, so this season our goal is to reach the next round. We know the competition will be tough, especially with strong teams like club from Berlin in our group, but we’ll fight hard in every match. The Champions League is very important for us this season, and we’ll do our best to advance.”
Saint-Denis TT 93, who lifted the Europe Cup title in 2021 and 2025, are confident yet realistic. Coach XIAO analyzed her squad’s dynamics:
“The atmosphere is very positive, and we’re all looking forward to the upcoming group stage. Our biggest strengths are our team spirit and consistency, though we still want to improve our ability to handle key points under pressure. I’d also like to thank all our supporters; their energy and encouragement make us even more excited and motivated on court.”
