Grünwettersbach Suffers First-Leg Defeat in Europe Cup Semi-Final against Prague

ASC Grünwettersbach will head into the second leg of the Europe Cup semi-final under pressure after falling 1–3 at home to SF SKK El Nino Prague. Czech player David Reitspies was the key figure for the visitors, securing two singles victories. The return leg will be played on June 6 in Prague.

The evening started well for the TTBL club: Ricardo Walther gave Grünwettersbach the lead with a commanding 3–0 win over Tomas Konecny (11–6, 12–10, 11–7). But Prague struck back quickly as David Reitspies outplayed Leo de Nodrest in straight games to level the match.

Yevhen Pryshchepa gave the visitors a 2–1 advantage with another 3–0 performance, this time over Guilherme Teodoro, before Reitspies returned to the table and delivered once again. In the final match of the evening, he defeated Walther 3–0 (11–9, 11–4, 11–9), sealing a strong away win for Prague.

“It’s a great result for us. I’m glad I managed it,” said Reitspies. “I was a little nervous about the match with de Nodrest, because he’s left-handed. The key was the receive, which I managed well. I had great respect for Walther. I played a lot of safety and balls on rotation.”

That puts Grünwettersbach in a tough position for the return leg in Prague, where they'll need to overturn the result.

Europe Cup - Semi-Final, First Leg

ASC Grünwettersbach – SF SKK El Nino Prague 1–3
Ricardo Walther – Tomas Konecny 3–0 (11–6, 12–10, 11–7)
Leo de Nodrest – David Reitspies 0–3 (13–15, 6–11, 4–11)
Guilherme Teodoro – Yevhen Pryshchepa 0–3 (6–11, 9–11, 9–11)
Ricardo Walther – David Reitspies 0–3 (9–11, 4–11, 9–11)