Post SV Mühlhausen unstoppable, TTC Neu-Ulm wins semifinal ticket
In the last Champions League group match of Stage 2, Post SV Mühlhausen hosted Austrian representative SPG Felbermayr Wels. In the first leg, Post SV won 3:1 in front of their home crowd. Due to the two group wins against GV Hennebont TT, it was already clear before the match that Mühlhausen had made it into the Top4.
Taehoon with strong nerves brings preliminary decision
A first glance at the line-up of the teams already indicated that there would be no repeat of the first leg. For the hosts, the South Korean Ganghyeon Park was replaced by Nandor Ecseki. At Post SV Mühlhausen, Daniel Habesohn got a well-deserved break and Taehoon Kim moved into the squad.
High tension directly in the first match of the evening, which went the full distance. Andreas Levenko was able to stand up to Ovidiu Ionescu for a long time, but in the end he was defeated 2:3 (11:5, 9:11, 9:11, 12:10, 1:6). The second singles match of the evening between Jiri Martinko and Taehoon Kim was another emotional roller coaster. Martinko had the better start, winning the first set 11:6. Kim equalized the match with a 5:11 before the third set went to Austria again with 11:6. Martinko almost had the victory on his hands, but he could not reward himself and lost the fourth set with 10:12. In the final fifth set it was Kim who won the last point of the match and extended the lead for Post SV.
Steffen Mengel leaves no stone unturned
With the lead behind him, Steffen Mengel could play freely and show his current top form. With 6:11, 3:11, 14:16 he swept away the Hungarian Nandor Ecseki and secured the tenth victory in the tenth Champions League match for Post SV Mühlhausen. A respectable success for the club from Thuringia.
TTC Neu-Ulm follows Post SV Mühlhausen into the semifinals
For the top team from Neu-Ulm, it was a matter of direct entry into the semi-finals of the Champions League this evening. So far, Neu-Ulm had won all their Champions League matches, but a 3-0 defeat would have meant elimination if K.S. Dekorglass Dzialdowo had won their last group match against Sporting Clube de Portugal.
With Tomokazu Harimoto (2), Truls Moregard (5), and Dimitrij Ovtcharov (9), the TTC had three top 10 players in the current world rankings. The Polish top club K.S. Dekorglass Dzialdowo sent with Jakub Dyjas, Jonathan Groth and Kaii Konishi a less prominent, but still not to be underestimated team into the race.
Ovtcharov succeeds in first leg revenge
The first match could not have been more exciting. Jakub Dyjas on the side of the host Dekorglass Dzialdowo demanded everything from vice world champion Truls Moregard from the beginning. Moregard could equalize an even 2:0 lead and force Dyjas into the shortened deciding set, in which the Pole won by a very narrow margin of 6:5 and thus caused the first bang of the evening (11:5, 11:5, 7:11, 3:11, 6:5). Tomokazu Harimoto provided the direct connection point with an unchallenged 3:0 against Jonathan Groth (7:11, 7:11, 7:11).
Dimitrij Ovtcharov, who lost the first match against Kaii Konishi from the penholder's side, was supposed to take the lead in the third match for TTC Neu-Ulm. This time Ovtcharov took revenge and won in the fifth set (12:10, 8:11, 11:8, 4:11, 2:6).
Top performance of Jakub Dyjas not enough for victory
The player of the evening was none other than Jakub Dyjas. The 2016 European Championship semi-finalist won the fourth match of the evening against world number two Tomokazu Harimoto 3:2 (11:8, 11:6, 9:11, 6:11, 6:3) and thus forced the deciding singles match of the evening. In the decisive match, the previously winless players Jonathan Groth and Truls Moregard faced each other. After three closely contested sets, Moregard finally raised his distinctive hexagonal racket and secured Neu-Ulm's ticket to the semifinals (8:11, 11:13, 8:11).
Post SV Mühlhausen could be joined in the semifinals by two other German clubs. Borussia Düsseldorf already has one leg in the semi-finals and has to win the next match against KS Dartom Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki. The situation is similar for Saarbrücken. The Saarlanders are also still unbeaten in the Champions League and would like to extend their winning streak against Roskilde Bordtennis BTK 61.
Champions League | Group stage 2 overview
SPG Felbermayr Wels 0:3 Post SV Mühlhausen
Andreas Levenko – Ovidiu Ionescu 2:3 (11:5, 9:11, 9:11, 12:10, 1:6)
Jiri Martinko – Taehoon Kim 2:3 (11:6, 5:11, 11:6, 10:12, 5:6)
Nandor Ecseki – Steffen Mengel 0:3 (6:11, 3:11, 14:16)
K.S. Dekorglass Dzialdowo 2:3 TTC Neu-Ulm
Jakub Dyjas - Truls Moregard 3:2 (11:5, 11:5, 7:11, 3:11, 6:5)
Jonathan Groth – Tomokazu Harimoto 0:3 (7:11, 7:11, 7:11)
Kaii Konishi – Dimitrij Ovtcharov 2:3 (12:10, 8:11, 11:8, 4:11, 2:6)
Jakub Dyjas – Tomokazu Harimoto 3:2 (11:8, 11:6, 9:11, 6:11, 6:3)
Jonathan Groth – Truls Moregard 0:3 (8:11, 11:13, 8:11)
Upcoming Champions League matches:
16.12.2022:
7 p.m.: Borussia Düsseldorf vs. KS Dartom Bogoria Grodzisk Mazowiecki
18.12.2022:
3 p.m.: 1. FC Saarbrücken TT vs. Roskilde Bordtennis BTK 61