TTCLM: Borussia Düsseldorf with win against SPG Felbermayr Wels
In the third Champions League group match of Stage 2, Borussia Düsseldorf hosted Austrian representative SPG Felbermayr Wels. The first leg in October was won 3:0 in front of a home crowd, and Borussia Düsseldorf once again came out on top in the second leg.
The first glance at the line-ups of both teams already suggested that there would be no repeat of the first leg and that the cards would be reshuffled. For the hosts, young star Felix Wetzel was replaced by veteran Joao Monteiro. Kay Stumper and Borgar Haug replaced Dang Qui and Timo Boll in the Borussia squad this time.
Kay Stumper with comeback against Andreas Levenko
Andreas Levenko got off to a strong start against Kay Stumper in the first match of the evening, winning the first set 11:6, but Stumper countered skillfully, securing the second set 11:9 and thus laying the foundation for his victory. In set three, however, things got dicey again for the 21-year-old from Borussia. After trailing 7:10, Stumper fended off three set points and won the set 12:10 before clearly winning the fourth set 11:3.
Anton Källberg prevails against Joao Monteiro
Joao Monteiro and Anton Källberg met in the second singles match. Källberg left nothing to chance and showed his class right from the start. The first and second sets went to the Düsseldorf player with 11:7 and 11:8, but Monteiro fought his way back into the match with 11:5 in the third set. However, Källberg remained focused and prevailed 11:7 in the fourth set, which meant the second point for Borussia Düsseldorf.
Borgar Haug defeats Jiri Martinko
The third game of the evening between Jiri Martinko and Borussia's new signing Borgar Haug was to be the turning point for the hosts. Martinko followed up an even start in the first set with a 5-point series to win the set 11:6. However, Haug showed impressive taker qualities and countered with a convincing second set (5:11). The third set was closely contested, but went to Haug by the narrowest of margins at 13:11, before the fourth set saw the start of a superb chase to catch up. After trailing 4:8, the Norwegian kept his nerve and finally secured the set 11:8 after winning seven points in a row.
This 3:0 win means that Borussia have qualified for the semi-finals of the Table Tennis Champions League (TTCLM) ahead of time. Borussia Düsseldorf's last group match will be against Sporting Clube de Portugal on 15.12.2023 at 19:00.
SPG Felbermayr Wels - Borussia Düsseldorf 0:3
Andreas Levenko - Kay Stumper 1:3 (11:6, 9:11, 10:12, 3:11)
Joao Monteiro - Anton Källberg 1:3 (7:11, 8:11, 11:5, 7.11)
Jiri Martinko - Borgar Haug 1:3 (11:6, 5:11, 11:13, 8:11)
Featured image: Kay Stumper from Borussia Düsseldorf (Photo: Jörg Fuhrmann).