TTCLM: Mühlhausen and Neu-Ulm reach Stage 2
Post SV Mühlhausen and TTC Neu-Ulm have lived up to their role as favorites in the Champions League: Both teams from the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) won their groups and made it to Stage 2 of the TTCLM.
Only in the first match was it close for Post SV Mühlhausen in Stage 1 of the Champions League (TTCLM). Both Steffen Mengel and Ovidiu Ionescu lost against Zokhid Kenjaev from the Czech club SKST Tesla Batteries Havirov, but in the end they won 3:2. "The start of the tournament was a bit slow," says Mühlhausen coach Erik Schreyer: "But in the games against Compostela and Neustadt we gradually improved and showed a really good performance, especially against Neustadt. In the end it was a great, united team performance."
Post SV won 3-0 against Arteal SD Compostela from Spain and Solex-Consult Wiener Neustadt from Austria, securing first place in Group B and one of the four tickets for Stage 2 of the TTCLM. Kim Taehyun had a successful debut tournament. The 19-year-old newcomer from South Korea won against Simon Belik (Havirov), Humberto Manhani Junior (Compostela) and Ivor Ban (Wiener Neustadt). "We are very pleased with his performance," Schreyer noted.
Successful debut for Lin Yun-Ju
Meanwhile, TTC Neu-Ulm made it very clear in Group C. With Lin Yun-Ju, Dimitrij Ovtcharov and Truls Moregard, the Swabians fielded three players from the top 10 of the world rankings and therefore won as expected against TTC Ostrava (Czech Republic), CSS SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc (Romania) and USD Apuania Carrara Tennistavolo (Italy) with 3:0 each. For Lin, these were the first matches for Neu-Ulm; Ovtcharov and Moregard had already been used on the first match day of the Tischtennis Bundesliga (TTBL).
With Borussia Düsseldorf and 1. FC Saarbrücken TT two more teams from the TTBL are in Stage 2 of the TTCLM.
Stage 1 in overview
Group B SKST Tesla Batteries Havirov – Post SV Mühlhausen 2:3
Zokhid Kenjaev – Steffen Mengel 3:1 (11:8, 5:11, 11:8, 11:5)
Jan Valenta – Daniel Habesohn 0:3 (8:11, 9:11, 9:11)
Simon Belik – Kim Taehyun 1:3 (9:11, 1:11, 11:9, 5:11)
Zokhid Kenjaev – Ovidiu Ionescu 3:0 (11:6, 11:9, 11:7)
Jan Valenta – Steffen Mengel 0:3 (7:11, 5:11, 2:11)
Post SV Mühlhausen – Arteal SD Compostela 3:0
Steffen Mengel – Jose Enio Mendes de Endcarnacao 3:2 (11:9, 16:18, 6:11, 13:11, 6:1)
Kim Taehyun – Humberto Manhani Junior 3:0 (11:8, 13:11, 11:7)
Ovidiu Ionescu – Andre Filipe Coelho da Silva 3:2 (5:11, 12:10, 7:11, 11:5, 6:5)
Solex-Consult Wiener Neustadt – Post SV Mühlhausen 0:3
Kenji Matsudaira – Daniel Habesohn 2:3 (11:5, 6:11, 9:11, 11:5, 2:6)
Frane Tomislav Kojic – Steffen Mengel 1:3 (7:11, 5:11, 11:2, 8:11)
Ivor Ban – Kim Taehyun 1:3 (10:12, 11:8, 10:12, 14:16)
Group C TTC Ostrava – TTC Neu-Ulm 0:3
Jakub Kleprlik – Lin Yun-Ju 1:3 (6:11, 11:8, 4:11, 4:11)
Alexander Valuch – Truls Moregard 0:3 (6:11, 10:12, 7:11)
Filip Delincak – Dimitrij Ovtcharov 0:3 (5:11, 6:11, 4:11)
TTC Neu-Ulm – CSS SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc 3:0
Lin Yun-Ju – Szilard György 3:0 (11:7, 11:8, 11:4)
Dimitrij Ovtcharov – Sebastian Loso 3:0 (11:8, 11:6, 11:3)
Truls Moregard – Levente Sanduly 3:0 (11:5, 11:7, 11:4)
TTC Neu-Ulm – USD Apuania Carrara Tennistavolo 3:0
Lin Yun-Ju – Mihai Bobocica 3:0 (11:6, 11:5, 11:7)
Truls Moregard – Lubomir Pistej 3:2 (11:6, 9:11, 12:10, 7:11, 6:4)
Dimitrij Ovtcharov – Andrea Puppo 3:0 (11:6, 11:7, 11:5)