Champions League Men | 24 Sep 2023
Wins for SKST TESLA Batteries Havirov and SPG Felbermayr Wels
Photo: Courtesy Jaroslav Odstrcilik / Czech Table Tennis Association
It was a very interesting finish in Group B of the Champions League Men in Havířov, Czechia. The last match decided the standings, and Havířov emerged as the winner of the group.
The team SKST TESLA Batteries secured the first place in Group B and advanced to the second stage of the Champions League, thanks to a better set ratio in mutual matches with El Niňo Prague and Belgian Sokan Hoboken. The decisive moment came in the last match, which El Niňo Prague won over Sokan Hoboken with a score of 3:1.
Havířov's coach, Kamil KOUTNÝ, didn't believe that his team would top the group. "We thought that only a 3-1 victory would secure our advancement, but if it's true that even a 3-2 win is enough for us, then it's simply unreal. Before the first match, I didn't believe that we could compete for victory in the group without Tomáš POLANSKÝ. However, Adam ŠTALZER perfectly complemented the excellent pair of Jan VALENTA and Šimon BĚLÍK, and the victory over El Niňo Prague in the very first match gave everyone confidence. It's an incredible success for us. I don't even know what kind of opponents we might face in the second phase, but that doesn't matter now."
Sokan Hoboken finished in second place in the group, and El Niňo Prague came in third.
In Group D in Wels, SPG Felbermayr Wels remained unbeaten in all three rounds. Polish Global Pharma Orlicz managed to push them to go the full distance but failed to halt their progress to the next stage. The Polish club concluded this phase in the second position, while TTC Club Ostrava 2016 from Czechia is third, and Spanish CTT Les Borges is fourth.
For SPG Felbermayr Wels, Andreas LEVENKO, Jiri MARTINKO, Maciej KOLODZIEJCZYK, and Felix WETZEL play.
