In the Champions League Women, Group C saw Austria’s LINZ AG Froschberg deliver a nail-biting comeback against Saint-Denis 93 TT in Paris. The nearly four-hour match was packed with tension, even reaching the expedite rule, as LINZ AG Froschberg recovered from a 0-2 deficit to secure their second group win, clinching victory in the decisive game of the final match.
Jie LI and Prithika PAVADE gave Saint-Denis 93 TT a dream start. Suthasini SAWETTABUT, who had pushed LI into a decider after recovering from a 0-2 score, ultimately fell short. Britt EERLAND also had a chance, holding a game point at 1-1 against PAVADE, but missed her opportunity.
Ivana MALOBABIC then shifted the momentum by defeating Agathe AVEZOU, putting LINZ AG Froschberg back on track.
“It was a nerve-wracking match, especially SAWETTABUT’s battles, where she went the full distance twice. Saint-Denis surprised us with their lineup—we expected PAVADE to play at number one and LI Jie at number two, but they switched their plan. When we were down 0-2 after two close matches, especially after SAWETTABUT’s game and mine at 1-1 and 10-6, it looked like a smart strategy. But we kept faith that Ivana could turn it around, and she did,” EERLAND shared.
LI Jie and EERLAND, who were teammates years ago, faced each other again.
“We hadn’t played each other for a while, but I practiced with Ivana, which helped. I knew I had to take risks to stand a chance. We told SAWETTABUT the same thing—against PAVADE, she needed to maintain pressure and control. We’re so relieved now; every match was close, but the most important thing was our determination to fight for every point.”
In their first Group C match, LINZ AG Froschberg defeated ASD Quattro Mori 3-1.
In Group B match, TTC berlin eastside triumphed over SKST Plus Hodonín in the Czech Republic, with Xiaona SHAN winning both her matches against Karin GROFOVA and Solomiya BRATEYKO, while Nina MITTELHAM defeated BRATEYKO as well. Natalia PARTYKA secured a point for Hodonín in a five-game duel against Mia GRIESEL. TTC berlin eastside also beat TT Metz in their opening round, while SKST Plus Hodonín fell to the French club.
In Group A, SAINT-QUENTIN TT won over Novi Sad’s rejuvenated team. Polina MIKHAILOVA, Camille LUTZ, and Linda BERGSTRÖM each posted straight-match victories over Aneta MAKSUTI, Masa BOSKOVSKI, and Sara RADAK. Both the Serbian and French teams had lost their opening matches in the group to KTS ENEA SIARKOPOL Tarnobrzeg.
Saint-Denis 93 TT – LINZ AG Froschberg 2-3
Jie LI – Suthasini SAWETTABUT 3-2 (12-10, 11-6, 7-11, 6-11,6-3)
Prithika PAVADE – Britt EERLAND 3-1 (5-11, 11-4, 13-11, 11-6)
Agathe AVEZOU – Ivana MALOBABIC 1-3 (6-11, 11-7, 6-11, 4-11)
Jie LI – Britt EERLAND 0-3 (8-11, 9-11, 6-11)
Prithika PAVADE – Suthasini SAWETTABUT 2-3 (5-11, 11-9, 11-8, 6-11, 2-6)
SKST Plus Hodonín – ttc berlin eastside 1-3
Solomiya BRATEYKO – Nina MITTELHAM 1-3 (6-11, 6-11, 14-12, 4-11)
Karin GROFOVA – Xiaona SHAN 1-3 (11-8, 9-11, 7-11, 7-11)
Natalia PARTYKA – Mia GRIESEL 3-2 (11-8, 11-5, 4-11, 5-11, 6-5)
Solomiya BRATEYKO – Xiaona SHAN 1-3 (7-11, 7-11, 11-9, 8-11)
SAINT-QUENTIN TT – Novi Sad 3-0
Polina MIKHAILOVA – Masa BOSKOVSKI 3-0 (11-6, 11-2, 11-3)
Camille LUTZ – Aneta MAKSUTI 3-0 (11-7, 11-9, 11-8)
Linda BERGSTRÖM – Sara RADAK 3-0 3-0 (11-7, 11-6, 11-5)
