International

ASC Grünwettersbach and Post SV Mühlhausen have lived up to their roles as favorites in the Champions League. The two teams from the Table Tennis Bundesliga (TTBL) each secured three victories in Stage 1, finishing first in their respective groups and punching their tickets to the Round of 16.

Only on Wednesday had Grünwettersbach and Mühlhausen kicked off their TTBL season. Just days later, both clubs were already in action on the European stage. In Stage 1 of the Champions League, Grünwettersbach and Mühlhausen each had one clear goal: to progress to the next round – a task both sides completed confidently. As a result, four TTBL teams are now set to compete in the Champions League Round of 16: defending champions 1. FC Saarbrücken TT and record champions Borussia Düsseldorf will enter the competition as seeded teams in the next stage. While Mühlhausen has been a regular Champions League participant in recent years, this marks Grünwettersbach’s debut in Europe's premier table tennis competition.

Grünwettersbach drops just one match

Grünwettersbach made a particularly strong statement. Despite losing 1:3 to Mühlhausen in their TTBL season opener, the Baden-based team dropped just one match in Group D. After a 3:0 win against TTC Ostrava and another 3:0 against AS Pontoise Cergy, their advancement was already secured. “We played two perfect matches in two days,” said Tiago Apolonia on Saturday following the second victory. “Personally, I’m happy I was able to give the team a strong start by beating each opponent’s top player.” The only match Grünwettersbach dropped came in their 3:1 win against Real Club Cajasur Priego. Their top performer was new signing Hiroto Shinozuka, who finished Stage 1 with four wins. “We are incredibly proud of the team. This is a milestone for ASC and for the sport of table tennis in the city of Karlsruhe,” said ASC manager Martin Werner.

Mühlhausen also secured early qualification in Group A, with only slightly more resistance. The Thuringian side sealed their spot in the Round of 16 on Saturday, after a 3:1 win against Lille Métropole TT and a 3:0 over STK Vyhne. “After the tough league match on Friday, we came in with a lot of confidence,” said Ovidiu Ionescu after the second win. “Our goal was to win the group – and we did just that.” Their final group match was the closest, with Ionescu and Kay Stumper securing a narrow 3:2 victory over Dojlidy Białystok.

Overview of stage 1

Group A

Post SV Mühlhausen – Lille Metropole TT 3:1
Kay Stumper – Romain Brard 3:0 (11:8, 11:3, 11:8)
Liao Cheng-Ting – Tom Closset 1:3 (10:12, 11:7, 5:11, 9:11)
Ovidiu Ionescu – Fabio Rakotoarimanana 3:0 (11:3, 11:5, 11:1)
Kay Stumper – Tom Closset 3:1 (11:9, 9:11, 11:4, 11:1)

STK Vyhne – Post SV Mühlhausen 0:3
Wie Chih Yeh – Ovidiu Ionescu 2:3 (11:5, 5:11, 10:12, 13:11, 5:6)
Filip Szymanski – Steffen Mengel 1:3 (11:9, 2:11, 4:11, 3:11)
Adam Klajber – Liao Cheng-Ting 1:3 (12:14, 11:8, 8:11, 11:13)

Post SV Mühlhausen – Dojlidy Bialystok 3:2
Liao Cheng-Ting – Patryk Chojnowski 2:3 (12:10, 9:11, 11:9, 8:11, 5:6)
Ovidiu Ionescu – Piotr Chodorski 3:0 (11:4, 11:9, 11:4)
Kay Stumper – Piotr Michalski 3:2 (13:15, 11:7, 11:5, 5:11, 6:3)
Liao Cheng-Ting – Piotr Chodorski 2:3 (2:11, 9:11, 11:7, 14:12, 2:6)
Ovidiu Ionescu – Patryk Chojnowski 3:0 (11:6, 11:4, 11:6)

Group D

Real Club Cajasur Priego – ASC Grünwettersbach 1:3
Hampus Söderlund – Tiago Apolonia 3:2 (9:11, 5:11, 11:9, 11:4, 6:4)
Carlos Machado – Hiroto Shinozuka 1:3 (4:11, 11:9, 8:11, 8:11)
Alejandro Calvo – Ricardo Walther 0:3 (8:11, 8:11, 8:11)
Hampus Söderlund – Hiroto Shinozuka 1:3 (18:16, 6:11, 8:11, 4:11)

AS Pontoise Cergy – ASC Grünwettersbach 0:3
Alexandre Cassin – Tiago Apolonia 1:3 (6:11, 13:15, 11:8, 7:11)
Benjamin Brochard – Hiroto Shinozuka 0:3 (1:11, 3:11, 5:11)
Flavio Mourier – Ricardo Walther 1:3 (4:11, 5:11, 11:7, 2:11)

TTC Ostrava – ASC Grünwettersbach 0:3
Ondrej Kveton – Tiago Apolonia 0:3 (11:13, 10:12, 11:13)
Adam Stalzer – Hiroto Shinozuka 1:3 (11:6, 5:11, 8:11, 2:11)
Jakub Kleprlik – Tobias Hippler 0:3 (6:11, 6:11, 10:12)

Featured image: Steffen Mengel (Post SV Mühlhausen)