History was made in Tarnobrzeg when the Metz TT secured a place in the first women’s final

The first ever ETTU Champions League Women Final 4 kicked off today in the Polish city of Tarnobrzeg, with four of Europe’s top clubs arriving in the hope of lifting the most prestigious trophy in European women’s club table tennis. In the opening semi-final, France’s Metz TT defeated Spain’s UCAM Cartagena TM after a tense and emotional battle to secure their place in tomorrow’s final, scheduled for 3pm CET. Later today, host KTS Enea Siarkopol Tarnobrzeg will face German ttc berlin eastside for the second ticket to the title match.

See the photos here.

Egypt’s Hana GODA, currently number 20 in the ITTF world rankings, opened the match for Metz TT against Chilean international Daniela ORTEGA, number 109 in the world.

Both players started with strong service games, with GODA looking aggressive from the first rallies, while ORTEGA tried to disrupt the rhythm by constantly changing the pace and varying the spin. Despite the resistance from the South American champions, GODA maintained a slim lead throughout the opening match to take the lead.

ORTEGA struggled to receive in the second game, while GODA continued to apply pressure with its fast attacking play and solid placement.

The Cartagena player showed signs of a comeback at the start of the third game and took her first lead of the match at 3-2. However, GODA responded immediately and refused to let the momentum shift. As the Egyptian pushed the pace even further and denied ORTEGA any chance to slow down the rallies, UCAM Cartagena coach Jesús CANTERO called a timeout in an attempt to break the rhythm.

However, GODA remained in complete control and closed the match in two games.

“She played very well, so I had to put a lot of power into my shots and keep the ball on the table. I’m happy that I could bring this point to the team,” said GODA.

The clash between Europe No. 8 Charlotte LUTZ and Europe No. 6 Maria XIAO leveled the match. XIAO justified its higher ranking by taking control early in the encounter. The players remained close until halfway through the opening match, when the Spaniard began to pull away with accurate placement and well-timed attacks down the line.

LUTZ managed to maintain the pace at 4-4 in the second game, but XIAO again caused separation by constantly pushing the French player half a step behind and disrupting her rhythm.

“I played without any pressure because I knew we were the underdogs here. Without QI Fei it is very difficult to win this match, so I had nothing to lose. The last time I played against LUTZ they beat me 3-0 and I had no chance, so today I was just thinking point by point and game by game. I think that was the key. The big difference this time was that she did not receive my serve so well, and that gave me the opportunity to be aggressive towards her. She has a very attacking attitude.” game, so if I could be aggressive first, it gave me the opportunity to control the point,” XIAO explained.

Adina DIACONU, currently ranked No. 42 in Europe, faced Tin Tin HO, No. 43 in Europe, in another exciting semi-final battle. The Romanian international applied strong pressure from the start, using heavy spin and aggressive openings to force HO into mistakes.

However, Tintin remained calm and managed to shift the momentum in the second game. After a close battle at 8-8, HO accelerated at the right time to earn two game points at 10-8 and converted the second to level the match.

The third game again resulted in a neck-and-neck battle. Better reception and early initiative helped HO take the lead, but DIACONU responded strongly in the fourth game and quickly built a 6-2 lead. Although HO closed the gap to 6-4, the Romanian player remained calm, extending the lead to 8-4 and forcing the match to a decisive fifth game.

In the decider, DIACONU took full control, dominating the rallies and securing an important win for Metz TT.

“It was a tough match, but I think I played very well in the first two games. I was leading in both games, maybe 8-2 in the first set, but they fought for every point and kept playing better and better. In the second game the same thing happened. I was in front again, but then I lost it, so I started to get a little nervous. I also had some problems with my serve, a lot of balls went out and I really don’t know why. But in the end I’m very happy that I got my game under control. emotions and let them work for me. I tried to stay very calm because she is a very aggressive player. I just had to stay in the rally and in the match, and that was the key for me today,” said DIACONU. “Today is my father’s birthday. I was sad that I couldn’t celebrate it with my family, but now I’m so happy that we won today.”

GODA left nothing to chance during its second appearance at the table. The Egyptian star immediately took control of the match, despite Maria XIAO’s experience and tactical variations. Hana dictated the pace from the opening rallies and never gave the Spaniard enough time to get into the rhythm.

“My serve worked very well today, and that was the most important thing,” GODA said.

Metz TT – UCAM Cartagena TM 3-1

• Hana GODA – Daniela ORTEGA 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-5)
• Charlotte LUTZ – Maria XIAO 0-3 (6-11, 6-11, 6-11)
• Adina DIACONU – Tin Tin HO 3-2 (11-8, 9-11, 9-11, 11-6, 6-1)
• Hana GODA – Maria XIAO 3-0 (11-6, 11-6, 13-11)