1. FCS Tischtennis earn Champions League and Bundesliga wins to round off the year
1. FC Saarbrücken TT have reached the Champions League quarter-finals with a confident performance. Young talent Eduard ‘Edy’ Ionescu particularly proved his worth as the key player in the last-sixteen second leg against HB Ostrov. The team from Saarbrücken had already laid the groundwork for the win in the first leg, then took the second leg in clear fashion with a strong team performance.
Strong performance by Eduard Ionescu in second leg
Last Friday, it was Eduard Ionescu in particular who carried 1. FC Saarbrücken TT to victory. The 20 year old shone by beating Jiri Vrablik in the opening match to put his team in the lead. However, Darko Jorgic – one of FCS’s top performers – then suffered a defeat at the hands of Pavel Sirucek. Nevertheless, the team were not deterred: Cedric Meissner managed to regain the lead for Saarbrücken by winning against Tomas Tregler.
Finally, Ionescu put in a strong performance to secure a 3:0 win over Pavel Sirucek, allowing the young Romanian to secure the overall victory in perfect fashion. The final score was 3:1 to FCS, confidently putting them through to the quarter-final.
Equally clear win in the first leg
1. FC Saarbrücken TT similarly impressed in their first-leg match against HB Ostrov. Yuto Muramatsu, Patrick Franziska and also Eduard Ionescu were all able to win their matches. The team were in top form and did not allow their Czech opponents any opportunities. FCS laid the foundations for moving forward to the next round with an easy 3:0 win.
A challenging opponent awaits the Saarland players in the quarter-finals: the team from GV Hennebont. The first leg will be in Hennebont on 15 January, followed by the second leg on 16 February at the Sportcampus in Saarbrücken. For the defending champions, this encounter represents a major hurdle as they seek to once again defend their Champions League title.
As well as this sporting success, 1. FC Saarbrücken TT announced other pleasing news: Eduard Ionescu’s contract has been extended on a long-term basis. The 20-year-old Romanian national player, who helped the team reach the Champions League final last year by beating Quadri Aruna, is remaining loyal to the club.
Saarbrücken is and will remain my sporting home – I have learned a lot already and want to continue my journey towards reaching the world’s top fifty with this club. I am delighted that I will be able to keep competing in the TTBL and Champions League at the highest levels in the coming years!
Eduard Ionescu
Team manager Nicolas Barrois was also happy with the contract extension: ‘Edy has just been a lucky find for us. He fits our club on both a human and a sporting level. After his fantastic performances in recent weeks and months, Edy had other offers from across Europe – fortunately, he enjoys playing with us so much that the negotiations were relatively quick and easy. We would like to help Edy enjoy a similar career to Darko and we believe in his potential.’
Edy has just been a lucky find for us. He fits our club on both a human and a sporting level.
Nicolas Barrois, team manager
Ionescu is currently in outstanding form. Across all competitions so far, he has only lost one singles match for FCS, making him a vital pillar of the team. Together with Cedric Meissner, he will also be a firm fixture on the TTBL squad for the upcoming season.
Extending Eduard Ionescu’s contract represents a vital step towards safeguarding 1. FC Saarbrücken TT‘s future. The young Olympian plays a vital role in the club’s planning. Other personnel decisions are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Heading into Christmas with a TTBL win
On Sunday (22 December 2024) in the Joachim-Deckarm-Halle, FCS Tischtennis were once again able to celebrate a vital 3:1 win in the Tischtennis-Bundesliga (TTBL) against TTC RhönSprudel Fulda-Maberzell. This victory allows coach Wang Zhi’s team to head into the Christmas break in a positive mood.
The match began with a setback for Saarbrücken, when Darko lost his singles match against Fanbo Meng 1:3. However, the team showed fighting spirit to turn things around. Yuto Muramatsu beat Ruwen Filus 3:1 to equalise. Eduard Ionescu clearly dominated his match against Thorsten Mähner with a scoreline of 3:0 to put Saarbrücken in the lead. The final blow was struck by Cedric Meissner, who defeated Ruwen Filus 3:2 in an exciting duel to secure the overall win.
This success means that 1. FC Saarbrücken TT end the first half of the season in a favourable mid-table position and are optimistic about the upcoming year. The team will be hoping to put in a good performance at the Cup final four in Ulm in the first week of January to successfully set up the new year.