Fusion and Grantham Academy won matches against Draycott & Long Eaton to claim seventh-place finishes at the Europe trophy Grand Finals.

The Europe Trophy is the third level of the European club competition, after the Champions League and Europe Cup, and is being played for the first time this season.

Fusion and Draycott made it through from the women’s qualifying tournament held in England in April, while Grantham and Draycott got through the men’s competition.

Against some high-class opponents, particularly in the women’s competition which featured several top-200 players in the world rankings, it was a struggle at times for the generally young English club line-ups.

None of them picked up any victories in the group stage, though there were good individual wins for Fusion’s Elena Todirca and Grantham’s Jordan Wykes. There were also some close matches which went to fifth set ‘shootouts’ in which the first to six points won the match.

It meant all-English clashes to decide seventh and eighth places and in the women’s event it was Fusion who came out on top 3-1 over Draycott thanks to a double for Todirca and one for Sanne De Hoop. Millie Rogove picked up Draycott’s win in the third match, beating Danielle Kelly. Draycott were also represented by sisters Erin and Anna Green and their mother Jo, while Tiana Dennison was also in the Fusion squad.

In the men’s play-off, it was a 3-0 win for Grantham over Draycott as Callum Evans, Olly Tyndall and Wykes beat Connor Green, Rhys Davies and Toby Ellis respectively. Brothers Naphong and Naphat Boonyaprapa were also on duty for Draycott.

The men’s competition was won by Czech club SKST Tesla Batteries Havirov at their home venue, beating Arteal Tenis De Mesa of Spain in the final, while the women’s event was won by Panathinaikos AC of Greece, overcoming TT Moravský Krumlov of the Czech Republic.

Results

Women’s Group A
Panathinaikos AC (GRE) 3 Draycott & Long Eaton TTC 0
Aikaterini Toliou bt Erin Green 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-6)
Szandra Pergel bt Millie Rogove 3-0 (11-6, 11-6, 11-7)
Ana Tofant bt Jo Green 3-0 (11-1, 11-2, 11-2)

SCO Ossiachersee Bodensdorf (AUT) 3 Draycott & Long Eaton 0
Aleksandra Vovk bt Erin Green 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-5)
Katarina Strazar bt Rogove 3-0 (11-6, 11-2, 11-6)
Lea Paulin bt Jo Green 3-0 (11-6, 11-5, 11-3)

Stolnotenisove Centrum SKST Bratislava (SVK) 3 Draycott & Long Eaton 0
Dominika Wiltschkova bt Erin Green 3-1 (9-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-6)
Eliska Stullerova bt Anna Green 3-2 (9-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7, 6-5)
Jana Terezkova bt Rogove 3-0 (14-12, 11-7, 11-9)

Women’s Group B
KTTC AFP Antwerpen (BEL) 3 Fusion TTC 1
Elena Todirca bt Sara Devos 3-1 (11-9, 11-7, 13-15, 11-9)
Julie Van Hauwaert bt Sanne De Hoop 3-2 (11-3, 11-8, 5-11, 6-11, 6-2)
Angelique Gertenbach bt Danielle Kelly 3-2 (11-5, 4-11, 11-5, 9-11, 6-4)
Devos bt De Hoop 3-2 (12-10, 5-11, 7-11, 11-9, 6-4)

TT Moravsky Krumlov (CZE) 3 Fusion 0
Mitsuki Yoshida bt Todirca 3-1 (11-5, 11-3, 10-12, 11-2)
Bernadett Balint bt De Hoop 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-6)
Ekaterina Chernyavskaya bt Kelly 3-1 (11-3, 11-6, 9-11, 16-14)

SU Sparkasse Kufstein (AUT) 3 Fusion 0
Anita Nyitrai bt De Hoop 3-0 (11-5, 11-5, 20-18)
Gyorgyi Bene bt Todirca 3-2 (8-11, 10-12, 12-10, 11-5, 6-2)
Renata Pengo-Mura bt Tiana Dennison 3-0 (11-8, 11-7, 11-5)

Positions 7-8
Fusion 3 Draycott & Long Eaton 1
Todirca bt Erin Green 3-0 (11-7, 11-8, 11-9)
De Hoop bt Anna Green 3-1 (11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5)
Rogove bt Kelly 3-2 (11-9, 11-8, 3-11, 7-11, 6-5)
Todirca bt Anna Green 3-0 (11-3, 11-4, 11-2)

Men’s Group A
Arteal Tenis De Mesa (ESP) 3 Grantham Academy 0
Andre Silva bt Jordan Wykes 3-0 (11-4, 11-9, 11-6)
Humberto Manhani bt Callum Evans 3-0 (11-1, 11-6, 11-6)
Enio Mendes bt Olly Tyndall 3-1 (11-6, 11-5, 9-11, 11-3)

TJ Geolog Roznava (SVK) 3 Grantham Academy 0
Ingemar Peter bt Wykes 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 13-11)
Igor Zavadskij bt Evans 3-0 (11-9, 11-9, 11-8)
Jakub Takac bt Tyndall 3-1 (11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6)

Metz TT (FRA) 3 Grantham Academy 1
Wykes bt Corentin Mazaud 3-1 (15-13, 12-10, 8-11, 11-4)
Florian Bourrassaud bt Tyndall 3-0 (11-8, 11-5, 11-4)
Noah Becourt bt Evans 3-2 (10-12, 11-9, 12-14, 12-10, 6-4)
Bourrassaud bt Wykes 3-2 (13-11, 6-11, 10-12, 11-7, 6-2)

Men’s Group B
SKST Tesla Batteries Havirov (CZE) 3 Draycott & Long Eaton TTC 0
Jan Valenta bt Naphong Boonyaprapa 3-0 (11-7, 11-8, 11-8)
Zokhid Kenjaev bt Connor Green 3-0 (11-8, 11-8, 11-8)
Petr David bt Rhys Davies 3-0 (11-3, 11-2, 11-8)

CSS-SZAK Odorheiu Secuiesc (ROU) 3 Draycott & Long Eaton 0
Sebastian Loso bt Toby Ellis 3-0 (11-3, 11-6, 11-6)
Gyorgy Szilard bt Naphong Boonyaprapa 3-2 (11-9, 11-5, 4-11, 7-11, 6-3)
Munteanu Lucian bt Naphat Boonyaprapa 3-2 (13-11, 11-3, 7-11, 8-11, 6-3)

Taltech Sports Club (EST) 3 Draycott & Long Eaton 0
Arturs Reinholds bt Green 3-2 (3-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-3, 6-3)
Samuli Soine bt Naphong Boonyaprapa 3-1 (4-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-5)
Stanislav Strogov bt Naphat Boonyaprapa 3-1 (11-8, 11-7, 9-11, 13-11)

Positions 7-8
Grantham Academy 3 Draycott & Long Eaton 0
Evans bt Green 3-2 (6-11, 8-11, 12-10, 11-6, 6-5)
Tyndall bt Davies 3-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-8)
Wykes bt Ellis 3-0 (11-8, 11-6, 11-7)